What behaviour is it when someone helps someone else knowing that it could cost them (mentally, financially physically etc.) and not expecting a reward after helping? That is called altruistic behaviour. There was something suggested by Darwin that “self-sacrificial behaviour, though disadvantageous for the individual, might be beneficial at the group level”: “a tribe including many members who...were always ready to give aid to each other and sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection”. In the following essay the kin selection theory and the empathy-altruism model will be compared and contrasted. How are they different? First of all, The Kin Selection Theory is a biological theory in that it attempts to predict that altruism depends on the number of genes the person …show more content…
(1981) was done to back up the empathy-altruism model. The scientist asked a classroom of students to watch a video about another student named Carol, who had broken bother her legs and is not having a very easy time catching up to her peers in terms of school work. The students were broken up into two groups labelled the high empathy group and the low empathy group. The students then received a letter from Carol asking to meet up and share lecture notes with her. “Some of the students were told that Carol would be finishing her work at home, and others were told that she would be in their class when she returned to school”. The results showed that the students that were in the high empathy group were almost equally likely to help Carol, whether or not she would be in class or not. Those from the other group were more likely to help if they believed that Carol were to join their class. The evaluation of the study showed that those that felt empathy towards Carol were more likely to help her than those who did not feel empathy (or as much empathy) towards Carol were less likely to