The role of contextual variables in the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior

MARÍA CRISTINA RICHAUD; BELÉN MESURADO

Montreal

Congreso; 28th International Congress of Applied Psycholog; 2018

International Association of Applied Psychology

Despite the numerous studies that found a strong relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior, contextual modulation of empathy may represent an adaptive advantage, making behavior more sensitive to different environment conditions. To perform this flexible behavior, our brain must access the available contextual information to predict the social meaning (e.g., others? intentions, feelings, and behavior) on the basis of previous experiences and the relevance of the particular situation. The aim of the presentation is to study the influence of attribution on the empathic attitude, and the effect of positive and negative empathy combined with attribution and target on prosocial behavior. Results of CFA, carried out with 479 school children with a mean age = 10.77 years (SD = 1.16; range 9-12 years; 257 girls), indicate that the statements that involve the conscious decision to undertake an empathetic action implies a set of generalized beliefs and causal attributions about the misfortune of others and the evaluation of whether it is appropriate to assist them. In the case of experimental situation, carried out with 490 adolescents with a mean age = 13.84 years ( SD = 1.51 range 11-16 years; 200 girls), the results indicate that levels of prosocial behavior are lower in situations of positive empathy and negative attribution and their interaction, and the perceived emotional cost is lower in situations of empathy both positive and negative when the person receiving the help is a friend and not a stranger. This knowledge is important for its application in programs to promote empathy and prosociality, of considerable value for today´s society characterized by high levels of aggressiveness and low levels of prosocial behavior.