Psychology 2720A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Pluralistic Ignorance, Golden Rule, Socioeconomic Status

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2720A/B
• Professor: Isaacs

Document Summary

Prosocial behaviour: any act performed with the goal of benefitting another person. Prosocial behaviour motivated by altruism: the desire to help others, even if it involved a cost to the helper. The attempt to try and explain social behaviour from genetic factors that have evolved over time according to the process of natural selection. Learning social norms: simon: argued that it is highly adaptive for individuals to learn social norms from other members of society, through natural selection, the ability to learn social norms ha become part of our genetic makeup. Social exchange: the costs and rewards of helping. Social exchange theory argues that much of what we do is stemmed from the desire to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs: reciprocity principle, trying to alleviate our own discomfort of seeing someone else suffering. Only when the benefits outweigh the costs. Empathy and altruism: the pure motive for helping.