Transcript Evolution and Emotions

Social Judgment and
Empathy
Class 16
Emotions Diary Exercise
Daily Mood Diary
Date:_________________
Mood
None
Very
Little
Moderate
Amount
A
Lot
A
Great
Degree
Happy Mood
Sad Mood
Anxious Mood
Angry / Irritable Mood
Relationship Stress
Work/school/financial Stress
Very Sick
(Flu, severe
cold)
Sick
(mild cold)
Fair
(sympts, but
not very sick)
Good
(few sympts,
mainly well)
Excellent
(no
symptoms)
How would you rate your current
health, compared to normal?
Notes and observations about significant events or experiences going on in your life. Write only the facts of what
is happening to you, do not write about your feelings or opinions. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO SHARE THIS
INFORMATION, BUT MAY DRAW ON IT IF YOU WISH TO DO SO.
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Emotions Diary Exercise
Create packet of 7 diaries, including today's
Complete diary at start of class, from today to April 23 (NOT April 25)
On April 23 I will provide materials for analyzing your diaries.
NOTE: I will not see your individual diaries--that is yours. What you
write on them is for your eyes only!
Subliminally Priming Moods
Bargh & Chartrand, 1996
Ss told: Interested in how fast people can react to visual stimuli.
Procedure
1. Four stimulus words, all of which are:
a. Very Pos: music, friends
b. Mildly pos: clown, parade
c. Very neg: war, cancer
d. Mildly neg: worm, Monday
2. Backward mask: XBMEMENGYRYRBHXM
3. Mood measure
Mood score
Effect of Subliminal Prime on Mood
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
Positive Prime
Negative Prime
Mild Prime
Strong Prime
Subliminal Moods and Stereotyping
Bargh & Chartrand, Study 2
Who are more likely to apply stereotypes?
People in good moods?
People in bad moods?
Wait and see.
Procedure:
1. Ss subliminally primed with strong pos, strong neg, or
neutral words.
2. Ss complete stereotyping task:
John/Jane fed the baby because __________
Sally/Steve changed the motor oil because ______
Effort to "explain away" gender-inconsistent action = stereotyping.
Effect of Mood on Stereotyping
Stereotyping
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
Negative Prime
Neutral Prime
Why do positive moods --> stereotyping?
Stereotypes are mental short-cuts.
People take short cuts in positive moods.
Positive Prime
Do Subliminally Primed Emotions Affect
Liking for Things You Consume?
Winkielman, Berridge, & Wilbarger, 2005
Class 17
Empathy and Altruism
Jacob Riis and Urban Poverty:
The Progressive Era (1880s-1910s)
Dorothea Lange and FSA New Deal Photos
of the Great Depression (1932-1942)
FSA to Steinbeck to Hollywood: New
Deal Imagery
Acts of Selfless (?) Heroism
The “fifth man” in Air Florida crash
Polish Concentration Camp Guard
Question: What motivates this behavior?
Why Do People Help Others?
Altruistic explanation -- Caring
Egoistic explanations
Negative state relief: Stop personal discomfort
Avoid social/self punishments: Shame, guilt
Seek social/self rewards: Honor, pride
A “Selfishness Bias” in Psychology?
Freud:
Skinner:
Behavior based on pleasure principle
Behavior based on pleasure principle
Modern Self Theorists in Social Psychology:
1. Totalitarian ego: false uniqueness, false
representativeness
2. Self affirmation
3. Self esteem
4. Self monitoring
5. Self efficacy
6. Downward social comparison
The “Selfish Gene” Theory
Fundamental goal of life-forms – pass on genes
Who will pass on genes? Those who survive
Therefore behaviors that promote survival are
“adaptive” and are “selected in”
Behaviors that jeopardize survival are maladaptive
and are “selected out”
Who is more likely to survive, the selfless helper or
the selfish non-helper?
Challenges to “Selfish Gene”
Inclusive Fitness:
Share genes with others
Risk taking for others promotes their survival
People more apt to sacrifice for those closest to them
in terms of shared genes
Reciprocal Altruism:
I help you today, you help me tomorrow, and typically
with interest.
Prosocial Behavior vs. Altruistic Behavior
1. Prosocial: Helping others, for any reason
2. Altruistic: Helping others because you care
about them.
Emotions Consistent with
Emotions Consistent with
Egoistic (Selfish) Behavior
Altruistic Behavior
Envy
Pride
Jealousy
Spite
Empathy
Greed
Lust
Gluttony
Covetousness
Scheudenfreude "Enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others"
“Circumstantial” Evidence of Empathy  Altruism Link
1. Evolutionary Biology
2. Neurology/Physiology
3. Empathy evident at a very early age, perhaps across species.
a. Sympathetic crying
b. Help kid who lost his marbles
c. Walruses risk lives to help harpooned fellows
4. Empathy evident in individualistic societies
5. Empathy  helping has immediate quality
a. Experiments on helping: physio reaction  helping
b. Accounts of helpers: “didn’t think, just did it” “it felt right”
Daniel Batson: Empathy and Altruism
Batson conducts classic research on “bystander
intervention”, showing how situations can prevent
people from helping.
Jerusalem to Jericho study, for example
However, he becomes interested why some people
help, others do not, regardless of the situation.
Asks: Are we capable of caring?
Empathy vs. Avoiding Shame:
The “Elayne” Study
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Subs. told: study about learning and shocks
Sub. is “observer”, confed. (“Elayne”) is “learner”
Sub. sees Elayne struggle showing distress, upset
Exptr. calls a break, asks Elayne if OK, “yes, but water
please.” Elayne is clearly distressed.
During break, Sub completes mood check-list.
Purpose: ID people high/low on empathy
Elayne confides to Expt. childhood trauma w’ shocks.
Expt. asks Subs: “willing to switch places w’ Elayne?”
Subs. must qualify to help by performing well at test
a. For ½ Subs. “easy test, most can do well”
b. For ½ Subs. “hard test, most can’t do well”
“Social Censure” vs. “Empathy and Altruism” Predictions
“Social Censure” Predictions
Justification
for not helping
Low Empathy
Condition
High Empathy
Condition
Weak Justif.
Helps
Helps
Strong Justif.
No Help
No Help
“Empathy and Altruism” Predictions
Justification
for not helping
Low Empathy
Condition
High Empathy
Condition
Weak Justif.
Helps
Helps
Strong Justif.
No Help
Helps
Rates of Volunteering to Help Distressed
“Elaine” as a Function of Felt Empathy and
Opportunity to Avoid Social Censure
Batson et al., 1988
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
Easy Test
Hard Test
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Distress
Empathy
Note: Easy test = Low Justification to avoid helping
Hard test = High justification to avoid helping
Effort Made to Qualify to Help “Elaine” as a Function of
Felt Empathy and Opportunity for Face-Saving Out
Batson, et al., 1988
Nmber Correct Answers
14
12
10
8
Easy Test
Hard Test
6
4
2
0
Distress
Empathy
Note: Easy Test = Low justification to avoid trying on test
Hard Test = High justification of avoid trying on test
Solution to Selfishness vs. Altruism
Debate – “The Shared Self”
Problem: Do we ever intentionally act outside of self-interest?
Solution: Reconsider what we mean by “self” and “other”
Batson’s implicit definition – these are distinct entities
S
O
Solution to Selfishness vs. Altruism, Contin.
What do people say when someone they love has died?
What phases do they use to express this kind of loss?
“Part of me is missing”, “It’s as if I lost a limb”
What does this suggest about the self/other divide?
In other words, can self/other be represented
as overlapping, rather than separate?
S
In this case “me” is not limited to my biological self,
but to a shared self.
Empathy  Altruism my require this “shared self”
O
MID TERM
Ave. Score = 80.21
Correl: Multi : Short = .72
Added 4 pts "Extra Credit"
Midterm = 35% of grade
Mid.pts = Final.grade.pts
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