Exam 9: Prosocial Behavior: Doing What’s Best for Others

In one well-known study of helping behavior, researchers examined helping among a sample of theology students. The students were either (a) under time pressure or not put under time pressure and (b) expecting to give a speech about the parable of the (very helpful) Good Samaritan or expecting to give a speech about something else. Which students turned out to be the most helpful?

In one well-known study on empathy, participants had to watch a confederate ("Elaine") receive electric shocks. They were told either that they had to watch 10 full trials of shocks, or that they could leave after watching the first two trials only. They were also told that their values and interests were similar to those of the confederate (similar group), or 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-she was apparently very upset by the shocks due to a negative childhood experience with electricity. The researchers found that, in the dissimilar group, ____ agreed to switch places.

Equity and equality are two types of ____.

Research shows that playing violent video games tends to ____.

When each person in a group does his or her part, and together they work toward a common goal, the group is said to be ____.

According to the textbook authors, social psychologists have long viewed conformity as ____; newer research ____.

You are driving to school and notice that there is an injured dog lying on the side of the road-presumably the victim of a hit-and-run. You are in a very busy part of town, however, so you decide that your help probably isn't needed (someone else will attend to the dog and call for help, if they haven't already). Social psychologists would say that ____ prevented you from helping in this case.

As discussed in the textbook, "spring break sex" (low-commitment sex) often represents a "good deal" for men and a "bad deal" for women. Interestingly, both men and women tend to travel in same-sex packs during spring break. Moreover, ____.

Feeling underbenefited tends to provoke feelings of ____, while feeling overbenefited tends to provoke feelings of ____.

Being able to feel another person's pain best describes which term?

The political scientist Robert Axelrod once held a computer tournament designed to determine the most successful prisoner's dilemma strategy (the strategy that would win most often for the longest period of time). That strategy was dubbed ____.

Emma's company cannot even afford to give cost-of-living raises to everyone, so they opt to give every full-time employee a one-time $500 bonus, regardless of the employee's salary or responsibilities. This ensures ____.

________________ refers to instances in which each person in a group does his or her part, and together they work toward a common goal.

Yesi is working on a group project. Because her project partners are somewhat greedy, she is concerned that she will not get the credit she deserves for her work. That is, she is concerned about being ________________.

Many have argued that Milgram's classic research on obedience to authority was unethical. Indeed, Milgram's research provided much of the impetus for the implementation of ethics committees and research review boards in universities. Why? What was the chief complaint?

The tendency for people to believe that the world is essentially a fair place-that people usually get what they deserve and deserve what they get-is known as ____.

What do the text authors say about the kind of willingness to obey authority that Milgram witnessed in his research?

Laney is in an experiment. The experiment gives her some money and tells her she can keep it or send any part of it to someone else. If she decides to send money to someone else, the experimenter will triple the amount. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will get anything back. Laney is in an experiment using a ____.

You are more likely to receive help on a crowded street corner than a lightly populated corner.

The term ____ refers to the extent to which all people are treated as ingroup members.