Psychological Research Supports the Folk A-Level Coursework

According to Batson, when does this happen?

According to Batson, one of the core reasons that human tend to help others is out of a sense of empathy. This is an emotional trigger that causes us to relate to the needs of others.

How do sociobiologists use the concepts of kin selection and the reciprocity norm to explain human prosocial behavior?

Sociobiologists argue that in the acts of both kin selection and reciprocity norm, human beings are motivated to good behavior by the interest of survival. For instance, with kin selection, perpetuation of the species promotes civil behavior in the interests of courtship.

Are school shootings such as the Columbine Massacre simply the result of deranged individuals acting independently? What does social psychology suggest about why school shootings occur and about how the problem might be addressed?

School shooting are the product of a sociocultural environment where exclusion and alienation ultimately transform into the and violence. The psychology of such acts suggests there is not enough outreach for and understanding of those who are socially disenfranchised.

In 1970, the Presidential Commission on Obscenity and Pornography concluded that in and of themselves, sexually explicit materials do not contribute to violence against women, sexual crimes, or other antisocial acts. Fifteen years later, Attorney General Edwin Meese convened a commission to revisit the question.The Meese Commission findings directly contradicted the 1970 Commission findings. Who was right?

The original findings are correct and denote that, absent any notable acts of violence, detainment or exploitation, such materials do not inherently contribute to violence against women.

According to the authors, how does a belief in a just world (Lerner, 1980) contribute to blaming the victims of injustice?

The notion of a just world allows us to accept that all things which occur, good our bad, have occurred for some defensible reason.

In what ways do self-fulfilling prophecies contribute to prejudice and negative stereotypes?

Self-fulfilling prophecies allow us to confirm our suspicions about certain groups such that if we believe some demographics, for instance, are more predisposed to criminal behavior, that belief will be confirmed every time a member of this demographic is seen committing a crime, whether accurate or not.

Works Cited:

Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D., & Akert, R.M.….....