Prosocial Tendencies Research Articles

Prosociality in a despotic society

Prosociality is the intent to improve others' well-being. Existing hypotheses postulate that enhanced social tolerance and inter-individual dependence may facilitate prosocial preferences, which may favor the evolution of altruism. While most studies are restricted to "tolerant" (cooperatively breeding and self-domesticated) species, despotic societies provide an alternative opportunity to investigate prosociality due to nepotism and ample inter-individual dependencies. Japanese macaques live in hierarchical matrilineal societies, with strong kin bonds. Besides, tolerance among non-kin may persist through reciprocity. Using a group service food-provision paradigm, we found prosocial preferences in a semi free-ranging group of Japanese macaques. The extent of provisioning was at levels comparable to tolerant species. Dyadic tolerance predicted the likelihood and magnitude of provisioning, while kinship predicted the magnitude. We emphasize the role of a complex socio-ecology fostering individual prosocial tendencies through kinship and tolerance. These findings necessitate a framework including different forms of interdependence beyond the generally tolerant species.

Longitudinal relationship between prosocial behavior and meaning in life of junior high school students: A three-wave cross-lagged study.

Despite much cross-sectional research linking prosocial behavior and meaning in life, few studies have investigated the longitudinal relationship between these two constructs. The article examines the bidirectional longitudinal association between prosocial behavior and meaning in life among junior high school students. A prospective design was adopted, incorporating three measurement occasions (with approximately 6-month intervals, from 2020 to 2021). Data were collected from 764 students (mean age = 12.46, SD = 0.64 years, and 51.4% girls). All participants responded to a questionnaire survey that included the Chinese Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-C) and Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM-C). Cross-lagged panel models were used to analyze the data. (1) Prosocial behavior predicted positively the presence of meaning over time and vice-versa. (2) There was no bidirectional association between the search for meaning and prosocial behavior. (3) There was no gender difference in the bidirectional relationship between meaning in life and prosocial behavior. These findings suggest that educators should highlight the presence of meaning in adolescent life education from a long-term perspective and encourage students to engage in more prosocial activities.

Seeing past the tip of your own nose? How outward and self-centred orientations could contribute to closing the green gap despite helplessness

BackgroundThe present study explored moderators of the relation between environmental concerns and pro-environmental behaviour that could help close the green gap.MethodsA sample of 500 individuals (250 women) participated in the study. Apart from socio-demographic characteristics, participants answered questions about their environmental concerns and pro-environmental behaviour, collectivism and individualism, time orientation and emotional responses to climate change.ResultsOur results corroborate the view that collectivism, future orientation and prosocial tendencies may form a single component of outward orientation, while individualism and immediate orientation form self-centred orientation. Generally, outwardly oriented individuals and those less self-centred reported more pro-environmental behaviour. However, strongly self-centred individuals, even when reporting elevated helplessness, showed increased involvement in pro-environmental behaviour once their concerns were high.ConclusionsThe study contributes to the literature by pointing out that both outward and self-centred orientations have the potential to insulate individuals against the negative effect helplessness may have on pro-environmental behaviour. This could inform strategies that would both prompt individuals already concerned to act and arouse more concern among those who are not yet preoccupied with climate change.

Adaptation and Evidence of Validity of the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) to the Brazilian Context

Adaptation and Evidence of Validity of the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) to the Brazilian Context

Who is willing to help Ukrainian refugees and why? The role of individual prosocial dispositions and superordinate European identity

AbstractIn 2022, Europe experienced unprecedented citizen mobilizations to help Ukrainian refugees. Based on two parallel lines of scholarship, we examined individual prosocial dispositions and superordinate identities related to intentions to help Ukrainians. Employing a French‐speaking student sample in Belgium (N = 374), in Study 1, we showed that dispositional prosociality and European identification were both positively related to intentions to help Ukrainians. An interaction qualified these main effects, so that highly prosocial European identifiers were particularly willing to help. With a nationwide quota sample of the French‐speaking population in Belgium (N = 371), in Study 2, we identified two processes mediating the relationship of dispositional prosociality and European identification with intentions to help Ukrainians. On the one hand, dispositional prosociality was positively related to empathy with Ukrainians, which in turn predicted participants' helping intentions. On the other hand, European identification was positively related to both empathy and identity fusion with Ukrainians, which further predicted participants' helping intentions. Overall, these findings suggest that individual prosocial dispositions and superordinate identities represent two cumulative pathways to intergroup helping. Concluding, we discuss common and specific processes related to intentions to help Ukrainians, compared with other refugee groups.

Bidirectional relations between altruistic tendency and benign/malicious envy among adolescents: A longitudinal study and weekly diary study.

Altruism is a prosocial tendency that has developed through long-term evolutionary selection. The present study adopts social comparison and evolutionary psychology theories to examine how benign/malicious envy can affect altruism and how altruism can affect the two types of envy in turn, respectively. In Study 1, 513 adolescents participated in a three-wave longitudinal survey to explore the relationships between dispositional altruistic tendency and dispositional benign/malicious envy. The cross-lagged analysis showed a long-term and stable negative bidirectional relationship between dispositional altruistic tendency and dispositional malicious envy and a short-term positive bidirectional relationship between dispositional altruism and dispositional benign envy. In Study 2, 109 adolescents kept a weekly diary for seven consecutive weeks to record state levels of altruistic tendency and benign/malicious envy in their daily lives. The hierarchical linear model demonstrated that weekly altruistic tendency and weekly benign envy could positively predict each other, and weekly altruistic tendency presented a negative bidirectional relationship with weekly malicious envy. These findings offer an effective way to study the relationship between human behavior and emotions from perspectives of social comparison and evolutionary psychology theories. Meanwhile, it also has practical significance for the harmonious development of society.

Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment

AbstractIn two pre-registered studies, we investigated the relationship of left-wing authoritarianism with the ego-focused trait of narcissism. Based on existing research, we expected individuals with higher levels of left-wing authoritarianism to also report higher levels of narcissism. Further, as individuals with leftist political attitudes can be assumed to be striving for social equality, we expected left-wing authoritarianism to also be positively related to prosocial traits, but narcissism to remain a significant predictor of left-wing authoritarianism above and beyond those prosocial dispositions. We investigated our hypotheses in two studies using cross-sectional correlational designs. Two nearly representative US samples (Study 1: N = 391; Study 2: N = 377) completed online measures of left-wing authoritarianism, the Dark Triad personality traits, and two variables with a prosocial focus (i.e., altruism and social justice commitment). In addition, we assessed relevant covariates (i.e., age, gender, socially desirable responding, and virtue signaling). The results of multiple regression analyses showed that a strong ideological view, according to which a violent revolution against existing societal structures is legitimate (i.e., anti-hierarchical aggression), was associated with antagonistic narcissism (Study 1) and psychopathy (Study 2). However, neither dispositional altruism nor social justice commitment was related to left-wing anti-hierarchical aggression. Considering these results, we assume that some leftist political activists do not actually strive for social justice and equality but rather use political activism to endorse or exercise violence against others to satisfy their own ego-focused needs. We discuss these results in relation to the dark-ego-vehicle principle.

College students’ aesthetic affection and prosocial behaviour: The role of empathy

Two studies were conducted to explore the influence of college students’ aesthetic affection on prosocial behaviour and the role of empathy. In Study 1, 343 college students completed the Chinese College Students Aesthetic Affection Questionnaire (CCSAAQ), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-C), and the Measure of Prosocial Tendencies (PTM-C). The results showed that students with higher aesthetic affection and trait empathy also had higher prosocial behaviour. Trait empathy partially mediated the relationship between aesthetic affection and prosocial behaviour. More specifically, aesthetic affection can directly promote prosocial behaviour and can indirectly promote prosocial behaviour through trait empathy. In Study 2, 121 students completed a behavioural “Dictator Game” experiment (two factors between-subject design) with manipulation of aesthetic affection (high group/low group) and state empathy (induction group/control group) to investigate effects on helping behaviour. The results suggested that induction state empathy and high aesthetic affection can lead to more helping behaviour (donation amount) and that state empathy can promote the helping behaviour of college students with low aesthetic affection. Based these findings, we conclude that empathy plays an important role in strengthening the relationship between aesthetic affection and prosocial behaviour.

Acquiescent, Defensive and Prosocial Reasons for Employee Silence in a Private Healthcare Organization, Bengaluru

Employees are the main pillars of an organization that have individual opinions, ideas and information that helps in workplace and organizational improvement. In modern organizations, employees are not the economic man rather it is essential for them to express emotions, perception, thoughts, experience and attitude regarding their workplace and organization as demanded by the nature of work and its environment. They are the foundation of feedback in dealing with and resolving the complexities. So, with this context the aim of the study was to identify the reasons for employee silence in an organization and impact of the socio-demographic variables on employee silence in a tertiary care hospital. Quantitative data (n=334) were collected from the employees of a tertiary care hospital in Bengaluru, India. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out to find the factors causing employee silence among the employees of the organization and independent sample t-test and One-way ANOVA was performed to find the association between the socio-demographic variables and employee silence. Results from the study have identified four major factors of silence namely; indifference of the management, fear of the management, maintenance of good relationship and prosocial tendency as possible causes of silence. These factors were correlated using Pearson’s correlation to find the association between the identified factors and indifference of the management and fear, maintenance of good relationship and prosocial tendency had a strong positive correlation. Further the study showed there is a relationship between age, education level and work experience with employee silence and it differs with different categories of age, education and years of experience. Since the study is related to healthcare organization more emphasis should be given to the employees as the quality of services delivered would mainly depend on them. The study reveals the need for having a positive interpersonal relationship which gives way for continuous feedback between the management and employees which in turn would lower employee silence in an organization

Impact of Religious Orientation on Prosocial Behavior of Undergraduate University Students: Emotional Expressivity as Moderator

The purpose of the current study is to find out the impact of religious orientation on the prosocial behavior of undergraduate university students. The sample consisted of 528 undergraduate students (279 female, 249 male), who were purposefully selected with an age range of 17 to 24 years. Three scales were employed: the Religious Orientation Scale (Urdu) developed by Khan, Ghous, and Malik (2016), the Prosocial Tendency Measure (PTM-R) by Carlo and Randall (2002), and the emotional expressivity scale (Urdu) developed by Fahd and Hanif (2019). SPSS (22.0) is used to draw the results. This study provides important insights into the relationship between religious orientation and prosocial behavior and highlights the role of emotional expressivity as a moderator in this relationship. The results suggest that individuals who are more religious and also score highly on emotional expressivity may be more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors. This has implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between religious orientation and prosocial behavior and may inform interventions aimed at promoting prosocial behavior.

Children’s Online Safety: Predictive Factors of Cyberbullying and Online Grooming Involvement

The increase in the use of the Internet, strongly boosted by the spread of COVID-19, has amplified the risk of involvement in cyberbullying and online grooming among minors. To date, most research on these phenomena has focused on middle and high school students, with fewer studies on younger children. The present study aims to fill this knowledge gap by measuring the spread of cyberbullying and online grooming in a sample of 410 primary school students in the city of Rome and by identifying the main individual and environmental predictors associated with the involvement of children in these phenomena using factor analysis. Results indicate that both cyberbullying and online grooming are widespread among respondents, showing common traits within the four latent dimensions identified. Screen time is among the main predictors of children’s involvement, together with parental supervision, phubbing behaviours, prosocial tendencies and family socio-economic background. These findings highlight the need for further studies on representative samples of this age group, as well as for a greater cooperative effort among schools, parents and caregivers to keep children safe in the virtual world.

Measurement of Prosocial Tendencies: Meta-Analysis of the Generalization of the Reliability of the Instrument.

The Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) and its revised version (PTM-R) are used internationally to measure prosocial behaviors in different life situations. To obtain accumulated evidence of the report and the reliability of its scores, a meta-analysis of the reliability of internal consistency was performed. The databases of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus were reviewed and all the studies that applied it from 2002 to 2021 were selected. Results: Only 47.9% of the studies presented the index of reliability of PTM and PTM-R. The meta-analytic results of the reliability report of the subscales that the PTM and the PTM-R have in common were: Public 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76-0.80), Anonymous 0.80 (95% CI: 0.79-0.82), Dire 0.74 (95% CI: 0.71-0.76), and Compliant 0.71 (95% CI: 0.72-0.78). Each one of them presents high levels of heterogeneity derived from the gender of the participants (percentage of women), the continent of the population, the validation design, the incentive to participate, and the form of application. It is concluded that both versions present acceptable reliabilities to measure prosocial behavior in different groups and situations, as adolescents and young people, but their clinical use is discouraged.

Neural representations of vicarious rewards are linked to interoception and prosocial behaviour

Every day we constantly observe other people receiving rewards. Theoretical accounts posit that vicarious reward processing might be linked to people's sensitivity to internal body states (interoception) and facilitates a tendency to act prosocially. However, the neural processes underlying the links between vicarious reward processing, interoception, and prosocial behaviour are poorly understood. Previous research has linked vicarious reward processing to the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACCg) and the anterior insula (AI). Can we predict someone's propensity to be prosocial or to be aware of interoceptive signals from variability in how the ACCg and AI process rewards? Here, participants monitored rewards being delivered to themselves or a stranger during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Later, they performed a task measuring their willingness to exert effort to obtain rewards for others, and a task measuring their propensity to be aware and use interoceptive respiratory signals. Using multivariate similarity analysis, we show that people's willingness to be prosocial is predicted by greater similarity between self and other representations in the ACCg. Moreover, greater dissimilarity in self-other representations in the AI is linked to interoceptive propensity. These findings highlight that vicarious reward is linked to bodily signals in AI, and foster prosocial tendencies through the ACCg.

How do childhood abuse and neglect affect prosocial behavior? The mediating roles of different empathic components.

Childhood abuse and neglect are typically considered as two different forms of maltreatment. Previous international studies have found differential effects of abuse and neglect on prosocial behavior, but this and the mediating pathway underlying these associations have not been examined in a Chinese sample. Our study aims to examine the effects of childhood abuse and neglect on prosocial behavior in Chinese participants and test the unique mediating roles of different empathic components in these associations. A total of 1,569 young adults (average age = 18.17 years) were recruited from a college that enrolls students from all provinces of China. Participants completed a series of questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Prosocial Tendencies Measure. Path analysis was conducted to determine the mediational relationships. Emotional neglect had significant direct effect on prosocial behavior (β = -0.108, p < 0.001), and could also impact prosocial behavior through the mediating roles of perspective-taking and empathic concern (effect size = -0.091 and -0.097 respectively, p < 0.001). Emotional abuse affected prosocial behavior only through personal distress (effect size = -0.072, p < 0.001). Physical abuse, sexual abuse and physical neglect have little effect on prosocial behavior and empathy. Childhood abuse and neglect have distinct influences on prosocial behavior. Emotional abuse and emotional neglect affect prosocial behavior through distinct pathways. This conclusion could help to establish precise interventions for improving prosocial behavior in maltreated individuals.

Perceived discrimination and prosocial tendencies in migrant children: A moderated mediation model

Previous research has examined the effect of perceived discrimination on prosocial tendencies, but not the specific mechanisms by which the perceived discrimination functions. This study used questionnaires completed by 837 Chinese migrant children to construct a moderated mediation effects model to examine the mediating role of personal just world belief in the relationship between perceived discrimination and prosocial tendencies. Further, we examined the moderating role of a general just world belief in the above mediating pathway. The results showed that perceived discrimination negatively predicted personal just world belief and prosocial tendencies, and personal just world beliefs positively predicted prosocial tendencies. Personal just world belief fully mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and prosocial tendencies. Further, a general just world belief moderated the mediating effect of perceived discrimination on prosocial tendencies via personal just world belief.

Relationship between Moral Elevation and Prosocial Behavior among College Students: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support and Moderating Role of Moral Identity

Objectives: The present study examined the relationship between college student’s moral elevation and prosocial behavior. As well as the mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of moral identity. Methods: A sample of 489 college students was recruited for the study. They were asked to complete a series of questionnaires, including Moral Elevation Scale (MES), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Moral Identity Scale (MIS) and Prosocial Tendency Measure (PTM). As part of the data analysis, we used correlation analysis and the method of constructing latent variable structural equation model to explore the mechanism of action among variables. Results: After controlling for gender, discipline, the research found that: (1) Moral elevation positively predicted the prosocial behavior among the college students; (2) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between moral elevation and prosocial behavior; (3) Moral identity moderated the second half of the model (i.e., the link between perceived social support and prosocial behavior). Specifically, the mediating effect of perceived social support was stronger for college students with high-level moral identity compared to those with low-level moral identity. Conclusions: Moral identity significantly moderates the mediating effect of perceived social support, and the mediating model with moderated is established.

Prosociality and reciprocity according to parental status, communication, and personality in domestic canaries (Serinus canaria)

Prosociality (behaviours that benefit to a recipient without necessarily involving a cost to the actor) has recently been shown to exist in various taxa, including birds. Studies on prosociality in primates found that prosocial tendencies of the subject could be related to sex and parental care, communication from the recipient, cognitive abilities and personality. To investigate the existence of such associations on birds, we conducted a Prosocial Choice Task with domestic canaries (Serinus canaria). In our experiment, the subject could choose between three options: a prosocial, a selfish, and a null option (with no cost for the subject). We also conducted a food sharing experiment and measured several personality traits. Our results highlighted high levels of prosociality and a tendency to reciprocity among reproductive mates. We found a higher propensity to be prosocial in nulliparous individuals than in individuals that have previously been parents, but better sharing abilities in parents than in nulliparous individuals. When they were recipient, parents also used communication more efficiently than nulliparous subjects. Data suggest that parental expertise could enhance subjects’ skills in eliciting prosociality. We also highlighted some interaction between prosociality, learning abilities, and some personality traits, proactive individuals being fast learners and more prosocial, while reactive individuals being slow learners and more reciprocal. Our results suggest that prosociality and reciprocity could be linked to personality and cognitive abilities, and that it might be interesting to consider them as parts of individual’s cognitive style.

The Relationship between Parental Emotional Warmth and Rural Adolescents’ Hope: The Sequential Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support and Prosocial Behavior

Parental emotional warmth plays a prominent role in adolescents’ hope, but few studies have examined the underlying mechanism between parental emotional warmth and hope in rural adolescents, or have compared the gender differences in the mediation models between parental emotional warmth and hope. Based on the developmental contextualism theory and Bernardo’s hope theory, this study examined the sequential mediating effect of perceived social support and prosocial behavior between parental emotional warmth and hope and test the gender differences between them. Seventeen hundred and one rural adolescents were surveyed with the Short-Form Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran (s-EMBU-C), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Prosocial Tendency Measure (PTM), and Hope Scale (HS). Correlation analysis showed that there were positive correlations between parental emotional warmth, perceived social support, prosocial behavior, and hope. The structural equation model showed that parental emotional warmth indirectly affected hope through the separate and sequential mediation of perceived social support and prosocial behavior. Multi-group analysis showed that boys were significantly higher than girls in the relationship between perceived social support and prosocial behavior. The results emphasized that improving parental emotional warmth, perceived social support, and encouraging rural adolescents’ prosocial behavior could effectively promote their hope.

Awareness of meaning and quest for meaning: The mechanisms between future orientation and prosociality among youth during pandemic.

The positive relationship between future orientation and prosocial tendency has been consistently reported. However, the possible mechanism has not been examined yet. Previous research revealed the positive relationship between future orientation and meaning in life, as well as between meaning in life and prosocial tendency. Hence, it is hypothesized that the two components of meaning in life (presence of meaning and search for meaning) possibly mediate the relationship between future orientation and prosocial tendency. During the first half of 2020, 430 Hong Kong youths aged 15-35 (male: 30.5%; female: 69.5%) were recruited to participate an online cross-sectional survey. The survey included three scales: (1) The Scale for Measuring Adult's Prosocialness, (2) Consideration of Future Consequence Scale, and (3) Meaning in Life Questionnaire. The key findings showed that: (1) females had higher level of prosocial tendency than males, and (2) significant partial mediating effects of both presence of meaning and search for meaning on the relationship between future orientation and prosocial tendency. Nevertheless, the multi-group mediation model did not show significant gender difference. These findings implied that future-oriented and meaning-focused interventions could possibly enhance youth's sense of meaning in everyday life and foster their meaning searching tendency, which further strengthen the positive effect of their future orientation on prosocial tendency, even during life adversities.

Dispositional Awe Positively Predicts Prosocial Tendencies: The Multiple Mediation Effects of Connectedness and Empathy.

Awe is an emotion frequently experienced by individuals in different cultures. When individuals experience awe, they would feel a sense of connectedness to other people or nature arises, and shift their attention to the outside world, which would increase empathy for others in need and, in turn, improve their prosocial tendencies. To test this proposal, we applied a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire survey to collect a sample of 1545 (Nfemale = 988) in Asia, aged between 16 and 71 years old (M = 22.81, SD = 7.80). The Structural Equation Model and bootstrapping method were used to test the mediation effects of connectedness and empathy between awe and prosocial tendency. Results showed that dispositional awe positively predicted a prosocial tendency, which could be partially explained by the multiple mediation effects of connectedness and empathy, after controlling for the effect of the small self. The findings deepen researchers' understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between awe and prosociality and have practical implications for cultivating awe and prosocial behavior.