Social Judgment and Empathy

1. Social Judgment and Empathy Class 16 NOTE: Diary Study Begins Next Class

2. Class 17Empathy and Altruism

3. Jacob Riis and Urban Poverty: The Progressive Era (1880s-1910s)

4. Dorothea Lange and FSA New Deal Photos of the Great Depression (1932-1942)

5. FSA to Steinbeck to Hollywood: New Deal Imagery

6. Acts of Selfless (?) Heroism The “fifth man” in Air Florida crash Polish Concentration Camp Guard Question: What motivates this behavior?

7. 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

8. A “Selfishness Bias” in Psychology? Freud: Behavior based on pleasure principle Skinner: 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

9. 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?

10. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pwV8s1his

11. Emotions Consistent with Egoistic (Selfish) Behavior Emotions Consistent with Altruistic Behavior Envy Pride Jealousy Spite Greed Lust Gluttony Covetousness Scheudenfreude Empathy "Enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others"

12. Prosocial Behavior vs. Altruistic Behavior 1. Prosocial: Helping others, for any reason 2. Altruistic: Helping others because you care about them. Prosocial Behavior Negative State Relief Empathy Social Desirability Reciprocity Altruistic Motive Ego-centric Motives

13. 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?

14. “Circumstantial” Evidence of Empathy  Altruism Link 1. Evolutionary Biology 2. Neurology/Physiology • 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”

15. Logic of Batson Empathy and Altruism Experiments Prosocial Behavior If helping is due ONLY to ego-centric motives, And if these motives can be satisfied without helping, Then no helping when these motives satisfied. BUT if helping occurs because of empathy And if empathy is aroused Then helping will occur EVEN WHEN ego-centric motives are satisfied Negative State Relief Empathy Social Desirability Reciprocity Altruistic Motive Ego-centric Motives

16. Empathy vs. Avoiding Shame (social desirability): The “Elayne” Study 1. Subs. told: study about learning and shocks 2. Sub. is “observer”, confed. (“Elayne”) is “learner” 3. Sub. sees Elayne struggle showing distress, upset 4. Exptr. calls a break, asks Elayne if OK, “yes, but water please.” Elayne is clearly distressed. 5. During break, Sub completes mood check-list. Purpose: ID people high/low on empathy 6. Elayne confides to Expt. childhood trauma w’ shocks. 7. Expt. asks Subs: “willing to switch places w’ Elayne?” 8. 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”

17. “Social Censure” Predictions “Empathy and Altruism” Predictions Justification for NOT helping Justification for NOT helping Low Empathy Condition Low Empathy Condition High Empathy Condition High Empathy Condition Weak Justif. Helps Helps Strong Justif. No Help No Help Weak Justif. Helps Helps Strong Justif. No Help Helps “Social Censure” vs. “Empathy and Altruism”

18. “Circumstantial” Evidence of Empathy  Altruism Link 1. Evolutionary Biology 2. Neurology/Physiology • 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”

19. 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?

20. Empathy vs. Avoiding Shame: The “Elayne” Study 1. Subs. told: study about learning and shocks 2. Sub. is “observer”, confed. (“Elayne”) is “learner” 3. Sub. sees Elayne struggle showing distress, upset 4. Exptr. calls a break, asks Elayne if OK, “yes, but water please.” Elayne is clearly distressed. 5. During break, Sub completes mood check-list. Purpose: ID people high/low on empathy 6. Elayne confides to Expt. childhood trauma w’ shocks. 7. Expt. asks Subs: “willing to switch places w’ Elayne?” 8. 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”

21. “Social Censure” Predictions “Empathy and Altruism” Predictions Justification for not helping Justification for not helping Low Empathy Condition Low Empathy Condition High Empathy Condition High Empathy Condition Weak Justif. Helps Helps Strong Justif. No Help No Help Weak Justif. Helps Helps Strong Justif. No Help Helps “Social Censure” vs. “Empathy and Altruism” Predictions

22. Rates of Volunteering to Help Distressed “Elaine” as a Function of Felt Empathy and Opportunity to Avoid Social Censure Batson et al., 1988 Note: Easy test = Low Justification to avoid helping Hard test = High justification to avoid helping

23. Effort Made to Qualify to Help “Elaine” as a Function of Felt Empathy and Opportunity for Face-Saving Out Batson, et al., 1988 Note: Easy Test = Low justification to avoid trying on test Hard Test = High justification of avoid trying on test

24. S 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 O

25. 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? In this case “me” is not limited to my biological self, but to a shared self. Empathy  Altruism my require this “shared self”

26. Thinking Empathically Sheri Summers is 9 years old. She had a fatal and painful disease. There is a treatment, but it requires being on a waiting list. Take a minute and think about being Sheri; being scared, in pain, seeing the fear in your parents’ eyes. Wondering what will happen to you. Take a minute and think about being the chief of medicine, wanting to do the right thing for all your patients. YES Should Sheri be moved to the top of the list for treatment? No

27. Is Empathy a Good Thing? Paul Bloom, 2017 versus Natalee Holloway 10000s Suffering in Darfur versus Save the Plankton! Save the Panda!

28. Empathy and ViolenceThat Dog is Gonna Die Movies

29. How Do We Understand Others? Human relations requires understanding others’ psychological lives: Motives Feelings Perspectives Cognitive machinery affords this ability Theory of Mind (ToM) Simulating Mentalizing Empathizing

30. The Nature of Empathy Empathy a complex, complicated construct Requires: Emotions aroused by other’s state, corresponding to that state. BUT: Not simply shared feelings Empathy ≠ Emotional Contagion Not simply recognizing another’s distress Empathy ≠ Personal Distress Empathy = Emotional Resonance + Perspective Taking Perspective Taking means not only feeling what the other is feeling, but seeing the situation as he/she does.

31. Emotional Challenge of Empathy Minimal emotional resonance needed to identify other’s emotion. “Affect as Information” (Schwarz & Clore, 1996). But need to distance self from emotions to reflect on them, use them. Too emotional  overwhelmed Too analytical  detached Empathy = Balancing emotional openness with mental deliberation Requires mental effort and emotional regulation.

32. Empathy and Emotional Regulation Decety, 2010 EmotionalUnderstandEmotional ArousalOwn Emotion is Regulation / Response to Other Executive Control Limbic System ACC Insula vmPFC TPJ Emotional Resonance Perspective Taking Assuaging Action Theory of Mind LIMBIC SYSTEM INSULA TPJ PREFRONTAL CORTEX ACC

33. Models of Successful and Thwarted Empathy Successful Empathy Target’s Emotions Self-Regulation of emotion Perspective Taking Resonant Emotions Empathy Thwarted Empathy Emotional Contagion Extreme Resonant Emotions Reduced Perspective Taking Less Self-Regulation of emotion Target’s Emotions Reduced Empathy Personal Distress Hyper-sensitive to Target Unrelated Negative Event Depressed Resources