Altruism

=Social responsibility: Altruism= toc Meetingwords sites Googledocs (if you want access to any of these documents, ask the writers for access)
 * Ugam, Haemin, Jessendra - http://meetingwords.com/ynqUaKl5oZ
 * Angeline and John - http://meetingwords.com/pQKYDElwrD
 * Roger and Daniel - http://meetingwords.com/WQEZSnSKmh
 * Kelvin, Tim, Charles - http://meetingwords.com/UPvUFuPUH2
 * Sofia, Chiara and Gwen - https://docs.google.com/document/d/15cAEb7g8uowk0uRYB6ny4ZzQqZ-0JmCbV74RE9R97sw/edit
 * Phillip, Brooke and Yuna - https://docs.google.com/document/d/185YszuTi0yvv26hYXbyHyLmSt4PMulGJZZO3zphYf6U/edit
 * Laura, Mimi and Sean - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MH9xBiJMGG39WQoB9TFSJPYgGlPB2Z7y6Z14VVifV9E/edit
 * Poppy, Helena, Andy, Marisa and Yvonne - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FYncFLspB5fT2Wn0pvqZpHj5qQAksOWqNnXP0FDFIBg/edit

Reading
Definitions from Crane and Hannibal: pages 258 – 259 Law et al.

Understanding

 * 1) Clearly define prosocial behavior
 * 2) Now clearly define altruism (H//ow are prosocial behavior and altruism related? Is one a sub-set of another?//)

Application

 * 1) Give an example of prosocial behavior that you have engaged in. Explain why you think it’s prosocial.
 * 2) Give an example of altruistic behavior that you have engaged in. How can be sure it was truly altruistic?

Extension
http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-superfreakonomics
 * Are we ever really altruistic? Will our behavior change if the parameters within which we operate change? **
 * Watch this discussion between Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner in //'RSA-Animate - Superfreakonomics//' (10:33) **

Reading
Crane and Hannibal pages 259 - 262 Handouts: //Altruism and psychological theories// //Kin selection and reciprocity// //Contrasting the 4 theories//

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Areas for discussion
__**Evolutionary theories**__ Kin selection Reciprocal altruism

__**Psychological theories**__ Negative-state relief model Empathy-altruism model

=Further Reading= Altruism articles from [|'The Situationist']

[|Research by Dan Batson]

http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-the-empathic-civilisation
 * To what extent do biological, cognitive and sociocultural factors explain altruism? What is the bi-directional model? **
 * Watch Jeremy Rifkin explain the evolution of empathy in this animated lecture in '//RSA-Animate - The Empathic civilisation'// (10.39) **

[|Activation of brain region predicts altruism]
 * Biological correlates **

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