Deck 8: Altruism: Helping Others

Question 1

Before agreeing to help out at the local homeless shelter, Sharon weighs the costs (e.g., getting up at dawn) and benefits (e.g., feeling good about herself) of doing so. This strategy would be predicted by

A) the empathy-altruism hypothesis.
B) the social-exchange theory.
C) the social responsibility norm.
D) the social comparison theory.

Answer 1

the social-exchange theory.

Question 2

According to the social-exchange theory, we use a ___________ strategy in deciding when and whether to help others.

A) social comparison
B) compensatory
C) minimax
D) marginal utility

Answer 2

minimax

Question 3

You observe a woman rush into the street in front of a speeding car to pull a child out of the way. According to Skinner's analysis of altruism, in which of the following situations would you not see her action as altruistic?

A) The woman was a stranger to the child.
B) The speeding car was a police car.
C) Another woman had done the same thing the week before.
D) None of the choices are correct.

Answer 3

None of the choices are correct.

Question 4

We are more likely to redeem ourselves with helpful behaviour when ______________.

A) no one knows about our misdeeds.
B) other people know about our misdeeds.
C) we are afraid that someone will find out about our misdeeds.
D) None of the choices are correct.

Question 5

The doctrine of psychological egoism maintains that

A) self-esteem is a more important motive than social approval.
B) self-interest motivates all behaviour.
C) our self-concept is determined by others' evaluation of us.
D) the healthy personality has a strong ego.

Question 6

Researcher Dennis Krebs found that university men whose physiological responses revealed the most distress in response to another's distress

A) gave the most help to the person.
B) became self-focused and gave little help to the person.
C) were more likely to rationalize the other's distress as deserved.
D) tended to be majoring in the humanities rather than in the natural sciences.

Question 7

According to the social-exchange theory, people help when

A) the gains are external and the losses are internal.
B) the gains are greater than the losses.
C) the gains and losses are proportional.
D) the gains are smaller than the losses.

Question 8

The act of helping someone unconditionally defines

A) the social responsibility norm.
B) egoism.
C) social-exchange theory.
D) altruism.

Question 9

Egoism's ultimate goal is to

A) contribute to another's welfare.
B) contribute to one's own welfare as well as another's welfare.
C) contribute to one's own welfare.
D) contribute to the welfare of next of kin.

Question 10

Altruism is to ___________________ as egoism is to ___________________.

A) Gouldner; Batson
B) reciprocity; social justice
C) evolutionary theory; social norms theory
D) another's welfare; one's own welfare

Question 11

The act of human interaction with the intent to minimize one's costs and maximize one's rewards defines

A) social-exchange theory.
B) egoism.
C) the reciprocity norm.
D) self-theory.

Question 12

Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan provides the classic illustration of

A) altruism.
B) persuasion.
C) conformity.
D) social loafing.

Question 13

The ultimate goal of altruism is to ______________, and the ultimate goal of egoism is to ________________.

A) contribute to another's welfare; contribute to one's own welfare.
B) contribute to one's own welfare; contribute to one's own welfare.
C) contribute to another's welfare; contribute to one's own welfare as well as another's welfare.
D) contribute to the welfare of next of kin; contribute to one's own welfare.

Question 14

According to the social-exchange theory, Wendy will be more likely to help Amanda, who is a stranger, if Amanda

A) is a very sociable person.
B) offers to give Wendy some sort of small gift.
C) seems to be a substitute for someone Wendy cares about.
D) looks like Wendy's mother.

Question 15

Altruism's ultimate goal is to

A) contribute to another's welfare.
B) contribute to one's own welfare.
C) contribute to one's own welfare as well as another's welfare.
D) contribute to the welfare of next of kin.

Question 16

According to the text, a possible explanation for why people far from home leave tips for waiters is that

A) it makes them feel less homesick.
B) they expect to be treated better from those waiters in the future.
C) they know waiters are in need of money.
D) it makes them feel good about themselves.

Question 17

Social-exchange theorists argue that we are most likely to help someone

A) who is dependent on us.
B) who is less attractive than we are.
C) who deserves to be helped.
D) whose approval is important to us.

Question 18

A major weakness of the social-exchange theory is that it

A) is impossible to test experimentally.
B) fails to account for the reciprocal exchange of favours.
C) easily degenerates into explaining-by-naming.
D) ignores the role of internal self-rewards in motivating altruism.

Question 19

According to the text, which of the following is a possible explanation for why people are kind to strangers they will never see again?

A) They expect to be treated well themselves in the future.
B) It gives them a feeling of satisfaction.
C) They know the stranger is in need of help.
D) It makes them overcome feelings of loneliness.

Question 20

According to the social-exchange theory, the rewards that motivate helping are

A) internal or external.
B) internal only.
C) external only.
D) consciously recognized before the act of helping.

Question 21

Our eagerness to do good after doing bad reflects both our need to reduce __________ guilt and restore our shaken self-image and our desire to reclaim a positive ___________ image.

A) internal; external
B) external; internal
C) external; self
D) self; external

Question 22

Studies of the effects of mood on helping suggest that adults who feel ____________ are more likely to help others than those who feel neutral.

A) guilty
B) sad
C) happy
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 23

The "feel good-do good" effect occurs in ______________.

A) men, but not women.
B) women, but not men.
C) adults, but not children.
D) adults and children.

Question 24

Few findings have been consistent on the fact that __________ people are helpful people.

A) happy
B) well-rested
C) well-educated
D) easy-going

Question 25

had a confederate, who supposedly spent her last dime on a wrong number, call people who had received a free sample of stationery 0 to 20 minutes earlier. The results indicate these people's willingness to relay the phone message rose during the 5 minutes afterwards. Then, their helpfulness

A) dropped; as good mood wore off, so did their helpfulness.
B) increased.
C) all of the choices are correct.
D) none of the choices are correct.

Question 26

One of the things that complicates the definition of altruism is that

A) a skeptic can see hidden self-interest behind any act of helping.
B) it is hard to recognize analogies.
C) most people think in terms of semantics, when episodic processing is what is required.
D) many people suffer from compassion fatigue.

Question 27

Two social norms that can motivate helping behaviour are

A) reciprocity and social responsibility.
B) kin selection and moral inclusion.
C) social exchange and reciprocity.
D) social responsibility and kin selection.

Question 28

The feel bad-do good effect occurs with

A) people whose attention is on others.
B) people whose attention is on themselves.
C) all of the choices are correct.
D) none of the choices are correct.

Question 29

In a study by McMillen and Austin, participants were induced to feel guilty by denying that they had been tipped off by an accomplice about how to answer test questions. After the test, the experimenter asked participants if they had any spare time to volunteer. Results showed that

A) guilty participants wanted to leave immediately.
B) guilty participants volunteered significantly more time than non-guilty participants did.
C) non-guilty participants volunteered significantly more time than guilty participants did.
D) guilty participants agreed to stay but distraction over their guilt feelings kept them from performing the task adequately.

Question 30

If you find a lost wallet, you ought to return it to its owner or turn it in to the proper authorities. Such a prescription for appropriate behaviour is an example of a

A) norm.
B) template.
C) moral schema.
D) natural law.

Question 31

According to the text, the notion of egoism has fallen into disrepute because

A) it fails to take into account people's internal motives.
B) it is vulnerable to the criticism of circular explanation.
C) it defines rewards and costs independently of altruistic behaviour.
D) None of the choices are correct

Question 32

Who of the following is most likely to respond favourably to an unexpected request for a charitable donation to a local hospital?

A) Melvin's older sister, who is hurrying to get to her scheduled appointment with the family doctor.
B) Melvin's mother, who just received a very favourable job evaluation from her employer.
C) Melvin's younger brother, who is depressed over receiving a D on a physics exam.
D) Melvin's father, who is annoyed over the newspaper boy's trampling of his flower bed.

Question 33

In a study by Dunn and colleagues, students were given a sum of money and told to spend it on themselves, someone else, or make a charitable donation. They later rated their level of happiness. Which group was gave the lowest ratings of happiness?

A) Students who spent the money on a charitable donation.
B) Students who spent the money on a gift for someone else.
C) Students who spent the money on themselves.
D) None of the groups differed in happiness as money doesn't buy happiness.

Question 34

Edward has just learned that his grandfather wrongly profited from the seizure of Japanese Canadians' property during the war. When asked, he quickly agrees to donate money to an anti-racism activist group. What is the most likely reason?

A) Edward felt guilty.
B) The social comparison theory predicts helping.
C) Egoism is a powerful motivator.
D) None of the choices are correct.

Question 35

Moira just won a school lottery fund for $4,000. She is thrilled and is trying to figure out how to spend her money. Which of the following options would be associated with the greatest feelings of happiness and internal reward for Moira?

A) She goes on a shopping spree and spends the money on things she could never afford to buy otherwise.
B) She goes on a shopping spree and buys her mother a new bed because she knows how badly her mother needs one.
C) She goes on a shopping spree and spends her money on a bunch of items that she really needs.
D) She takes the money to the bank and deposits it into her savings account, so that she is responsible with her money.

Question 36

Sociologist Alvin Gouldner has contended that the reciprocity norm

A) is the ultimate basis for feelings of empathy.
B) is stronger in females than in males.
C) is as universal as the incest taboo.
D) has little application in close relationships such as marriage.

Question 37

The "feel bad-do good" effect occurs most among

A) children.
B) adults who are self-focused and preoccupied.
C) adults who are focused on others.
D) none of the choices are correct.

Question 38

Experiments have induced guilt by having people deliver shock, lie, cheat, or destroy property. Such studies consistently show that people who feel guilty

A) typically displace their frustration by justifying others' suffering.
B) are more likely to help an undeserving person than an innocent victim.
C) will do whatever they can to expunge the guilt and restore their self-esteem.
D) tend to be distracted and thus are less likely to notice others' need for help.

Question 39

The mood-enhancing effects of altruism appear to be the result of

A) genetic predispositions.
B) informational influence.
C) socialization.
D) evolutionary processes.

Question 40

According to research, helping ___________ a bad mood and __________ positive self-esteem.

A) softens; sustains
B) increases; decreases
C) increases; sustains
D) softens; increases

Question 41

From an evolutionary perspective, it would be most difficult to explain why

A) John paid his son's hospital bill.
B) Phyllis helps her mother clean the house.
C) William helps his next-door neighbour paint his house.
D) Ruth risked her life to save a stranger from being murdered.

Question 42

When people need our help, we are most likely to provide assistance if we attribute their need to

A) a lack of motivation.
B) circumstances beyond their control.
C) poor planning or foresight.
D) their mood or disposition.

Question 43

Evolutionary psychology is to _____________ as social-exchange theory is to ______________.

A) reciprocity; empathy
B) kin selection; rewards and costs
C) social responsibility norm; the reciprocity norm
D) empathy; rewards and costs

Question 44

Suzanne, James, William, and Theodore all walk down Wall Street each day and see the same sign requesting donations to an organization that helps poor people. Which of these people is most likely to give a donation?

A) Suzanne, who believes that poor people should work harder to help themselves.
B) James, who is a high self-monitor.
C) William, who believes that people can become poor through no fault of their own.
D) Theodore, who attributes people's poverty to their reckless spending habits.

Question 45

Which of the following does not belong with the others?

A) reciprocity
B) social norms
C) kin selection
D) evolutionary psychology

Question 46

Receiving unsolicited help

A) can raise self-esteem in low-self-esteem people.
B) can decrease one's self-esteem.
C) will create empathy and distress.
D) will activate the social responsibility norm.

Question 47

The social-responsibility norm refers to the expectation that

A) people will help when necessary in order to receive help themselves later.
B) leaders should help more than regular group members.
C) people will help those dependent upon them.
D) to receive help, people have a responsibility to ask for it.

Question 48

Proud, high-self-esteem people are often reluctant to seek help because

A) they may feel threatened and demeaned by accepting aid.
B) they think their status among their peers will suffer as a result.
C) they are afraid their confidence will decrease.
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 49

Nell is exhausted but gets up in the middle of the night to pick up her crying infant. This altruistic behaviour is best explained by

A) evolutionary psychology
B) social norms
C) none of the choices are correct
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 50

The reciprocity norm should be strongest for which of the following?

A) Kent, a biologist
B) Julia, a New York City resident
C) Missy, a resident of a small, rural farm town
D) Tam, a doctor

Question 51

After Mr. Walters's neighbour helped him paint his house, Mr. Walters felt obligated to offer to help the neighbour remodel his kitchen. Mr. Walters's sense of obligation most likely resulted from the

A) door-in-the-face phenomenon.
B) social responsibility norm.
C) reciprocity norm.
D) equal status norm.

Question 52

A classmate of Bianca's wants to borrow Bianca's notes to study for an upcoming exam. Research suggests that Bianca is most likely to agree if the woman says she needs the notes because she

A) takes inadequate notes.
B) doesn't like this class as well as her other courses.
C) has been absent due to illness.
D) has not been able to concentrate in class.

Question 53

Since we are born selfish, evolutionary psychologists such as Richard Dawkins propose that we attempt to

A) develop a drug that will encourage altruism.
B) develop an "altruistic gene."
C) teach altruism.
D) live only in small, isolated communities.

Question 54

Mail surveys and solicitations sometimes try to boost response rates by including a small gift (e.g., greeting cards). This strategy is based on

A) altruistic motives.
B) the social responsibility norm.
C) the reciprocity norm.
D) the door-in-the-face technique.

Question 55

If victims seem to have created their own problems by laziness or lack of foresight, we are less willing to offer help. Helping responses are thus closely tied to

A) the overjustification effect.
B) attributions.
C) self-concept.
D) empathy.

Question 56

In one laboratory experiment where sets of twins played games for money, identical twins were _______________ as likely as fraternal twins to cooperate with their twin for a shared gain.

A) half again
B) twice
C) three times
D) one third

Question 57

The idea that evolution has selected altruism toward one's close relatives to enhance the survival of mutually shared genes is referred to as

A) evolutionary kinship.
B) altruistic selection.
C) kin selection.
D) self-serving helpfulness.

Question 58

Devon and Yvonne are from England, James is from France, and Tikh is a man from India. Which one of these people is most likely to support and act on the norm of social responsibility?

A) Yvonne
B) Devon and James are equally likely to act on it, and more likely than Yvonne or Tikh
C) Devon and Yvonne are equally likely to act on it, and more likely than James or Tikh
D) Tikh

Question 59

Evolutionary psychology contends that the essence of life is

A) gene survival.
B) self-actualization.
C) holistic health.
D) the discovery of meaning.

Question 60

According to the text, the social-responsibility norm gets selectively applied according to which of the following principles?

A) Give but require repayment with interest.
B) Give people what they deserve.
C) Give away only what you will never use.
D) Do unto others as they have done unto you.

Question 61

People who live in _____________ are least likely to relay a phone message, mail lost letters, cooperate with survey interviewers, do small favours, or help a lost child.

A) big cities
B) small towns
C) rural environments
D) apartments

Question 62

The vicarious experience of another's feeling is

A) egoism.
B) empathy.
C) altruism.
D) voyeurism.

Question 63

Batson concluded that genuine empathy-based altruism is part of human nature, and he hopes that inducing empathy can improve

A) social interactions.
B) our sense of reciprocity.
C) the welfare of society.
D) attitudes toward stigmatized people.

Question 64

According to Daniel Batson, while witnessing another person's distress triggers empathy and compassion, the act of helping is motivated by

A) egoism.
B) altruism.
C) the social responsibility norm.
D) anxiety reduction.

Question 65

Kris is walking down the street and sees an individual on crutches coming out of the grocery store having a very difficult time carrying his parcels. Given that Kris was on crutches for a broken ankle several months previous, she feels empathy for this stranger. Based on theories of altruism, what is the best explanation that relates to why Kris would help this stranger?

A) social-exchange
B) egoistic distress reduction
C) altruistic empathy
D) reciprocity

Question 66

Schaller and Cialdini told participants who felt sad over a suffering victim that their sadness was going to be relieved by listening to a comedy tape. Under these conditions, participants who felt empathy for the victim

A) were not especially helpful.
B) became distressed at the attempt to turn their attention away from victim.
C) were even more likely to offer aid to the victim.
D) asked the experimenters to include the victim in the mood-boosting experience.

Question 67

Who among the following psychologists believes that genuine empathy-induced altruism is part of human nature?

A) Darley
B) Schaller
C) Cialdini
D) Batson

Question 68

Researchers studying helping behaviour agree that

A) no acts are truly altruistic.
B) all helpful acts are either obviously or subtly egoistic.
C) some helpful acts are induced by empathy.
D) all helpful acts are unconsciously motivated by gene survival.

Question 69

The sequence of steps in Latane and Darley's bystander intervention theory are as follows:

A) Notice the incident, assume responsibility, interpret as an emergency, try to help.
B) Notice the incident, interpret as an emergency, try to help, assume responsibility.
C) Notice the incident, try to help, assume responsibility, interpret as an emergency.
D) Notice the incident, interpret as an emergency, assume responsibility, try to help.

Question 70

Despite ongoing theoretical and empirical debate, research may never show that empathy-based helping is a source of genuine altruism because

A) neither empathy nor altruism can be adequately defined.
B) no experiment rules out all possible egoistic explanations for helpfulness.
C) personal survival overrides all other human motives.
D) psychological egoism has been convincingly demonstrated in all other forms of social behaviour.

Question 71

Theories of altruism include

A) social norms.
B) social exchange.
C) evolutionary.
D) all of the choices are correct.

Question 72

According to Donald Campbell, the reason that humans sometimes demonstrate nonreciprocal altruism toward strangers is that

A) unique circumstances have created a genetic predisposition to be selfless in rare individuals.
B) human societies have evolved ethical rules such as "Love your neighbour."
C) improved communication has made the world smaller and thus everyone is our kin.
D) helpers misperceive strangers as either close kin or capable of reciprocity.

Question 73

According to the theory of group selection, initially suggested by Darwin,

A) a group of altruists survive better than group of non-altruists.
B) individual altruists survive better than group of altruists.
C) a group of individualists survive better than group of non-individualists.
D) a competitive group survives better than a non-competitive group.

Question 74

Batson and his colleagues had university women watch another woman suffer a series of painful shocks. Some participants were led to feel empathy for her and were then asked if they would trade places, taking her remaining shocks. The results indicated that

A) most participants agreed to help but only if they knew they would otherwise continue to see her suffer.
B) most participants agreed to help even if they knew that their part in the experiment was complete and that they would no longer have to see her suffer.
C) most participants downplayed the victim's suffering or convinced themselves that she deserved to be shocked.
D) most participants refused to trade places but expressed sympathy and sought compensation for the victim from the experimenters.

Question 75

The executives of a major corporation contribute to charitable causes only when they are certain their gift will be well publicized, their public image will be improved, and ultimately be translated into increased profits. The corporation's charitable acts are most easily explained in terms of

A) the empathy-altruism hypothesis.
B) Latan and Darley's decision tree.
C) social-exchange theory.
D) the moral exclusion principle.

Question 76

According to the text, which theory of altruism provides a coherent scheme for summarizing a variety of observations?

A) social norms
B) social exchange
C) evolutionary
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 77

You are the leader of a work team. During the four-month job, any one of the members might have a very busy day and need help from the others. What is the best way to ensure that the workers will be willing to help each other out, if necessary?

A) Make sure that one person is paid more than all the others, and that person will be the designated helper.
B) Give each person a comfortable, private, isolated office in which they do their work.
C) Set up all the workers in the same area of the building, where they'll see each other regularly.
D) Promise all the workers that there will be a big party at the end of the job.

Question 78

In observing people's responses to staged emergencies, John Darley and Bibb Latané found that _____________ greatly decreased intervention.

A) social alienation
B) a lack of empathy
C) the presence of other bystanders
D) self-concern

Question 79

While witnessing another person's distress triggers anxiety and distress, the act of helping is most likely to be motivated by

A) egoism.
B) altruism.
C) empathy.
D) the reciprocity norm.

Question 80

Celeste is walking along the street one day when she sees that a blood-donor clinic is in progress. She is least likely to stop and give blood if she

A) knows someone who requires frequent blood transfusions.
B) is just out for a walk, with nowhere she has to get to.
C) is on her way to do something really fun.
D) none of the choices are correct