The purpose of these studies was to examine moderation processes for the influence of early maternal parenting practices on young children’s prosocial outcomes. Data for both studies were drawn from the Kids, Families, and Places study. Observational measures of mothers’ parenting practices and children’s cooperation outcomes were collected in the home, and both mothers and fathers reported on their children’s prosocial conduct. Study 1 was a longitudinal analysis of the interaction between maternal sensitivity after birth (Time 1) and children’s joint attention (JA) skills (Time 2, 18 months later) on children’s cooperation skills at 18 months. Findings indicated that children’s concurrent Responding to JA (RJA) was associated with cooperation and early maternal sensitivity moderated this relationship. Children high in RJA showed good cooperation irrespective of maternal sensitivity. However, low RJA was associated with high cooperation in the presence of high maternal sensitivity. Study 2 used person-oriented analyses to examine patterns of maternal parenting associated with young children’s concurrent prosocial behaviour across socioeconomic contexts. Latent Profile Analysis identified 3 profiles of parenting: Positive (14%), Negative (36%), and Combined (moderate levels of both positive and negative practices; 50%). Mothers from low-income families and those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods were more likely to  belong to the Negative or the Combined profiles.  Moderation analyses indicated the protective influence of the Combined profile of parenting for children residing in impoverished socioeconomic contexts. In the context of low family SES and high neighbourhood disadvantage, children were rated as more prosocial if mothers use a combined style of parenting. A protective-enhancing effect was found, in which these high-risk children were actually rated better than those children who did not live in such adversity. Together, results highlight the importance of studying the association between parenting and prosocial outcomes within an ecological and contextual framework, with interactions amongst both child-level and distal factors, for understanding individual differences in prosocial development.

The purpose of these studies was to examine moderation processes for the influence of early maternal parenting practices on young children’s prosocial outcomes. Data for both studies were drawn from the Kids, Families, and Places study. Observational measures of mothers’ parenting practices and children’s cooperation outcomes were collected in the home, and both mothers and fathers reported on their children’s prosocial conduct. Study 1 was a longitudinal analysis of the interaction between maternal sensitivity after birth (Time 1) and children’s joint attention (JA) skills (Time 2, 18 months later) on children’s cooperation skills at 18 months. Findings indicated that children’s concurrent Responding to JA (RJA) was associated with cooperation and early maternal sensitivity moderated this relationship. Children high in RJA showed good cooperation irrespective of maternal sensitivity. However, low RJA was associated with high cooperation in the presence of high maternal sensitivity. Study 2 used person-oriented analyses to examine patterns of maternal parenting associated with young children’s concurrent prosocial behaviour across socioeconomic contexts. Latent Profile Analysis identified 3 profiles of parenting: Positive (14%), Negative (36%), and Combined (moderate levels of both positive and negative practices; 50%). Mothers from low-income families and those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods were more likely to  belong to the Negative or the Combined profiles.  Moderation analyses indicated the protective influence of the Combined profile of parenting for children residing in impoverished socioeconomic contexts. In the context of low family SES and high neighbourhood disadvantage, children were rated as more prosocial if mothers use a combined style of parenting. A protective-enhancing effect was found, in which these high-risk children were actually rated better than those children who did not live in such adversity. Together, results highlight the importance of studying the association between parenting and prosocial outcomes within an ecological and contextual framework, with interactions amongst both child-level and distal factors, for understanding individual differences in prosocial development.

国立情報学研究所で電子化したコンテンツを使用している。

国立情報学研究所で電子化したコンテンツを使用している。

In everyday life, there are many situations that elicit emotional reactions to an individual's plight, leading to empathic thoughts and helping behaviors. But what if the observed situation involves fictional characters rather than real life people? The main goal of this dissertation was to investigate the extent that empathic thoughts and helping behaviors characterize children's responses to fictional social interactions, as well as to real ones. Another goal was to develop a new measure of prosocial behavior. In Study 1, 60 undergraduate students (36 female; Mage = 19.87, SDage = 4.46) played two computerized ball-tossing games, one with 3 co-players who were believed to be other students and one in which a ball was tossed between 3 walls. During the second half of each game, one of the co-players/walls was excluded by the other two co-players/walls; the participant's subsequent increase in passes to the excluded co-player/wall was recorded. Participants increased their passes to the excluded real co-player more than to the excluded wall, indicating that the increase in the Real Condition were attempts to help another person, rather than simply to even out the distribution of passes. Study 2 extended these findings to children and tested the relationship between reactions to real and fictional social interactions. Seventy-one 5- and 8-year-old children (36 females; 35 5-year-olds: Mage = 5 years, 8.2 months, SDage = 2.4 months; 36 8-year-olds: Mage = 8 years, 6.5 months, SDage = 2.9 months) played the computerized ball tossing game with (1) other children they believed to be real, (2) novel cartoon characters, and (3) walls. One of the co-players/walls was excluded in the second half of each game. Although children reported similar empathic reactions towards the excluded real and fictional co-players, they increased their passes to the excluded real co-player more than to the excluded fictional character or wall (controlling for individual differences in real life empathy). These results suggest that children's emotional reactions to what they experience in fiction and in real life are similar, but they take the behavioral steps to help another individual only when that individual is believed to be a real person.

abstract: People may conceptualize God as benevolent and as authoritarian. This research investigates the influence of these God-concepts on prosocial behavior; specifically whether such concepts differentially predict a set of beliefs about the self and the world, volunteer motivations, and intentions to volunteer for secular causes. Two studies, one correlation and one experimental, were conducted among college students who were Christians and indicated they believe that God exists. A measurement model of the concepts of Benevolent and Authoritarian God was first tested, and a conceptual path model was then analyzed. I found that concepts of a benevolent God were associated with a benevolent self-identity, perceived moral and religious obligations to help, and a high sense of personal responsibility with a total positive indirect effect on intentions to volunteer - mainly via internal motivations. In contrast, concepts of an authoritarian God were associated with a perceived religious obligation, having a positive indirect effect on intentions to volunteer via external motivations; but also with a low benevolent self-identity and low personal responsibility associated with amotivation (the disinclination to volunteer). Thus, there was a null total indirect effect of belief in an authoritarian God on intentions to volunteer. Future directions including the use of religious primes are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Psychology 2012

abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine whether maternal personality (i.e., Agreeableness and Conscientiousness) predicted maternal positive parenting (i.e., warmth/sensitivity and structure), and whether maternal parenting predicted children's regulation and sympathy and/or prosocial behavior. Additionally, the mediated effect of maternal warmth/sensitivity on the relation between maternal Agreeableness and children's regulation and the mediated effect of maternal structure on the relation between maternal Agreeableness and children's observed sympathy/prosocial behavior were investigated. Maternal personality was measured when children (N = 256 at Time 1) were 18 months old; maternal parenting was assessed when children were 18, 30, and 42 months old; children's regulation and sympathy/prosocial behavior (observed and reported) were assessed when children were 30, 42, and 54 months old. Mothers reported on their personality; maternal warmth/sensitivity was observed; maternal structure was observed and mothers also reported on their use of reasoning; mothers and caregivers rated children's regulation (i.e., effortful control [EC]) and regulation was also observed; mothers and fathers rated children's prosocial behavior; sympathy and prosocial behavior were also observed. In a path analysis, Conscientiousness did not significantly predict maternal warmth/sensitivity or structure at 30 months, whereas Agreeableness marginally predicted maternal warmth/sensitivity at 30 months and significantly predicted maternal structure at 30 months. Maternal warmth/sensitivity at 18 months significantly predicted 30-month EC, and 30-month maternal warmth/sensitivity significantly predicted 42-month EC. Maternal structure at 30 months significantly predicted 42-month observed sympathy/prosocial behavior. Maternal warmth/sensitivity at 42 months significantly predicted 54-month observed sympathy/prosocial behavior and marginally predicted 54-month reported prosocial behavior. Maternal structure and EC did not significantly predict reported prosocial behavior across any time point. EC did not significantly predict observed sympathy/prosocial behavior across any time point and maternal warmth/sensitivity at 18 and 30 months did not predict observed or reported sympathy/prosocial behavior at 30 or 42 months, respectively. Maternal Agreeableness directly predicted 30-month reported prosocial behavior and additional paths suggested possible bidirectional relations between maternal warmth/sensitivity and structure. Mediation analyses were pursued for two indirect relations; however, neither mediated effect was significant. Additional results are presented, and findings (as well as lack thereof) are discussed in terms of extant literature. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2015

One of the most profound transformations of the marketing discipline in recent history has been driven by the democratization of power relations and value creation between brands and consumers. This dissertation explores the branding implications of this fundamental shift by investigating whether and how the type and degree of control shared by brands affect consumer empowerment perceptions and, in turn, consumer–brand relationships, as well as whether and how these effects might be moderated by the size and diversity of the choice set and by the image valence of the brand that shares control with consumers. The present research examines such questions in a prosocial context by studying an emerging form of co-created social responsibility, cause-related marketing (CM) with choice, in which the consumer, not the brand, chooses the charitable cause to which the brand will donate in response to the consumer’s purchase. By integrating research on power, choice, and brand relationships, this dissertation proposes a conceptual framework that predicts whether, when, and why giving consumers control over a brand’s meaningful decision (operationalized as CM with choice) strengthens consumer–brand relationships. Six experiments test this framework. The dissertation shows that letting consumers choose a brand’s donation recipient strengthens consumer–brand relationships by increasing consumer empowerment and engagement. This serial mediation through empowerment and engagement is replicated across all studies. The main effect can be bolstered by providing consumers either unrestricted choice (i.e., choose any cause from memory) rather than restricted choice (i.e., select from a list of predetermined cause options; Studies 1–4) or a combination of both choice modes (Study 4), but not by expanding the size of the set of cause options (Study 2) or increasing the similarity or dissimilarity of the options (Studies 3a and 3b). Finally, Study 5 reveals that introducing a conventional CM campaign improves brand outcomes (attachment, attitudes, and purchase intentions) regardless of brand image (negative, neutral, or positive) and that adding consumer cause choice to the campaign benefits brands as much as (or more than) introducing the campaign itself does, though only when brand image is neutral or positive. When brand image is negative, adding consumer cause choice fails to improve brand outcomes and can even backfire—a boundary condition similar to the boomerang effect that arises from psychological reactance because consumers prefer to keep their distance. A central implication of this dissertation is that when a brand allows consumers to co-create its charitable giving campaign, neither the choice set’s size or diversity nor consumers’ involvement or satisfaction with the chosen cause brings consumers closer to the brand; instead, what brings them closer to the brand is their increased sense of empowerment, which in turn enhances their engagement with the brand that shares its control. An equally important implication results from the observed boomerang effect, which should serve as a warning for any managers who risk falling into the trap of adopting a standard, one-size-fits-all view of prosocial co-creation as a tool to repair an otherwise defective brand reputation. A strategy that encourages consumers to serve as brand agents by co-creating the brand’s meaning requires caution on the brand’s part. As in interpersonal relationships, the general desire to spend time together must first be at least somewhat mutual before any shared experience—no matter how positive—can make the bond grow stronger.

Previous research has looked at how two dominant approaches to pursuing the good life – eudaimonia (pursuit of growth, excellence, authenticity) and hedonia (pursuit of pleasure, comfort) relate to benefits for the self. This thesis looked beyond personal well-being and investigated how eudaimonic and hedonic orientations relate to benefits beyond the self and broader scope of concern. Manuscript 1 assessed the link between eudaimonic and hedonic orientations and self-reported and observational prosocial behaviour, self-focused and other focused values, as well as time perspectives and abstract thinking. Manuscript 2 explored the association between eudaimonic and hedonic orientations and hindering social behaviours, and helping under various circumstances. Next, Manuscript 3 examined reasons for engaging in prosocial behaviours, including self-focused and other-focused motives. Lastly, Manuscript 4 went beyond self-report measures by studying the distinction between eudaimonic and hedonic orientations on reactions to pictures depicting human/animal/nature happiness/health and suffering/degradation based on self-report affect and empathy, facial expressions, and psychophysiological measures (skin conductance and heart rate). Manuscript 1 showed that eudaimonic orientation related to a broader focus, including scope of concern (i.e., a wider variety of prosocial behaviours, prosocial values), a balanced time perspective (present and future focus) and abstract mindset (i.e., high-level construal), while hedonic orientation tended to be more narrowly focused on the self and present moment. Manuscript 2 revealed that eudaimonic orientation related positively to helping under abstract and costly situations, and negatively with hindering social behaviours; hedonic orientation was related to negative impacts beyond the self. Manuscript 3 showed that eudaimonic orientation was a balance of helping to benefit both the self and others, while hedonic orientation was primarily related to helping for personal benefits. Manuscript 4 showed that eudaimonic orientation related to greater self-report joy and suffering beyond the self (relative to hedonia), while findings for facial expressions and psychophysiological responses were inconclusive. This research provides a unique contribution to the well-being literature by investigating the impacts that eudaimonic and hedonic orientations have on society using a comprehensive array of self-report questionnaires and a novel picture paradigm. Limitations of the present research include that most studies were based on self-report which can produce social desirability bias, and that the studies were correlational which limits casual inferences about the findings. Future research would benefit from experimental studies assessing the link between eudaimonia and hedonia and broad scope of concern.

Differences in family structure have been linked to several mental health outcomes, where children living in a nuclear family setting are best-off, while children in joint physical custody are second best followed by those living mostly and only with one parent. One of the biggest changes in recent years is that joint physical custody is growing more common. The dependent variables in this thesis were three dimensions of mental health from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Data from 6th and 9th graders in the entire Sweden 2009 was used. Regression modelling showed differences in mental health between the family structures throughout, although children in  joint physical custody was not significantly different from those in nuclear families (reference category) in half of the models. Children living mostly with one parent reported the third worst levels of problematic behaviour and prevalence of low prosocial behaviour while those living with just one parent were worst off. Stratifying by gender did reveal small coefficient differences and so did controls for birth region. This thesis, although in a line of other publications based on this study can help shape future guidelines for e.g. social workers.