PSYC 2310 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Shyness, Prosocial Behavior, Helping Behavior
17 Jan 2017
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Participants asked to unscramble 10 five-word sentences. First condition: sentences contained words related to religion. Second condition: sentences contained neutral words unrelated to religion. Participants then completed game with another participant (confederate) and can reward their partner and keep remaining coins for themselves. Those in first condition (religion words) were more generous than those who solved sentences with neutral words. Overall factors that predict helping: evolutionary factors, personality and religion. Evolutionary factors: kinship selection and reciprocal prosocial behavior. People act in altruistic ways to ensure the survival of their own genes. Altruistic gene would continue to be passed on because parents who lacked this gene would be less likely to have children who survived to pass on their own selfish genes . Explains why parents may sacrifice their lives for their children. People behave more altruistically toward those who could potentially reproduce and pass on their own genes.
