What is prosocial behaviour?
How does it differ from altruism?
Prosocial behaviour is an action that benefits other people.
Altruism is a more restricted version of this where there is a cost for the performer, and no personal benefit.
What are the problems of underlying motivations:
Self-interest can contribute to the action as much as the desire to benefit others can:
- expectation of approval
- fear that failure to help would be punished
- the hope that the recipient will eventually reciprocate the favour
- expectation that one will feel pride and pleasure for having acted the way they did
How would trait theory explain prosocial behaviour?
Trait theory asserts dispositional as well as situational influences.
It suggests that some people are genetically prone to prosocial behaviour, and this is stable across contexts.
How would social cognitive theory explain prosocial development? (Bandura)
Social influences transmitted peers, parents, teachers and the media via modelling, evaluative reactions and direct instruction. The personal factors are the expectations of others, self-reactions linked to personal standards, and self efficacy beliefs for behaving pro socially.
Describe the 3 stages of cognitive developmental theory in developing prosocial behaviour
Under 7 years: outcome focused –> children are likely to share when it leads to a desired outcome.
Primary school children: more likely to be motivated by the welfare of others than their own.
Adolescence: universal principles of moral fairness guide behaviour
How do parenting style / practices influence a child’s prosocial development?
- Parental warmth and altruism helps to reduce a child’s preoccupation with their own needs, in order to be empathetic to others
- Initially, parents need to state forcefully to toddlers that prosocial behaviour is required (prescriptive)
- Then the parent encourages the child by creating the self-attribution of prosocialness “you’re a kind baby who shares”, etc
How does empathy effect prosocial behaviour?
- engaging with empathy through inductive reasoning has outcomes:
- empathy is linked to moral development, altruism, prosocial behaviour and social competence, low levels of externalising, and has a role in inhibition of aggression and antisocial behaviour
- for boys: empathy with positive emotions is linked to increased aggression, but with negative emotions is linked to decreased aggression
- Parent driven model: parental warmth and parental positive expressiveness contribute to empathy development –> and children high in empathy for negative emotions had fewer externalising problems and higher social competence
What are some predictors of prosocial behaviour?
- empathy
- parental warmth
- parental positive expressiveness
- sympathy
- moral reasoning
What are some negative predictors of prosocial behaviour?
Parental strict control
What is the link between prosocialness and aggression
- Capara: the path to peer acceptance and academic achievement was through prosocial behaviour, not aggressive behaviour
- Those with higher concern (empathy) had a reduced relationship with externalising
–> deficits in concern are associated with antisocial personality disorders
Interventions for prosocial development
- school based prosocial intervention program involving a 4 step process: sensitization to prosocial values, emotional regulation skills, perspective taking skills, interpersonal-communication skills
–> resulted in less aggression, more prosocial behaviour, higher academic achievement - mindfulness-based kindness curriculum (for 4 year old’s over a 12 week program)
–> increased social competence, higher grades, increased sharing
