Microsoft Word Chapter 1 done doc

Helping those who are not responsible for their 
 
problem – We generally help people or victims, those who are not 
responsible for their plight. Example, when building collapses, 
bystanders do make an effort to help the victims. On the contrary 
when a person is seen lying on the road with a bottle, he is less 
likely to be helped by people. In general, we are less likely to help 
victim, if we belive that he is to be blamed for his/her actions. 
Exposure to prosocial model increases prosocial 
behaviour – you are out for some work, you see students or 
representatives of charity collecting money for some cause. You 
decide to contribute only when you see someone else also doing 
so. Number of shops have donation box with money in it. This is 
done to encourage you to donate as well. Seeing money makes 
you belive that others have also donated for a cause, may be you 
also can do so. 
In the situations of emergency, presence of helpful 
bystander provides a strong social model for helping. The following 
experiment provides the best example of such model.
In this field experiment in which young women (a research 
assistant with a punctured tyre parked her car just off the road.

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Motorists were more likely to help this woman if they passed a 
staged scene in which another woman with a punctured tyre was 
being helped. 
The prosocial model depicted in media also creates a social 
norm for helping behaviour. Example, many a times the game 
winners of the reality show often donate a amount of price for a 
certain cause of charity. 
Sprafkin, Liebert and Poulous (1975) – Carried out an investigation 
to study the power of T.V. in creating prosocial responsiveness.
Children were divided in three groups. One group of children was 
shown Lassie, in when there was a rescue scene. The second 
group of children watched another episode of same serial, but did 
not focus on prosocial behaviour. A third group watched a show 
with numerous content, but did not have any prosocial model. 
After this children played the games and prizes were given 
to winners. Each group was made to encounter a group of hungry 
and shining pepper. At a point there was a chance that child had a 
chance that if could wail and help pip and loose the prize. 
The results showed that the group that watched the rescue 
episode stopped and spent more time in comforting animals as 
compared with other two groups. 
All the television shows do not necessarily encourage the 
prosocial behaviour. Eg. Children who watch violent video games 
show a decrease in the prosocial behaviour. (Anderson and 
Bushman 2001).