El presente estudio analiza la correlación entre la empatía y el razonamiento moral prosocial en una muestra de 105 estudiantes de psicología de una universidad privada de Lima, con edades correspondientes entre los 17 y los 28 años. El razonamiento moral prosocial es medido mediante el test Una Medida Objetiva del Razonamiento Moral Prosocial (PROM-R) elaborado por Carlo, Eisenberg y Knight en 1992; mientras que la empatía se evalúa a través del Índice de Reactividad Interpersonal (IRI) creado por Mark Davis en 1980, ambos test adaptados para la presente investigación. Los resultados obtenidos indican de forma general que existe una correlación positiva significativa entre ambos constructos estudiados, correlacionando de forma significativa los niveles Estereotipado e Internalizado del razonamiento moral prosocial con los factores Toma de Perspectiva, Fantasía y Preocupación Empática, pertenecientes a la empatía. Además, no se evidencia diferencias significativas con respecto al sexo para el razonamiento moral prosocial, mientras que en la empatía existen únicamente diferencias significativas de acuerdo al sexo en la subescala Fantasía. The present study examines the correlation between empathy and prosocial moral reasoning in a sample of 105 psychology students from a private university in Lima, with corresponding ages between 17 and 28 years old. The prosocial moral reasoning is measured by the test Prosocial Moral Reasoning Objective Measure (PROM-R) developed by Carlo, Eisenberg and Knight in 1992; while empathy is evaluated through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) created by Mark Davis in 1980, both tests adapted to the present investigation. The general results indicates that there is a significant positive correlation between both constructs studied, correlating significantly the levels Stereotyped and Internalized of the prosocial moral reasoning with the factors Perspective-Taking, Fantasy and Empathic Concern, belonging to empathy. No significant difference was found in regard to sex for prosocial moral reasoning, while in empathy exists only significant differences according to sex in the Fantasy subscale.

La culpabilité est une émotion introspective résultant de la réflexion sur l'association entre le soi et ses propres torts. Parce que la culpabilité montre les aspects probablement désagréables du soi, les individus sont motivés à se déculpabiliser. D'après les théories traditionnelles de la culpabilité, la culpabilité vient de processus cognitifs de haut niveau et son intensité dépend du niveau d'attribution de la faute au soi. Ces théories, fondées sur les théories standards de cognition, soulignent les aspects intellectuels et rationnels de la culpabilité. Les théories de l'embodiment rejettent la séparation entre les états corporels et situationnels et la connaissance. Les stimuli sociaux peuvent produire des états somatiques et susciter des réponses dans le soi. Les états corporels et viscéraux du soi peuvent susciter des états affectifs. Selon les théories personnifiées, la culpabilité doit aussi être influencée par des états corporels et situationnels. Nos études ont visé à comprendre les influences des facteurs corporels et contextuels sur la culpabilité et la déculpabilisation. Une première étude (N=65) a comparé l'efficacité de l'observation et de la personnification de nettoyage sur la déculpabilisation. Les résultats ont montré que (a) l'observation de nettoyage a pu déculpabiliser les individus et les conduire à se comporter moins prosocialement mais qu'elle était moins efficace que la personnification de nettoyage ; (b) la personnification du concept de nettoyage a pu apaiser les jugements moraux sévères. Deux études (N=393) ont ensuite exploré l'effet de l'approbation sociale sur la déculpabilisation au moyen de la personnification du concept de la propreté. Les résultats ont montré que l'approbation sociale était un facteur important dans la personnification du concept de la propreté et qu'elle a pu modérer l'effet du concept de propreté sur la déculpabilisation. Deux études (N=141) ont enfin analysé l'effet de l'épuisement et de la restauration d'énergie sur la culpabilité et la déculpabilisation. Les résultats ont montré que l'épuisement a diminué le sentiment de culpabilité puis le comportement prosocial, et que la restauration d'énergie a pu restaurer la capacité d'éprouver de la culpabilité. Nos travaux montrent que, la culpabilité est une émotion morale et prosociale qui est dépendante de facteurs corporels et situationnels. Des changements de statuts corporels et contextuels peuvent contribuer à déculpabiliser les individus. / Guilt is an introspective emotion resulting from the reflection on the association between the self and one's own wrongs. Because guilt shows the undesirable aspects of the self, people are motivated not to feel guilt. According to traditional theories of guilt, guilt comes from high-level cognitive processes and its intensity depends on the extent to which the fault is attributed to the self. These theories, which are based on standard theories of cognition, emphasize the intellectual and rational aspect of guilt. Embodied theories reject the separation between situational and bodily states and knowledge. Social stimuli can produce somatic states and elicit responses in the self. The visceral and bodily states in the self can generate affective states. According to embodied theories, guilt could also be influenced by bodily and situational states. Our research aimed to understand the influences of bodily and contextual factors on guilt and reducing guilt. One study (N = 65) compared the efficacy of observation of cleansing and the embodied cleaning on reducing guilt. The results showed that the observation of cleaning could make people feel less guilty and lead them to behave less prosocially. But it was less effective than embodied cleansing. Two studies (N = 393) explored the effect of social approval on reducing guilt through the embodiment of the concept of cleanliness. The results showed that social approval was an important factor in embodiment of the concept of cleanliness and it could moderate the effect of the concept of cleanliness on removing guilt. Two studies (N = 141) studied the effect of depletion and restoration of energy on guilt and reducing guilt. The results showed that depletion could reduce guilt feelings and subsequent prosocial behavior and that restoration of energy could restore the ability to feel guilt. In conclusion, guilt is a moral and prosocial emotion which is dependent on bodily and situational factors. Changes in bodily and contextual states can cause people to feel less guilty.

Prosocial behavior typically emerges during an infant's second year. Because it is posited to be continuous from infancy to adulthood, and past research has identified numerous positive outcomes associated with prosocial behavior, it is important to understand the mechanisms involved in early prosocial behavior, such as prosocial media. Past research has examined the relation between prosocial media and prosocial behavior in preschool children, but no studies have explored this association with infants. The current study includes 60 infants and their primary caregivers. Data about media use, parent-infant media interactions, and infant prosocial helping was collected through survey and observational measures. Results showed that prosocial media exposure and parent joint media engagement were not associated with infant instrumental prosocial behavior. Additionally, parent joint media engagement did not act as a moderator between prosocial media exposure and infant instrumental prosocial behavior. Discussion focuses on the implications of infant age, infant attention level, and age appropriateness of media on infant instrumental prosocial behavior, as well as potential problems within the measurement and cross-sectional study design.

This study explores the theory of prosocial public relations as proposed by Wakefield, Burnett, and van Dusen (2011). The propositions put forth by the theory are that in gaining visibility and support for prosocial causes, an organization will engage in non-confrontational (prosocial) public relations by building up internal resources, reaching out to target publics, and making connections with those publics related to the cause. This single-case study explored the public relations and communication tactics of a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide aid and service to the poor. A Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul located in the Western United States served as the case. Observations from this study were made through analysis of documentation and archival records and were supported through interviews with key staff members of the Society and field observations. The findings support the theory of prosocial public relations in that communication and public relations are vital aspects in the work of the nonprofit as it strives to gain visibility and support for the cause. Observations from the case study support that the Society builds up, reaches out, and connects with key publics. In addition, based on data, a fourth element of prosocial public relations, nurturing relationships, is proposed. This study begins to establish some of the public relations methods of how a successful prosocial nonprofit organization can build up, reach out, make connections, and nurture relationships through communication.

No description available.

Envy is an other-oriented but negative emotion; no research has examined the influence of envy on prosocial behavior. Study 1 examined whether envy and gratitude would promote or inhibit prosocial behavior. I hypothesized that envy would result in less helping behavior than a neutral condition, whereas gratitude would increase helping behavior. Results supported the hypothesis that envy inhibits prosocial behavior. There was not enough evidence to suggest that gratitude promoted helping. Study 2 examined how envy and gratitude affected prosocial behavior when participants were given the choice to help or harm others. I hypothesized that experiencing envy would result in greater likelihood of engaging in harmful behavior, but that gratitude would promote more helpful behavior, even when it meant a less positive outcome for participants. The hypothesis that envy increases harming behavior was supported, while there was not enough evidence to suggest that gratitude promoted helping behavior in this scenario.

Witnessing others in need can be felt similarly to experiencing it oneself (empathy) and motivates assistance of those in need (prosocial action). It is well-documented that empathy can occur automatically, but when those in need are not members of a social ingroup, empathy and prosocial action are undermined. One major ingroup—outgroup division in American and in other countries is based on race. Although most condemn racial discrimination, empathy and prosocial action are often lower, however unintentionally, in interracial contexts. In light of this empathy gap, it is important to identify psychological factors that could bolster empathy and prosocial action toward racial outgroup members in need. This dissertation asked whether mindfulness training – cultivating present-centered, receptive attention to one’s ongoing experiences –increases social sensitivity toward racial outgroup members, and is based on pilot research indicating that a brief mindfulness induction increased empathy and prosocial action in such contexts. Healthy, self-identifying White women were randomized to either a brief (4-day) mindfulness training or a structurally-equivalent sham mindfulness training. Pre-post electroencephalographic measures of empathy toward video stimuli of outgroup members expressing sadness was assessed via prefrontal alpha frequency oscillations (i.e., frontal alpha asymmetry). Pre-post scenario-based spontaneous prosocial action toward Black individuals in need, and pre-post 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of empathy and prosocial action toward Black individuals (and other races) were conducted. Mindfulness training was expected to increase EEG- and EMA-based empathy toward Black individuals in need, as well as increase prosocial action toward such individuals in scenario and daily life (EMA) contexts. Opposite of what was hypothesized, MT reduced post-intervention empathic simulation, relative to ST, as measured by frontal alpha asymmetry. Consistent with hypotheses, however, MT increased empathic concern for outgroup members expressing sadness during video stimuli observation, and increased post-intervention scenario-based prosocial action. However, the hypothesis that MT would predict increases in pre- to post-intervention daily EMA-based prosocial action was not supported. Providing somewhat convergent evidence, trait mindfulness predicted more frequent pre-intervention scenario-based and daily prosocial action toward outgroup members; trait mindfulness was not related to pre-intervention video-based EEG and self-reported empathy outcomes. Together these results suggest that mindfulness can enhance some indicators or empathy and prosocial behavior in interracial contexts. Mechanisms and implications of the findings are discussed.

Compassion requires both attention and motivation to engage with another person’s experience. Two studies examined whether curiosity—the interest and motivation to explore new or complex information—promotes empathic concern and suppresses personal distress. These studies also examined whether attachment insecurity moderates curiosity’s effect on empathy. Study 1 identified correlations among curiosity, attachment security, empathic concern, and personal distress traits. In Study 2, participants were primed with high or low curiosity before watching a video of a peer experiencing hardship, then reported state curiosity, empathic concern, personal distress, and prosocial motivation. Trait and state curiosity predicted greater empathic concern and prosocial motivation. In Study 1, greater attachment anxiety was shown to weaken trait curiosity’s relationship with empathic concern. In Study 2, greater attachment anxiety also weakened the relationship between state curiosity and personal distress. These results suggest curiosity may be a way to promote compassion and willingness to help.

Children who develop more prosocial behaviors tend to be more competent socially than those children who develop fewer prosocial behaviors. Group games are especially effective in the facilitation of prosocial behaviors. This study compared the number of prosocial or positive behaviors and negative behaviors displayed during cooperatively and competitively structured game treatments using the Observational Checklistand the Teacher Checklist. We controlled for possible differences in teacher nuturance through the Caregiver Interaction Scale. Participants included 20 boys and 19 girls (mean age = 4 years 7.3 months) enrolled in one of two classes at Utah State University s Adele and Dale Young Child Development Lab. There were no statistically significant effects of treatment found according to The Teacher Checklist; however, statistically significant differences in positive and negative behaviors were found on The Observational Checklist across treatment conditions. Specifically, after cooperative games, positive behaviors were higher than expected while negative behaviors were lower than expected . During competitive games , positive behaviors were lower than expected and negative behaviors were higher than expected. When the two factors on The Teacher Checklist, Aggression and Immaturity, were analyzed, no statistically significant relationships were found.

Although the link between violent video games and aggressive behavior has received extensive coverage, there is growing evidence that prosocial video games can exert a positive influence as well. However, whether these effects generalize to costlier prosocial behaviors that help more distant recipients remains unclear. Here I propose an experimental study to examine whether prosocial video games can influence charitable donation behavior. College students will be randomly assigned to play 45 min of either a prosocial video game (Lemmings) or neutral video game (Tetris), followed by a 10 min filler task (mental calculation). Participants will then be asked to complete a payment form, indicating if they want to donate a portion of their experimental participation payment to a local nonprofit organization. Based on previous research, we predict that there will be a main effect of gender, with female participants more likely to donate than males. Additionally, we hypothesize a main effect of video game, where participants who play the prosocial video game will be likelier to donate than those who play the neutral game. If confirmed, these results would extend the existing literature on prosocial video games beyond informal face-to-face helping behaviors, potentially providing a psychological mechanism for costlier needs such as charitable appeals.