Topics include prosocial behavior in Psychology of Social Behavior.  After reviewing course materials such as PowerPoint slides, Topic Companion Notes, video clips, and journal articles, choose one related topic from this week to write about. 

To Count as Participation and to Fulfill the Requirements of this Course,  

Discussion Posts Need to Be:   

• Substantive and thoughtful; that is, discussion posts must refer to a topic from the week’s readings.  All discussion posts must be supported by current journal article(s) found in ….. Online Library Database system.  Discussion posts should draw from the information found in this week’s course materials, from personal experience, and from credible sources (peer-reviewed journal articles and sites provided by your professor).  
• All information gained, read, or acquired from any source that is not your personal information must be cited throughout the document otherwise it is plagiarism.  All information must be cited in the body of the document AND full-reference text at the end of the document using APA style & format criteria.  
• APA style & format criteria:  
• Peer-reviewed journal articles from … Online Library Database System  
• Current: January 2015 – Current month 2020  
• PDF available  
• Times New Roman font  
• 12-point font  
• Black ink  
• Single spaced work for DISC and RESP assignments only (to save space)  
• In-text citations appear throughout work  
• Full-text references appear at bottom of work  
• The discussion post should be three (3) well-developed paragraphs in length (about 7-9 fully developed sentences each; adhere to APA style & format including in-text and full-text reference citations).    
• If your professor and/or fellow classmate(s) asked you a question, to follow up, or further explain a point, you are required to do so in addition to your two main responses.  Failure to timely respond by Sunday of each week (to follow up questions) will result in reduction of points; 1 point for each entry not addressed.    

Credible sources relevant to this course are (this is only a PARTIAL list): 

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (https://www.apa.org/about/division/div8 (Links to an external site.)) 

American Psychiatric Association (www.psychiatry.org (Links to an external site.) or www.psychiatryonline.org (Links to an external site.)) 

National Institutes of Health (www.nih.org (Links to an external site.)) 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.org (Links to an external site.)) 

World Health Organization: WHO (www.who.int (Links to an external site.)) 

Examples of topics to write about

(Choose only one topic from the examples below OR choose a topic of your interest that pertains to this week’s material): 

Does Twitter Help? 

After major disasters, people are often quick to go onto social media and send messages of support. However, many well-meaning people post messages using official hashtags that are meant for rescuers and people in need of emergency services. This can lead to difficulties for people finding and receiving valuable help. Discuss how Twitter and other social media affect helping behavior. Does it have an overall benefit, or is it making helping more difficult and less likely? 

Empathy 

Discuss what the concept of empathy involves.  Is empathy declining among U.S. college students?  What are some research findings supporting a decrease in empathy that empathy among Millennials? What has contributed to a decrease in empathetic behaviors while narcissism has increased in younger generations? 

True Altruism & Gratitude 

Does true altruism exist? If an individual feels positive affect after helping someone, is it truly a selfless act? What selfless acts can you think of that have no benefit to the helper?  Discuss why we expect gratitude when we help others. Why are most of us at least a little taken aback if the person does not acknowledge or express gratitude for the helpful behavior?  Should it be enough privately knowing that we helped someone?  Discuss why some people may not express gratitude; some people may feel shame or experience a decrease in self-esteem if someone helps them.  

Kitty Genovese 

The iconic event in the history of helping research—the story of the 38 witnesses who remained inactive during the murder of Kitty Genovese. The story itself has become a modern parable, the telling of which has served to limit the scope of inquiry into emergency helping; the concept of the Bystander Effect was born out of this tragedy.  Discuss the principles of the bystander effect, the idea that even when become aware of this effect that most still will not get involved in an emergency.