Social PsychologyLecture 9: Altruism and Helping

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Social Psychology-Lecture 9 Altruism and Helping

• Altruism/Helping Defined
• Theories of Helping
• Social exchange
• Social norms
• Classic Research on Helping
• Factors that influence Helping
• Situation
• The Helper
• The Victims Response

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Social Psychology-Lecture 9

• Altruism is increasing anothers welfare without
  any conscious regard for self-interest.
• Helping simply giving assistance.
• Egoism a motive to increase ones own welfare

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Social Psychology-Lecture 9 Classic helping
research

• Darley Latane (1968)
• Purpose Do individuals help as a function of the
  number of bystanders?
• Participants 72 college students
• IV number of bystanders (2, 3, 6)
• DV latency of helping response
• Manipulation confederate fakes seizure and
  number of bystanders varied.

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Social Psychology-Lecture 9 Darley and Latane
Results
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Social Psychology-Lecture 9 Darley Latane (1968
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Social Psychology-Lecture 9 Pilliavin, Rodin,
Pilliavin

• Purpose might victims be helped as a function of
  the perceived cause of the emergency and if help
  is modeled?
• Participants 4450 NYC subway riders
• IVs
• Type of cause (ill-drunk, ill-cane)
• Help modeled (no, yes)
• Race of victim (black, white)
• Size of group (small, large)
• Gender of participant

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Social Psychology-Lecture 9 Pilliavin et al.
continued

• Dependent Variables
• Total number who assisted
• Latency of the 1st helper
• Latency of the 1st helper after modeling of help
• Manipulation
• 7.5 min train ride in NYC
• Confederate fakes an emergency because of (cane,
  drunk)