Local community disaster response networks are becoming increasingly vital in areas prone to seasonal flooding. Many volunteers dedicate their time, resources, and even risk their personal safety to rescue stranded individuals and salvage property.
Maya decides to join a local swift-water rescue team to assist residents during a major flood warning. Her colleague, Sam, argues that Maya is doing this because she seeks social prestige, career advancement networking, and praise from her peers. However, Maya's cousin, an evolutionary anthropologist, disagrees, claiming that such risky, cooperative helping behavior is fundamentally biological and driven by evolutionary survival strategies.
Evaluate how far biological and evolutionary explanations can account for prosocial behavior, such as cooperation and altruism. You must make reference to Maya's situation in your response.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Biological explanations of crime, Social explanations of crime, Cognitive and ethical interview techniques, Psychological formulation of offending, Cognitive-behavioural treatment for offenders, Biological treatment for offenders, Factors influencing eye-witness testimony, Factors influencing jury decision-making, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
