The relation of prosocial behavior to the development of aggression and psychopathology

The development of prosocial behavior is traced from middle childhood to adulthood in a 22-year longitudinal study of 800 children first seen at age 8 and is compared to the development of aggression over the same period. Prosocial behavior and aggression seem to represent opposite ends of a single dimension of behavior since they are consistently negatively related to each other and relate in opposite ways to correlated variables both synchronously and over time. Both are stable forms of behavior with good predictability over the time span studied and both are related to the quality of the parent-child relationship. The most important deterrent to the development of antisocial behavior and the encouragement of prosocial behavior is probably a close identification between the child and his/her parents.     

初中生认同的亲社会行为的初步研究

通过对8名11～14岁初中生的深入访谈,初步探讨了处于初中阶段的青少年认同的亲社会行为。发现:(1)初中生最认同的亲社会行为是帮助行为,其次是交往行为。此外,安慰行为、公益行为、礼貌行为和遵规行为也被他们认同;(2)初中生对不同行为主体间发生的亲社会行为的认同有明显差异,他们更关心发生在他们之间的亲社会行为;(3)普通学校、打工子弟学校的初中生对帮助行为和交往行为认同的比率差异明显;(4)初中生认同的亲社会行为的种类不存在明显的性别差异。     

Effects of a Danish Student‐Centered Prosocial Intervention Program Among Japanese Children

Japan and Denmark represent two different educational cultures. Where Danish students in general report high scores on self‐esteem, Japanese children report low. A student‐centered and interaction‐based prosocial intervention program that was designed according to Danish educational culture was administered to children aged 11–12 years in Japan. Questionnaires measuring the children's quality of life (QoL) and metacognitive awareness were applied. Overall, the results showed that the student‐centered intervention improved the emotional well‐being aspect of QoL among Japanese boys. In contrast, Japanese boys’ scores on the declarative knowledge of metacognitive regulation declined. The teachers’ attitudes towards the intervention program were analyzed by use of interviews. The effect of the student‐centered intervention program is discussed with respect to the educational cultures in Japan.     

Locus of Control and Cooperative Behavior in 10-Year-Old Children

Abstract

A game-like task was used to evaluate the cooperative behavior of 10-year-old same-sex dyads that were paired homogeneously or heterogeneously on a premeasure of locus of control. Pairs of girls were relatively more cooperative than were boys, and dyads of internal locus of control boys who displayed relatively little cooperation on initial trials became more cooperative as the game progressed. In addition, male dyads heterogeneous in terms of locus of control (an internal and an external), who also displayed little cooperation initially, became even less cooperative over trials.     

Feeling and Thinking of Others: Affective and Cognitive Empathy and Emotion Comprehension in Prosocial/Hostile Preschoolers

This study aims at investigating the affective and cognitive components of empathy in relation to both emotion comprehension and prosocial/hostile behaviors in preschoolers. A total of 219 children (54% boys; aged between 3 and 6: mean age 4.10) and 20 teachers (two for each class: group A and group B) took part in this research. Pupils’ empathy and hostile/prosocial roles were assessed by teacher reports [Belacchi and Farina, 2010] and children's emotion comprehension by a nonverbal test [Test of Emotion Comprehension: Pons and Harris, 2000; adapted by Albanese and Molina; 2008]. As expected, the results showed a significant influence of gender, with girls being more empathic than boys, according to all of the teachers’ perception. Contrary to our expectations, no systematic age influence emerged. Regarding the relations of children's emotion comprehension with both empathy measures and their prosocial/hostile attitudes, we have found: (1) a low significant relation with the total empathy measure, according to all the teachers, but with the cognitive empathy only according to teachers B; (2) a robust negative relationship of both affective and cognitive empathy with Hostile roles and with Outsider role, contrary to a positive correlation of only affective empathy with Prosocial roles. No relationships emerged between empathy measures and Victim role.     

Enhancing Social Justice by Promoting Prosocial Values in Career Development Interventions

In career counseling, social justice is typically integrated by helping oppressed groups navigate their way around obstacles of injustice while also working to dislodge the oppressive conditions from society. The authors affirm both of these courses of action while also advocating a third strategy: inviting clients to serve as agents of change by introducing and incorporating prosocial values into career development interventions. This article makes the case that this strategy may enhance client well‐being while simultaneously promoting harmony among organizations and society. Support for this strategy comes from theory, research, and the ethical approaches for working with values in counseling.     

正念对亲社会行为的影响

正念在促进亲社会行为上的表现逐渐受到关注,越来越多的研究者针对正念对亲社会行为的影响展开探索。已有的理论研究认为正念可以通过提高注意力、身体意识、去具体化能力、积极情感体验、情绪调节能力和减少自我感来促进亲社会行为; 实证研究结果表明,特质正念能够正向预测亲社会行为,正念干预通过提高共情能力、同情体验、情绪调节能力以及去自动化认知来促进亲社会行为。未来研究需要在完善系统的正念—亲社会行为理论框架基础上,进一步挖掘正念对亲社会行为的不同影响及其机制,关注潜在的消极影响,同时发展生态效度更高的研究方法或指标来考量正念与亲社会行为之间的关系,提升正念干预对亲社会行为影响的长期有效性与普适性。     

感恩与听障学生亲社会行为的关系：有调节的中介模型

本研究探讨了感恩与听障学生亲社会行为的关系,并检验生活满意度的中介效应以及性别对中介效应的调节作用。采用青少年感恩量表、生活满意度量表以及长处和困难量表对392名听障学生进行调查,结果显示：（1）感恩显著正向预测听障学生的亲社会行为;（2）生活满意度在感恩与听障学生亲社会行为之间起部分中介作用;（3）该中介作用受到性别的调节,即生活满意度只在听障男生的感恩和亲社会行为之间起中介作用。     

I've Got My Eyes on You: Implicit Social‐Pressure Cues and Prosocial Behavior

Explicit social pressure has been shown to be a powerful motivator of prosocial behavior‐like voting in elections. In this study, I report the findings of a randomized field experiment designed to study the impact of more subtle, implicit social‐pressure treatments. The results of the experiment, conducted in the October 2011 municipal elections in Key West, Florida, demonstrate that even subtle, implicit observability cues can effectively mobilize citizens to vote, perhaps as much as explicit surveillance cues. The findings speak more broadly to our understanding of human decision making, and even evolution, and provide fodder for the claim that humans are evolutionarily programmed to respond to certain stimuli. I interpret the evidence to support the notion that evolutionarily charged impulses, like exposure to images that implicitly signal the potential for surveillance and observability, are sufficient to overcome powerful collective action incentives to free ride.