Charities and community groups that recruit volunteers to assist vulnerable people are highly active in many neighbourhoods. Some organisations emphasise the social connections, shared interests, and external recognition that volunteers develop during their service.
Toby decides to join a local volunteering scheme to help elderly residents with their grocery shopping. Toby's friend, Arjan, suggests that Toby is doing this because of the social rewards and shared community values. Toby's biology teacher disagrees, arguing that helping behaviour is purely biological and evolutionary in basis.
Evaluate how far the biological approach can explain human behaviour such as altruism (prosocial behaviour). You must make reference to Toby'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.
