PSYC 312
ACTIVITY ASSIGNMENT 3: ANSWER SHEET
Student Name:
Directions: Read each scenario and answer the questions below in the boxes provided (they will
expand to fit your answer). All information needed to answer these questions can be found in this
week’s readings, along with the scenario details themselves. Try to be thorough in your answers,
providing explanations and supporting evidence as necessary. Your answers should be more
than one simple sentence. Aim for a few sentences or a short paragraph for maximum credit.
Scenario A: Samuel and his twin brother, Eli, are walking home from school one day when
a dog appears out of nowhere and begins to attack Eli. Despite the threat to his own safety,
Samuel grabs a nearby branch and uses it to scare off the dog before Eli gets too seriously
hurt.
1. Would Samuel’s behavior be considered prosocial behavior? Would it be considered altruism?
Be sure to explain your answers for each.
Samuel’s behavior would be both. Prosocial because Samuel helping his brother is an act of
kindness and out of love. Altruism because Eli’s life is at risk, while Samuel knows he could
be hurt as well, and Samuel is not selfish.
2. According to the norm of reciprocity, why might Samuel have helped Eli?
Samuel is unselfish as he hopes his brother is as well. Samuel knows that when he helps his
brother in need, Eli will do the same no matter what.
3. According to the social exchange theory, why might Samuel have helped Eli? Be sure to
provide some examples of both the possible costs and benefits of helping in this scenario.
With Samuel and Eli being brothers, their relationship is looked at as expected. Being
brothers, itself is benefited because they have each other and their relationship brings value.
For example, brothers are like friends or best buds; Samuel and Eli are twins and birthday
gifts are amazing and there is never a hated gift. They know just what to get each other to
make each happy bringing positivity to their bothership.
4. According to the empathy-altruism hypothesis, why might Samuel have helped Eli?
Samuel benefits nothing from saving his brother. He will be a hero in his brothers Eli’s eyes
however Samuel is helping regardless the cost.
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Scenario B: Amelia is a 20-year-old who has been given the opportunity to volunteer at a
nearby nursing home in downtown Los Angeles. Although she admittedly feels out of place
with the elderly population, she is strongly considering taking this opportunity.
1. According to your textbook’s discussion of gender differences in prosocial behavior, will
Amelia be likely to volunteer at the nursing home? Why or why not?
Amelia is likely to volunteer at the nursing home because she cares. Amelia is also nurturing,
and she knows that she can be helpful and gain value in volunteering and possibly will
expand her horizons by helping others elsewhere.
2. Would Amelia consider the nursing home residents to be an in-group or an out-group? Given
your answer, what are some reasons that Amelia might not volunteer? According to research,
what is the main reason that she might decide to volunteer?
Amelia would consider the nursing home residents to be an out-group. Amelia may not
volunteer because she feels out of place and possibly feels like she wouldn’t benefit by
helping while also having second thought. She may make things worse than helping. Amelia
would decide to volunteer because she feels she did something good and she is proud that
she overcame that feeling of being out of place.
3. Considering the research on mood and prosocial behavior, what two negative emotions may
increase the likelihood of Amelia helping? In your answer, be sure to discuss the reason why
helping behavior is increased for each emotion.
If Amelia is feeling sad or feeling guilty, she is more likely to volunteer at the nursing home.
When feeling sad, we tend to do something that makes us happy because it makes us feel
good. When we do something for others to make them happy, we will be happy. When
feeling guilty, we have done something whether right or wrong and we may not feel good
about it. However, doing a good deed will knock or reduce that guilty feeling away.
4. Based on your textbook’s discussion of the urban overload hypothesis, is Amelia likely to help
in the nursing home? Why or why not?
Living in Los Angeles makes Amelia a part of the urban overload hypothesis and without
thinking that she could very well be helpful when volunteering makes perfect sense as to
why she feels out of place. I believe most elders are set in their ways and if Amelia is unable
to empathize, she will be helpless.
Continue on to next page…
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PSYC 312
Scenario C: Julian is walking down a busy street when he sees a man lying on the ground.
Several people are standing around the man, but no one seems concerned about him.
Several other people continue walking by after glancing at the man.
1. According to the bystander effect, is Julian likely to help the man? Why or why not?
With the assumption that someone else is going to help the man Julian is less likely to help.
If other bystanders are walking past this man, maybe someone offered, and he refused or he
could be homeless and unbothered. If its not an emergency less people are likely to help.
2. How will the concept of pluralistic ignorance influence Julian’s behavior? Be sure to discuss
Julian’s assessment of how other people are interpreting the situation.
As a bystander, Julian thinks nothing of this man on the ground. If the man seems fine and
doesn’t need help, there’s no need to stop and help. If other bystanders are walking past,
Julian will do the same as it is difficult to see if help is needed.
3. How does the concept of diffusion of responsibility apply to this situation and how will it
impact Julian’s helping behavior? How would it change things is Julian was the only one around
to see the man?
Julian’s sense of responsibility decreased when he seen other bystanders standing around the
man on the ground. Someone else may have asked to help or the situation may be unsafe.
Julian would rather not put himself in an unsafe situation. If Julian was the only one around
he is more likely to ask if the man is okay or if he needed any assistance without any thought
of feeling unsafe
4. Based on information from your textbook, list at least three reasons why Julian might decide
not to intervene even if he has made it to the last step of Latané and Darley’s five steps to
helping in an emergency (i.e., the “deciding to implement help” step).
Julian may not decide to intervene because it may not be an emergency, someone else have
helped because others were standing around and his unqualified to help or its unsafe.
5. What two forms of media have been shown to increase prosocial behavior? List the two ways
that prosocial media is thought to increase cooperation and helping?
Two forms of media that have been shown to increase prosocial behavior are playing
prosocial video games and listening to prosocial music. Two ways the prosocial media
increases helping is the empathy towards another person’s need of help and the accessibility
of thoughts about helping others.
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6. Describe a research study presented in your book that supports the conclusion that Julian
would be more likely to help the man if he had previously learned about the bystander effect.
During the white-smoke scenario, experimenters pumped smoke in a room to see if people
responded to the smoke as an emergency. With the experimenter outside the room more
people responded and went searching for help but when the experimenter was in the room
less people reacted and seemed unbothered.
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