PRO-SOCIAL AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

UNIT 2 – AOS 1

• Social relationship – is used to describe the connection or association between two or more people, especially with regard to how they think, feel and behave towards each other.

• Social behaviour – refers to any behaviour where interaction occurs between two or more people.May include: smiling at someone, receiving advice etc.

• Pro-social behaviour: positive social behaviour

• Anti-social behaviour: negative social behaviour

Pro-social behaviour• Everyday acts of helping others that involves

personal cost to the helper.• True pro-social behaviour intentional, in that

the helper deliberately tries to provide assistance.

• The behaviour must benefit or help another person, group or society.

• Eg: opening a door, donating to charity, volunteering.

The case of Kitty Genovese• Genovese was murdered in a New York street in

1964 at around 3am after returning home from work in a bar – she was attacked by a man with a knife

• She tried to escape but her attacker caught her and repeatedly stabbed her

• Kitty’s scream for help woke 38 of her neighbors – many switched on their lights and watched for up to 35 minutes

• Only one called the police – no one went to her aid• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JozmWS6xYEw&

feature=search

Key Question:

• Why did the 37 other people do nothing?

2 minute task:

• List some situations where you have helped someone in need

• Where you by yourself or in a group?

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour

• Situational factors

• Social norms

• Personal factors

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: situational factors

Noticing the situation• People in a group are more likely to be focused on

their interactions with each other than on their surroundings, as compared with when they are alone.

• Noticing an incident that is different or unusual and may involve someone needing help is a necessary first step in making a helping response.

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: situational factors

Interpreting the situation• Many situations in which help may be required are

ambiguous or unclear. Therefore people cannot always be sure that a helping response is appropriate or required.

• The less ambiguous the situation the more likely an individual will help.

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: situational factorsTaking responsibility• You are unlikely to intervene and help unless you

believe it is your responsibility to do so.• When someone else is nearby in an emergency

situation we may leave the responsibility to them to help 

• Bystander effect: is the tendency for individuals to be less likely to help another person when other bystanders are present, or believed to be present, as compared with when they are alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcowGVd6GqY&feature=related

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: situational factors

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: social norms• We help others because we believe we are

‘supposed’ to help

Reciprocity norm• an unwritten rule that we should give what we receive

or expect to receive (reciprocate) • states we should help others who help us

E.g. help a friend with their h/w you wouldexpect them to help you out when you need a favour

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: social norms

Social responsibility norm • help those who need help b/c it is our duty or

responsibility to do so

Eg give up your seat on a bus, help someone with directions

(we are however selective with social Responsibility norm – more likely tohelp victims of bushfires, flood or burglary b/c they are not responsiblefor bringing about their hardship)

Factors influencing pro-social behaviour: personal factors

Empathy Mood CompetenceMore likely to help if feel sorry for them or understand their feelings and difficulties (feel concern for them) – want suffering to end which can motivate to help

Batson (1995) believes you help people in distress for selfish motives as well as purely helpful ‘selfless; motives

Summarise a study based on this pg 425

More likely to help when in a good mood

b/c helping makes us feel good people sometimes help in order to stay in a good mood

Copy Figure 10.13 pg 427

People with abilities or training relevant to a situation in which help is required are more likely to help

Relevant training makes help more likely to be offered and more likely to be effective

Tasks:• Learning Activity 10.7: Q4

• Learning Activity 10.9 Media Response – bystander intervention

• Due Tuesday 30th August.

Putting it together...

• Learning Activity 10.8: Summary of factors that influence helping

• Learning Activity 10.9: Media response – bystander intervention

Altruism • Refers to pro social

behaviour focused on the wellbeing or benefit of others without any thought to personal gain or reward

• Altruism involves no personal gain, reward or benefit

• Genuine altrusim – a passer-by who puts themselves in front of a gunman to save another (element of personal risk)

Altruism

• Many of us assume we would act instinctively to help a stranger in trouble. But we might be a lot more selfish then we think

• Complete Learning Activity 10.10• Complete Learning Activity 10.11

Altruism?

These internationally famous rock stars and movie actors are deeply involved in various activities to benefit starving or disadvantaged people in poor and/or war torn countries.

Q: can their pro-social behaviour be described as alturism?

Factors influencing reluctance to help

• Diffusion of responsibility

• Audience inhibition

• Cost-benefit analysis

Factors influencing reluctance to help: diffusion of responsibility •Belief that in a situation where help is required and others are present one or more OTHER people will or should take responsibility for helping

•Leads each individual to feel less responsible for helping than when alone b/c assume someone else will take on the responsibility of helping

•Explains why no one helps when many people are present in a situation where help is required

Diffusion of responsibility

Belief that in a situation where help is

required and others are present. One or more OTHER people will or should take responsibility for helping

Leads each individual to feel less responsible for helping than when alone

b/c assume someone else will take on the responsibility of helping

Explains why no one helps when many people are present in a situation where help is required

Learning Activity 10.14 (Q 2)

Audience Inhibition

People may stand back and not help because they do not want to embarrass themselves or feel foolish, especially if help is not actually needed

The presence of others at the scene = an audience and this increases the chances of being embarrassed or feeling foolish

This can INHIBIT/STOP someone from helping

http://content.jacplus.com.au/secure/FileViewer?resourceId=124577&category=eLesson

Cost benefit analysis

Weighing up personal and social costs of helping against the benefits of helping

BENEFITS = Rewards – monetary reward, feeling good, increased self esteem or social approval (cheers from crowds) or thrill of making evening news

COSTS = effort and time required, risks such as personal injury

Eg giving a friend a kidney

Learning Activity 10.15 Q.3 a & b

Anti-social behaviour

• Is any behaviour that is disruptive or harmful to the wellbeing or property of another person or to the functioning of a group or society

• Typically involves actions that break laws, rules or social norms

Aggression

• In psychology, aggression is often defined as any behaviour intended to cause physical or psychological harm to a person (including self), animal or object

• LA 10.20 Q. 4 a-j

Aggression: explanations

• No single, commonly agreed-upon explanation:

1. Psychodynamic perspective

2. Ethological perspective

3. Biological perspective

4. Social learning perspective

Task: • summarise each of these perspectives (Pg. 438-48)

Social learning perspective

• Learn aggression through watching other people being aggressive and then copying their aggressive behaviour

Observational learning • Involves watching someone elses

behaviour and the consequences of their behaviour and then modeling or imitating the behaviour

Bandura (1965) – explaining human aggression Identified 4 conditions that are necessary

for observational learning to occur

1.Must pay attention to models behaviour2.Must remember the models behaviour3.Must have the ability to reproduce or

imitate the behaviour4.Must be motivated to perform the

behaviour

Motivated to do or not to do• If observe behaviour being reinforced (e.g.

rewarded) = more likely to be motivated to reproduce the behaviour

• If observe behaviour not being reinforced/or being punished = less likely to be motivated to reproduce the behaviour

• Young children learn from watching sporting idols, watching characters in movies or parents

The BOBO DOLL pg 446

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCETgT_Xfzg

THE BOBO DOLL

• In your workbooks, identify:– The aim– A possible hypothesis– Participants – Procedure– The main findings of the study