Question 1

Pam helps her neighbor find a job by providing him with several influential contacts. She does this for the sole purpose of helping him without expecting anything in return. Pam's behavior is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

Altruistic helping refers to providing assistance to others without any expectation of personal gain or benefit, which aligns with Pam's actions of helping her neighbor solely for the purpose of aiding him.

Question 2

When helping is altruistically motivated, people will try to ____.

Accepted Answer

When helping is altruistically motivated, it means the person's primary concern is the well-being of others, leading them to take actions aimed at reducing the suffering of those in need.

Question 3

In one well-known study on empathy, participants had to watch a confederate receive electric shocks. The researchers manipulated how difficult it was to escape from watching these electric shocks. Some participants were told that they had to watch 10 full trials of shocks, while others were told that they could leave after watching the first two trials. This manipulation was done to test for ____.

Accepted Answer

This manipulation was done to test for egoistic motives for helping, as it aimed to see if participants would choose to escape the discomfort of watching someone else suffer (an egoistic motive) or stay and empathize with the confederate's pain.

Question 4

In general, when it comes to helping others, males tend to be more helpful than females in many situations. In which of the following situations are males probably NOT more helpful?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that while men may be more likely to engage in heroic or emergency acts of helping (such as A, B, and C), women are more likely to engage in nurturing and long-term supportive roles, such as volunteering regularly to help others with personal development or educational needs (D).

Question 5

In one well-known study on empathy, participants had to watch a confederate receive electric shocks. Some participants were told that they had to watch 10 full trials of shocks, while others were told that they could leave after watching the first two trials. One set of participants were also told that their values and interests were similar to those of the confederate (similar group), while another set were told that their values and interests were different from those of the confederate (dissimilar group). After the first two trials had been completed, participants were asked whether they would switch places with the confederate-who was apparently very upset by the shocks due to a negative childhood experience with electricity. Which group almost never agreed to switch places?

Accepted Answer

Participants in the two-trial low-similarity group almost never agreed to switch places because they knew they could leave soon and felt less empathy or connection with the confederate due to being told their values and interests were different.

Question 6

Raj's mother asks Raj to help her with some household chores. He agrees to help her only because he expects appreciation in return. This is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Raj's mother asks Raj to help her...

Question 7

When a person helps another to increase his or her own welfare (such as by making a friend, creating an obligation to reciprocate, or just making oneself feel good), the helper is said to be engaged in ____.

Accepted Answer

Egoistic helping refers to situations where an individual helps another primarily for self-beneficial reasons, such as to gain social approval, reciprocate a favor, or simply feel good about oneself. This contrasts with altruistic helping, where the primary motivation is to benefit the other person without expecting personal gain.

Question 8

In general, when are women more likely to offer help than men?

Accepted Answer

Women are generally more likely to offer help in close relationships, reflecting a tendency towards nurturing and supportive behaviors within personal and intimate contexts.

Question 9

Research on who helps whom indicates that ____.

Accepted Answer

Research in social psychology suggests that people are more likely to help those who are similar to them, especially when the similarities are outwardly obvious. This is because outward similarities can lead to quicker and stronger identification with the other person, increasing empathy and the likelihood of helping behavior.

Question 10

Research on gender and helping indicates that ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research on gender and helping indicates that...

Question 11

In one well-known study on empathy, participants were required to watch a confederate (named Elaine)receive electric shocks. Some participants were told that they had to watch her receive 10 full trials of shocks, while others were told that they could leave after watching the first two trials. Some participants were also told that their values and interests were similar to Elaine's (similarity group), while others were told that their values and interests were different from Elaine's (non-similarity group). After the first two trials were completed, participants were told that Elaine was unusually upset by the shocks due to a negative childhood experience related to electricity. The participants were then asked whether they would be willing to switch places with Elaine. In this study, the 10-trial versus two-trial instruction was designed as a manipulation of ____, and the similar versus dissimilar information was designed to be a manipulation of ____.

Accepted Answer

The 10-trial versus two-trial instruction manipulated the ease of escaping the situation, making participants feel either trapped or given an easy out. The similar versus dissimilar information was designed to manipulate empathy by making participants feel more or less connected to Elaine's experience based on perceived similarities or differences.

Question 12

Research on gender and helping indicates that male helpers tend to ____ and that female helpers tend to ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research on gender and helping indicates that...

Question 13

The notion that feeling another's pain motivates us to help others is called the ____.

Accepted Answer

The empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that feeling empathy for another person creates a genuine desire to help them, beyond self-interest.

Question 14

Given the research on gender and helping, in which of the following situations would women be MOST  likely to help?

Accepted Answer

Women are often more likely to engage in nurturing and supportive roles, such as planning family activities, which aligns with traditional gender roles and expectations.

Question 15

In one well-known study on empathy, participants were given the option of (a)leaving the study or (b)switching places with a confederate who was receiving random electrical shocks but was afraid of them (because of a negative childhood experience she had with electricity). Participants were given these options after having been told that their values and interests were similar to those of the confederate or after having been told that their values and interests were different from those of the confederate. What were the results of this study?

Accepted Answer

Participants were more likely to exhibit empathetic behavior, such as switching places with the confederate, when they believed they shared similar values and interests, highlighting the role of perceived similarity in fostering empathy.

Question 16

Which term best describes being able to feel another person's pain?

Accepted Answer

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, which includes feeling another person's pain.

Question 17

Social psychologists who study altruism have found that people who are altruistic tend to ____ compared to people who are not altruistic.

Accepted Answer

Altruistic individuals often exhibit higher levels of empathy and are more inclined to support values related to tolerance and equity. This is because altruism involves concern for the well-being of others, which is closely associated with the ability to understand and share the feelings of others (empathy) and a belief in fairness and justice (tolerance and equity).

Question 18

Altruism as a personality characteristic appears to ____.

Accepted Answer

Altruism has been shown to have a genetic component, as studies suggest that certain genetic factors can influence altruistic behavior, indicating that it is not solely a product of environmental influences or learning.

Question 19

Much of the time, people engage in altruistic behaviors because doing so makes them feel good. Is it correct to conclude, then, that altruistic acts are fundamentally selfish at their core? What do social psychologists generally conclude?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Much of the time, people engage in...

Question 20

In the context of helping others, when do females tend to be more helpful than males?

Accepted Answer

Females tend to be more helpful in situations that require nurturing and sustained support over time, reflecting social and possibly biological inclinations towards caregiving roles.

Quiz 9: Prosocial Behavior: Doing Whats Best for Others