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Introduction: Although empathy has been found to be related to prosocial behaviour, little is known about the longitudinal links between these two concepts during early adolescence, a unique window into developmental changes on empathy and prosocial behaviour considering the physical, cognitive, socio-emotional and contextual changes occurring during this period. Even though changes in adolescent empathy have been associated to changes in adolescent prosocial behaviour, studies examining this link on the within-person level are lacking. The present study investigated the within-adolescents longitudinal relations among empathy and prosocial behaviour., Methods: 383 French adolescents (M ageT1  = 12.15, 50.4% male) reported on their empathy and prosocial behaviour each year across three years. In order to disentangle between-adolescent differences from within-adolescent processes, Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models were applied., Results: At the between-person level, there was a strong positive association between empathy and prosocial behaviour. At the within-person level, adolescents who reported more empathy than usual reported higher than usual prosocial behaviour one year later., Conclusions: Adolescents with higher empathy compared to their peers tended to be those who reported higher prosocial behaviour. Changes in empathy within-adolescents were related to later within-adolescents' change in prosocial behaviour., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Although the core characteristics associated with autistic traits are impaired social interactions, there are few studies examining how autistic traits translate into prosocial behaviour in daily life. The current study explored the effect of autistic traits on prosocial behaviour and the mediating role of multimodal empathy (trait empathy and state empathic concern). The results showed that autistic traits reduced prosocial behaviour directly and indirectly through complex mediation by multimodal empathy. The findings revealed the internal mechanism of autistic traits impeding prosocial behaviour and expanded our understandings of social behaviour in autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) and autistic traits in the general population. Furthermore, the results have implications for social adaptability interventions for individuals with ASCs and high levels of autistic traits.

We investigated whether encouraging young children to discuss the mental states of an immigrant group would elicit more prosocial behaviour towards them and impact on their perception of a group member's emotional experience. Five- and 6-year-old children were either prompted to talk about the thoughts and feelings of this social group or to talk about their actions. Across two studies, we found that this manipulation increased the extent to which children shared with a novel member of the immigrant group who was the victim of a minor transgression. The manipulation did not lead to greater sharing towards a victim from the children's own culture and did not influence their perception of a victim's negative emotions. These results may ultimately have implications for interventions aimed at fostering positive intergroup relations within the context of immigration., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Empathy and prosocial behaviour are crucial factors for children's positive social adjustment. Contemporary models of empathy highlight the capacity to regulate vicariously experienced emotions as a precursor to empathy-related responses (e.g., prosocial behaviour). The goal of this study was to examine the role of emotion regulation (ER) in situational empathy-related responding and prosocial behaviour. A sample of 157 children (76 boys and 81 girls; M age = 9.94 years) participated in a two-tiered interview procedure that utilised vignettes to assess empathy and prosocial behaviour. Between both phases of the interview, a negative affect was induced to investigate the influence of ER on the change between the two phases. Results from a latent change model showed that ER strategies positively predicted change scores, that is, children with higher abilities to regulate emotions showed a higher increase in empathy and prosocial behaviour. Implications for the promotion of social-emotional learning in school are discussed., (© 2016 International Union of Psychological Science.)

Empathy reflects the natural ability to perceive and be sensitive to the emotional states of others, coupled with a motivation to care for their well-being. It has evolved in the context of parental care for offspring, as well as within kinship bonds, to help facilitate group living. In this paper, we integrate the perspectives of evolution, animal behaviour, developmental psychology, and social and clinical neuroscience to elucidate our understanding of the proximate mechanisms underlying empathy. We focus, in particular, on processing of signals of distress and need, and their relation to prosocial behaviour. The ability to empathize, both in animals and humans, mediates prosocial behaviour when sensitivity to others' distress is paired with a drive towards their welfare. Disruption or atypical development of the neural circuits that process distress cues and integrate them with decision value leads to callous disregard for others, as is the case in psychopathy. The realization that basic forms of empathy exist in non-human animals is crucial for gaining new insights into the underlying neurobiological and genetic mechanisms of empathy, enabling translation towards therapeutic and pharmacological interventions., (© 2015 The Author(s).)

ABSTRACT Intergroup contact has long been established as a prejudice‐reduction tool in divided societies, with contact being particularly effective during adolescence. A large proportion of evidence, however, draws on cross‐sectional surveys or analytical approaches that do not distinguish between‐ and within‐person effects. In the present research, we address this by exploring the potential of intergroup contact longitudinally on social cohesion–related outcomes amongst youth (aged 14–19) in Belfast (Study 1, N = 231) and Bradford (Study 2, N = 159). Measures included intergroup contact, outgroup attitudes, intergroup anxiety, outgroup empathy and outgroup prosocial behaviour across three time points. Using random‐intercept cross‐lagged panel models, results demonstrate between‐person associations of contact with our outcomes, but limited within‐person changes. Our findings demonstrate the potential and limitations of intergroup contact for social cohesion–related outcomes for youth growing up in divided societies, pointing to the need for developmental‐focused future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The academic development and widespread adoption of meditation practices for well-being and therapy have predominantly focused on secularised adaptations of Buddhist and Hindu techniques. This study aims to expand the field by investigating Christian and Islamic meditation that emphasize the spiritual significance of the heart through elements of visualisation and recitation. It compares the effects of spiritual heart-centred meditation with mindfulness meditation and a waitlist control, focusing on dimensions of social functioning, psychophysiology, cognition, and mental health. Method: This study employs a stratified 3-arm randomised controlled method with mixed-method repeated measures across three assessment time points: before intervention (T1), after an 8-week intervention (T2), and at a 3-month follow up (T3). The three conditions include spiritual meditation (either Christian or Islamic), mindfulness meditation (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – MBSR), and a waitlist. Participants will be stratified into Christian and Muslim samples and randomly allocated to the spiritual meditation, MBSR, or waitlist control conditions. Importantly, participants assigned to the spiritual meditation condition will be matched to the spiritual meditation program corresponding to their religion. The intervention will be administered through a mobile phone app with daily 20-minute guided meditation sessions for eight weeks. Primary outcomes pertain to the domain of interpersonal functioning, focusing on prosociality, forgiveness, empathy, and perspective taking. Secondary outcomes include physiology: pain tolerance, pain intensity, stress reactivity assessed via heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), psychophysiological reactivity associated with a forgiveness task as measured through HR and HRV, attention (alerting, orienting, and executive attention networks), and mental health (stress, depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, positive and negative affect). Discussion: This trial aims to test the effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic meditation, compared to secular mindfulness and a waitlist, using a randomised controlled trial. If the results yield positive outcomes, this study will support the efficacy of these contemplations, offering practitioners a way to enhance their well-being within their religious framework. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06136676. Registered on 18 November 2023. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06136676. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The academic development and widespread adoption of meditation practices for well-being and therapy have predominantly focused on secularised adaptations of Buddhist and Hindu techniques. This study aims to expand the field by investigating Christian and Islamic meditation that emphasize the spiritual significance of the heart through elements of visualisation and recitation. It compares the effects of spiritual heart-centred meditation with mindfulness meditation and a waitlist control, focusing on dimensions of social functioning, psychophysiology, cognition, and mental health. Method This study employs a stratified 3-arm randomised controlled method with mixed-method repeated measures across three assessment time points: before intervention (T1), after an 8-week intervention (T2), and at a 3-month follow up (T3). The three conditions include spiritual meditation (either Christian or Islamic), mindfulness meditation (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – MBSR), and a waitlist. Participants will be stratified into Christian and Muslim samples and randomly allocated to the spiritual meditation, MBSR, or waitlist control conditions. Importantly, participants assigned to the spiritual meditation condition will be matched to the spiritual meditation program corresponding to their religion. The intervention will be administered through a mobile phone app with daily 20-minute guided meditation sessions for eight weeks. Primary outcomes pertain to the domain of interpersonal functioning, focusing on prosociality, forgiveness, empathy, and perspective taking. Secondary outcomes include physiology: pain tolerance, pain intensity, stress reactivity assessed via heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), psychophysiological reactivity associated with a forgiveness task as measured through HR and HRV, attention (alerting, orienting, and executive attention networks), and mental health (stress, depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, positive and negative affect). Discussion This trial aims to test the effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic meditation, compared to secular mindfulness and a waitlist, using a randomised controlled trial. If the results yield positive outcomes, this study will support the efficacy of these contemplations, offering practitioners a way to enhance their well-being within their religious framework. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06136676. Registered on 18 November 2023. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06136676 .

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-based mindfulness programme (SBMP), "Paws b", on empathy and prosocial behaviour among children aged 7 to 10 years in a school setting. Method: This multi-informant design, randomised controlled trial compared an intervention group to a wait-list control group, involving 133 children aged 7- to 10 years from 10 classrooms. Outcome measures were taken at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up and included self-reports of mindfulness and empathy, a sharing task, teacher and peer reports of prosocial behaviours, and sociometry measures. Results: Children in the intervention group were voted as significantly more (a) prosocial by teachers F(1, 127) = 7.35, p = 0.008, η2 = 0.055, (b) helpful by peers, F(1, 127) = 9.369, p < 0.003, η2 = 0.069, (c) popular by peers, F(1, 127) = 4.90, p = 0.028, η2 = 0.037, and (d) showed more reciprocal relationships, t(8) = 2.518, p = 0.036, compared to the wait-list control group. The intervention did not have an effect on mindfulness scores, empathy scores (affective, cognitive, or intention to comfort), or sharing task scores. Conclusions: Findings suggest that, for 7–10-year-olds, the SBMP, Paws b, delivered by a mindfulness teacher, can increase some aspects of prosociality, as judged by peers and teachers, but has no effect on self-assessed empathy. Preregistration: This study was preregistered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/vm6tp/) on 31.10.2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sharing resources is fundamental for human cooperation and survival. People tend to share resources more with individuals they feel close to compared to those who are more socially distant. This decline in generosity at increasing social distance is called social discounting and is influenced by both social traits and abilities, such as empathy, and non-social psychological factors, such as decision-making biases. People who receive a diagnosis of autism show differences in social interaction as well as displaying differences in non-social domains, such as more restricted and repetitive behaviours. We investigated social discounting in autism and found that autistic adults were more generous than neurotypical participants, which was driven by greater generosity to socially distant others. Crucially, we also investigated framing effects during prosocial decision-making. Autistic participants were less susceptible to whether decisions were framed as causing monetary gains, compared to preventing monetary losses, for the potential recipient. Our results support the view of 'enhanced rationality' in autism as participants' prosocial decisions were less influenced by potential biasing information, such as the closeness of the recipient or how choices were framed. Therefore, the differences seen in autism, as well as posing certain challenges, can also have prosocial consequences. Autistic people show differences in their social behaviour. But how autism affects decisions to share resources, an important part of cooperation, was previously unclear. In our study, participants made decisions about how to share money with different people, including people they felt close to, such as a friend, and people they felt less close to, such as a stranger. We found that compared to a group of non-autistic participants, autistic adults shared more money overall and this was driven by greater generosity to strangers. The results suggest that autistic adults were more generous because they made fair decisions (an equal split of the money) more consistently regardless of how close they felt to the person they were sharing with. By showing that autistic adults display greater generosity, our results could help to change public perceptions of autism and potentially improve opportunities for autistic people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the mediating effects of cognitive empathy and affective empathy in the relationship between dispositional awe and prosocial behaviour in medical students, and whether perceived stress moderated this association. A total of 631 medical students from two medical tertiary institutions in Liaoning Province, China, participated in this survey. The findings revealed that (1) dispositional awe was positively associated with prosocial behaviour; (2) the positive association between dispositional awe and prosocial behaviour was partially mediated by cognitive empathy and affective empathy; (3) perceived stress significantly attenuated the association between dispositional awe and cognitive empathy, and the association between cognitive empathy and prosocial behaviour. The findings yield practical implications for the improvement strategies of prosocial behaviour among medical students and provide suggestions for future educational interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on ability emotional intelligence (EI) has shown that EI positively contributes to different positive life outcomes. However, the role of EI abilities in prosocial behaviour (PSB) has not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between EI abilities measured by tests and self-reports, empathy and PSB in the student population. A total of N = 331 university students completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, two EI tests, and self-report measures of EI, cognitive empathy, emotional reactivity and PSB. Of all EI measures, only self-reports correlated with PSB. Cognitive and emotional empathy were also related to PSB. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that self-assessed EI, cognitive empathy and emotional reactivity were predictors of PSB. Cognitive empathy and emotional reactivity also mediated the relationship between self-assessed EI and PSB. The results showed that for the prediction of PSB, it is important how a person evaluates his emotional abilities, and not what the actual level of these abilities is. Furthermore, people with higher self-estimated EI behave prosocially more often because they experience empathy to a greater extent, both cognitively and emotionally.

This study investigates peoples' prosocial attitudes and real‐life prosocial behaviour towards different ethnic groups during the COVID‐19 pandemic, taking Germany as an empirical example. In a preregistered multi‐study design, we examined: (a) who receives help, (b) who helps and (c) what explains prosocial behaviour. In study 1, we conducted a large‐scale, nation‐wide field experiment (1,980 help requests across 11 cities, resulting in 769 help offers in response). In study 2, we conducted an online survey with a general population sample (N = 1,033, Mage = 40 years, 43% females). Tests of proportions revealed high levels of prosocial attitudes as well as behaviour, favouring the ethnic ingroup (study 1), while regression analysis highlights the importance of empathy, compared to other theoretical predictors, for explaining prosocial behaviour (study 2). Findings underscore the relevance of ethnic boundaries during the pandemic crisis: Ethnic minority members benefit less from solidarity than ethnic majority members. However, we observe an attitude‐behaviour gap between field experimental and survey data, indicating the importance of observational studies when studying prosocial behaviour during the pandemic. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short essay, I want to address the relationship between positivity and negativity in affect theories and literary analysis by focusing on the connection between empathy and literature in early modernity, a period when affect theories emerge robustly and are articulated in treatises such as De anima et vita (1538) by Juan Luis Vives (1492–1590) or Nueva Filosofía (1587) by Oliva de Sabuco (1562–1626?). We begin with the proposition that fictional narratives may move us to care for others and help them. Indeed, the idea that fiction can make us more empathetic and, thus, turn us into better human beings is a powerful hypothesis that has been the subject of a great number of discussions and publications. However, as we continue to investigate whether and how fiction may lead to prosocial behaviour via empathic responses and what are the narrative strategies that authors may employ to elicit empathy in readers, we need to acknowledge that: (1) the connection between empathy and prosocial behaviour, known as the empathy–altruism hypothesis, is still a controversial one and more empirical evidence is needed to back it up; and (2) there is no direct correspondence between empathic authorial intention and audience reception, a phenomenon that can be discussed through notions such as failed empathy or empathic inaccuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to identify possible responsibility profiles in adolescent students and their relationship with prosocial variables, empathy, violence and the perception of physical activity undertaken. A sample of 296 students aged 10-17 (M = 12.60; SD = 1.65) from different schools (138 boys and 158 girls) was assessed for personal and social responsibility using the Personal and Social Responsibility Questionnaire, for social skills using the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents, for empathy using the Spanish version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, for perception of school violence using the Everyday School Violence Questionnaire, and for perceived level of physical activity and physical exercise (Comparative PA Scale and Physicianbased Assessment and Counselling for Exercise). The profile analysis identified one profile with "high responsibility" and one profile with "low responsibility". MANOVA provided significantly higher values for prosocial behaviours, empathy and perception of physical activity undertaken in the "high responsibility" profile. Promoting these values could be key to improving the climate of coexistence in schools and promoting a healthy lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on ability emotional intelligence (EI) has shown that EI positively contributes to different positive life outcomes. However, the role of EI abilities in prosocial behaviour (PSB) has not been sufficiently investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between EI abilities measured by tests and self-reports, empathy and PSB in the student population. A total of N = 331 university students completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, two EI tests, and self-report measures of EI, cognitive empathy, emotional reactivity and PSB. Of all EI measures, only self-reports correlated with PSB. Cognitive and emotional empathy were also related to PSB. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that self-assessed EI, cognitive empathy and emotional reactivity were predictors of PSB. Cognitive empathy and emotional reactivity also mediated the relationship between self-assessed EI and PSB. The results showed that for the prediction of PSB, it is important how a person evaluates his emotional abilities, and not what the actual level of these abilities is. Furthermore, people with higher self-estimated EI behave prosocially more often because they experience empathy to a greater extent, both cognitively and emotionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a construct which promotes having compassion for ourselves, self-compassion has been found to have an inconsistent relationship with prosocial behaviour. However, the relationship between self-compassion and prosocial behaviour might be mediated by another predictor, such as empathy. The lack of literature discussing self-compassion in adolescents also encouraged this research. In this study, we examine the mechanism between self-compassion and prosocial behaviour through empathy as a possible mediating factor. Participants of this study were 303 adolescents in Indonesia aged 11-18 years old who filled out Self-Compassion Scale, Basic Empathy Scale and Prosocial Tendencies Measure-Revised. All the data were analyzed using the mediation analysis using approach introduced by Hayes. The results of statistical analysis showed there was a direct significant effect of self-compassion on prosocial behaviour (c = 0.10, p<0.05), and there was no significant effect from self-compassion on empathy (b=0.04, 95% CI [-0.030, 0.101]). Therefore, there was no indirect effect from self-compassion to prosocial behaviour through empathy. It can be concluded that empathy is not a mediator in the relationship between self-compassion and prosocial behaviour in adolescents. Even though adolescents with high self-compassion scores are not empathetic by involving themselves too much in other people's emotions, they are still willing to help others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies were conducted to explore the influence of college students' aesthetic affection on prosocial behaviour and the role of empathy. In Study 1, 343 college students completed the Chinese College Students Aesthetic Affection Questionnaire (CCSAAQ), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-C), and the Measure of Prosocial Tendencies (PTM-C). The results showed that students with higher aesthetic affection and trait empathy also had higher prosocial behaviour. Trait empathy partially mediated the relationship between aesthetic affection and prosocial behaviour. More specifically, aesthetic affection can directly promote prosocial behaviour and can indirectly promote prosocial behaviour through trait empathy. In Study 2, 121 students completed a behavioural "Dictator Game" experiment (two factors between-subject design) with manipulation of aesthetic affection (high group/low group) and state empathy (induction group/control group) to investigate effects on helping behaviour. The results suggested that induction state empathy and high aesthetic affection can lead to more helping behaviour (donation amount) and that state empathy can promote the helping behaviour of college students with low aesthetic affection. Based these findings, we conclude that empathy plays an important role in strengthening the relationship between aesthetic affection and prosocial behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although our research started before the pandemic, it seems that focusing on the social emotional development of our students has become a top priority, considering that, globally, the rates of anxiety among children and teenagers are, in the actual context of the pandemic and war, skyrocketing. One valuable way to promoting positive social emotional development is to implement in schools research-based programs that support students in strengthening their social and emotional competencies. Art therapy is one of the most suitable ways to serve this purpose, for it goes beyond words and gives the students the opportunity to deeper experience and process their emotions. This research used a structured group art therapy program to reduce anxiety and improve empathy and prosocial behaviour in 20 special educational needs students with neuro-psycho-motor deficiencies, aged between 8 and 11 years, who were randomly and equally assigned either to an experimental or a control group. The intervention was performed once weekly for ten weeks. Anxiety, empathy and prosocial behaviour have been measured using specific questionnaires filled out by the students' caregivers at the beginning and at the end of the program. After ten weeks, the art therapy group showed a significant decrease in anxiety and a significant increase in empathy and prosocial behaviour. These findings suggest that art therapy might be used in an educational context to lower anxiety and to support the positive development of social emotional competencies such as empathy and prosocial behaviour in special educational needs children with neuropsycho-motor deficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathy is an important prerequisite for prosocial behaviour (PB). However, different concepts and methodological tools have been used in research on the relationship between empathy and PB, leading to ambiguous results. This study used a meta‐analysis to explore this relationship and to identify the moderating variables. After a literature search, 62 studies and 146 samples with 71,310 participants were included. Our random effects model revealed a positive correlation of PB with both cognitive empathy (r =.32) and affective empathy (r =.30). In addition, the relationship between empathy and PB is moderated by culture, publication type, education level, and empathy measures. Our conclusion is that there is a significant correlation between empathy and PB that is influenced by sample characteristics and methodological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supporting the development of children's pro-social behavior seems to be strongly marginalized recently by both parents and teachers, who focus more on children's externalizing behavior. Therefore, it seems important to pay attention to the need to support children in the development of prosocial behavior. The article presents the results of own research based on three questionnaire tools for parents to assess the level of empathy, prosocial behavior and socio-emotional competence of young children. The aim of the study was to analyze the level of empathy, prosocial behavior and the correlates with other emotional and social variables in 398 children aged 2.5-4 years staying at home or attending nurseries/kindergartens. The results of the research confirmed the existence of gender differences in the prosocial skills of the children, i.e. helping, comforting or sharing and antisocial behaviors. There were no differences in terms of pro-social behavior and the level of emotional and social competences between children attending and not attending nursery or kindergarten. The existence of correlations between the prosociality of young children and other variables (empathy, positive and negative socialization, internalizing and externalizing behavior) and between the level of empathy and prosocial behavior of children and the demographic variables of parents (age and education) was confirmed. The results were discussed in the context of practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks through a critical media lens at mediated effects and ethical concerns of virtual reality (VR) applications that explore personal and social issues through embodiment and storytelling. In recent years, the press, immersive media practitioners and researchers have promoted the potential of virtual reality storytelling to foster empathy. This research offers an interdisciplinary narrative review, with an evidence-based approach to challenge the assumptions that VR films elicit empathy in the participant— what I refer to as the VR-empathy model. A review of literature from the fields of psychology, computer science, embodiment, medicine, and virtual reality was carried out to question and counter these claims through case studies of both fiction and non-fiction VR experiences. The results reveal that there is little empirical evidence of a correlation between VR exposure and an increase in empathy that motivates pro-social behavior, and a lack of research covering VR films exposure eliciting empathy. Furthermore, the results show an alarming lack of research into the long-term effects of VR films and other VR immersive experiences. This contribution aims to understand and demystify the current “empathy machine” rhetoric and calls for more rigorous, scientific research that can authenticate future claims and systemize ethical best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks through a critical media lens at mediated effects and ethical concerns of virtual reality (VR) applications that explore personal and social issues through embodiment and storytelling. In recent years, the press, immersive media practitioners and researchers have promoted the potential of virtual reality storytelling to foster empathy. This research offers an interdisciplinary narrative review, with an evidence-based approach to challenge the assumptions that VR films elicit empathy in the participant—what I refer to as the VR-empathy model. A review of literature from the fields of psychology, computer science, embodiment, medicine, and virtual reality was carried out to question and counter these claims through case studies of both fiction and non-fiction VR experiences. The results reveal that there is little empirical evidence of a correlation between VR exposure and an increase in empathy that motivates pro-social behavior, and a lack of research covering VR films exposure eliciting empathy. Furthermore, the results show an alarming lack of research into the long-term effects of VR films and other VR immersive experiences. This contribution aims to understand and demystify the current “empathy machine” rhetoric and calls for more rigorous, scientific research that can authenticate future claims and systemize ethical best practices.

The present research explores the relationship between critical motivation, prosocial behaviour, empathy, and fairness as a moral foundation. Even though critical consciousness was linked to prosocial activity, the mechanisms through which critical consciousness components influence prosocial behaviour remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the mediating role of empathy and fairness as a moral foundation in the relationship between critical motivation and prosocial behaviour. The study involved 308 young people aged 18-24. Participants were recruited from various urban high schools and universities, and invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The results show the importance of critical motivation as a predictor of prosocial behaviour. Also, indicate that empathy and fairness mediated the effects of critical motivation when it comes to prosocial behaviour. Further, the results indicate that in the case of fairness mediational suppression is present. These results provide insight into a mechanism through which critical motivation may affect behaviour and the engagement of young people in various social contexts. Also, it may underline the significance of considering the role of several factors simultaneously for increasing the understanding of the role of critical consciousness components on social behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helping behavior is studied as a component of prosocial behavior, which includes purposeful actions to increase the well-being of the other person, without expecting any reward and/or approval for it. Helping behavior is directly related to the manifestations of altruism, which also aim to provide grants and support to others. Altruistic manifestations not only preclude the expectation of a reward for kindness, but often even involve the voluntary submission of some personal discomfort at the expense of creating comfort for another individual who may be completely unknown to the provider. Different motives for helping behavior are studied. The authors do not agree on this issue. It sheds light on various motivators that make people help, that make them selfish, and causes individuals to accept or reject the help offered to them. It is assumed that a special relation is established between the provider and the recipient of the aid, all the more so taking into account the fact that they may not have known each other at the time of the assistance. Motives for helping behavior are considered in several main groups according to different authors (Viktorovna, 2016): personal motives (altruism, sympathy, desire for selfless help, empathy, support, understanding, patience, joy of the other person's success); selfish motives (the motive for getting help in such a situation; the motive for eliminating mental discomfort; the motive for receiving gratitude; the motive for self-respect; the motive for increasing your assessment in the eyes of others; the motive for gaining the approval of others and affirming own authority); social and normative motives (the motive for observing the norm of reciprocity - rendering assistance in exchange for the assistance received earlier; the motive for fulfilling social expectations; moral duty; striving to observe the requirements of the community and society). The article attempts to consider the positions of various authors on the definition of concepts related to helping and altruistic behavior. Different types of altruism are mentioned: "natural altruism", "effective altruism", "each other pointed altruism"; "alternative altruism", "reciprocal altruism", "hidden selfishness". The content of these concepts is sought in the text as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective adolescent learning programmes can positively influence adolescent development and curb risky behaviour. By immersing learners in an experience, experiential learning motivates learners to reflect on the experience to transform and create new skills, attitudes and ways of thinking. However, evidence of its effectiveness in learning programs facilitating positive youth development is still lacking. The objective of this study is to (a) identify the effect of adolescent learning programmes on prosocial behaviour, empathy and subjective well-being, (b) compare the effectiveness of experiential learning programmes and non-experiential learning programmes on improving these three outcomes, and (c) evaluating the effects of age on the outcomes of adolescent learning programmes. Methods: This study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Randomised controlled trials of learning programmes for typically developing adolescents aged 8–25 in the past 15 years were identified, and assessed for quality with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDRO) scale. One thousand ninety-six records were screened with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 20 studies were adopted for this meta-analysis. The standardised mean difference and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the effect of experiential learning program on empathy, prosocial behaviour, and subjective well-being were examined. Sub-group analysis based on age was conducted to examine the effects of experiential learning on adolescents in different stages of life. Results: Experiential learning programmes were more effective than non-experiential learning programmes in improving empathy [d = 0.65 (0.07, 1.23)] and subjective well-being [d = 0.46 (0.33, 0.59)]. The effect sizes of the three outcomes in non-experiential learning programmes were non-significant. Studies conducted on older adolescents had the most significant improvements in the three outcomes. Conclusions: Results suggest the broader application of experiential learning in adolescent learning programmes for older adolescents in the future to promote positive youth development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective adolescent learning programmes can positively influence adolescent development and curb risky behaviour. By immersing learners in an experience, experiential learning motivates learners to reflect on the experience to transform and create new skills, attitudes and ways of thinking. However, evidence of its effectiveness in learning programs facilitating positive youth development is still lacking. The objective of this study is to (a) identify the effect of adolescent learning programmes on prosocial behaviour, empathy and subjective well-being, (b) compare the effectiveness of experiential learning programmes and non-experiential learning programmes on improving these three outcomes, and (c) evaluating the effects of age on the outcomes of adolescent learning programmes.Methods: This study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Randomised controlled trials of learning programmes for typically developing adolescents aged 8–25 in the past 15 years were identified, and assessed for quality with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDRO) scale. One thousand ninety-six records were screened with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 20 studies were adopted for this meta-analysis. The standardised mean difference and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the effect of experiential learning program on empathy, prosocial behaviour, and subjective well-being were examined. Sub-group analysis based on age was conducted to examine the effects of experiential learning on adolescents in different stages of life.Results: Experiential learning programmes were more effective than non-experiential learning programmes in improving empathy [d = 0.65 (0.07, 1.23)] and subjective well-being [d = 0.46 (0.33, 0.59)]. The effect sizes of the three outcomes in non-experiential learning programmes were non-significant. Studies conducted on older adolescents had the most significant improvements in the three outcomes.Conclusions: Results suggest the broader application of experiential learning in adolescent learning programmes for older adolescents in the future to promote positive youth development.

The present research investigated whether learning that an outgroup humanizes the ingroup (i.e., meta‐humanization) enhances how people react to intergroup prosocial behaviours and their willingness to engage in intergroup contact. In three experiments conducted in two cultural contexts (Kosovo and North Macedonia; n = 601), we manipulated meta‐humanization by informing participants that their ingroup is perceived to be as human as the outgroup by outgroup members. We compare this meta‐humanization condition with a meta‐dehumanization condition in which the participant's ingroup is perceived to be less human than the outgroup (Experiments 1 and 3), a meta‐liking condition in which the participant's ingroup is liked as much as the outgroup (Experiment 2), and a control condition (Experiments 1 and 2). Overall, results showed that participants in the meta‐humanization condition attributed more empathy and prosocial motives to a potential outgroup helper and were more willing to accept outgroup help and engage in future intergroup contact than participants in the other conditions. In addition, positive perceptions of the outgroup helper mediated the effect of meta‐humanization on willingness to accept outgroup help and engage in intergroup contact. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for intergroup relations and reconciliation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The area of prosocial behavior is very important as it is through these behaviors that the child becomes a contributing member of the society. The purpose of the present study was to assess the extent to which different parental styles, i.e., Involvement, Strictness/Supervision, and Psychological Autonomy predict the six different types of prosocial behaviors including Altruistic, Anonymous, Dire, Emotional, Compliant and Public. The sample was selected using purposive sampling and consisted of 96 female participants in the age group 18 to 21, residing in urban areas of Delhi. The participants were first administered the background measure, following which they completed Prosocial Tendency Measure and then the Parenting Style Index. Regression analysis indicated that the three parenting styles were related to Emotional Prosocial behaviors of which involvement by the parent in the young adult's life was the most significant predictor. Parenting styles were also related to Compliant Prosocial behaviors with supervision/strictness by the parent in the young adult's life being the most significant predictor. None of the parenting styles could however predict the other prosocial behaviors, i.e., altruistic, anonymous, dire, and public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers continue to devise creative ways to explore the extent to which people perceive robots as social agents, as opposed to objects. One such approach involves asking participants to inflict ‘harm’ on a robot. Researchers are interested in the length of time between the experimenter issuing the instruction and the participant complying, and propose that relatively long periods of hesitation might reflect empathy for the robot, and perhaps even attribution of human-like qualities, such as agency and sentience. In a recent experiment, we adapted the so-called ‘hesitance to hit’ paradigm, in which participants were instructed to hit a humanoid robot on the head with a mallet. After standing up to do so (signaling intent to hit the robot), participants were stopped, and then took part in a semi-structured interview to probe their thoughts and feelings during the period of hesitation. Thematic analysis of the responses indicate that hesitation not only reflects perceived socialness, but also other factors including (but not limited to) concerns about cost, mallet disbelief, processing of the task instruction, and the influence of authority. The open-ended, free responses participants provided also offer rich insights into individual differences with regards to anthropomorphism, perceived power imbalances, and feelings of connection toward the robot. In addition to aiding understanding of this measurement technique and related topics regarding socialness attribution to robots, we argue that greater use of open questions can lead to exciting new research questions and interdisciplinary collaborations in the domain of social robotics.

• Many social behaviours are goal-directed and require the exertion of effort. • People find social tasks effortful and aversive, needing high incentives to engage. • Effort sensitivity is crucial for dissecting motivation across social domains. • A neural core-circuit guides effort-based decisions regarding self and others. • Trait apathy is linked to effort sensitivity in social behaviour. Theoretical accounts typically posit that variability in social behaviour is a function of capacity limits. We argue that many social behaviours are goal-directed and effortful, and thus variability is not just a function of capacity, but also motivation. Leveraging recent work examining the cognitive, computational and neural basis of effort processing, we put forward a framework for motivated social cognition. We argue that social cognition is demanding, people avoid its effort costs, and a core-circuit of brain areas that guides effort-based decisions in non-social situations may similarly evaluate whether social behaviours are worth the effort. Thus, effort sensitivity dissociates capacity limits from social motivation, and may be a driver of individual differences and pathological impairments in social cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative association between empathy and aggression has been widely investigated in the literature. However, the role of potential mediators and the extent to which their effects are gender-specific have been given considerably less attention. The present cross-sectional study was therefore aimed at examining the direct and indirect relations between empathy (differentiated into perspective taking and empathic concern), prosocial behaviour and aggression in a sample of 240 primary school children between 8 and 12 years of age. The results showed that perspective taking and empathic concern had indirect (rather than direct) negative effects on aggression by enhancing prosocial behaviour. These indirect paths applied equally well to boys and girls, although significant gender differences were observed in empathic concern, prosocial behaviour and aggression. Possible explanations and differences with previous studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over half of refugees are school‐aged children. In host communities, children's attitudes and behaviours are important for the integration of refugee children. This study examines the empathy–attitudes–action model in middle childhood (N = 94, 8 to 11 years old). In both the experimental and control conditions, children were introduced to a (fictional) refugee and told that he or she would be moving to their school. The experimental condition also listened to a storybook about the child's refugee experience. Empathy, outgroup attitudes, and prosocial behaviour toward the incoming child, and refugees as a group, were measured. Although mediation was not supported, the storybook condition reported more empathy and helping intentions, and attitudes predicted helping intentions but not giving to refugees. Results highlight how host‐society children can welcome refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mirror-sensory synaesthetes mirror the pain or touch that they observe in other people on their own bodies. This type of synaesthesia has been associated with enhanced empathy.We investigated whether the enhanced empathy of people with mirror-sensory synesthesia influences the experience of situations involving touch or pain and whether it affects their prosocial decision making. Mirror-sensory synaesthetes (N = 18, all female), verified with a touch-interference paradigm, were compared with a similar number of age-matched control individuals (all female). Participants viewed arousing images depicting pain or touch; we recorded subjective valence and arousal ratings, and physiological responses, hypothesizing more extreme reactions in synaesthetes. The subjective impact of positive and negative imageswas stronger in synaesthetes than in control participants; the stronger the reported synaesthesia, the more extreme the picture ratings. However, there was no evidence for differential physiological or hormonal responses to arousing pictures. Prosocial decision making was assessed with an economic game assessing altruism, in which participants had to divide money between themselves and a second player. Mirror-sensory synaesthetes donated more money than non-synaesthetes, showing enhanced prosocial behaviour, and also scored higher on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index as a measure of empathy. Our study demonstrates the subjective impact of mirror-sensory synaesthesia and its stimulating influence on prosocial behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of late there is an increase in the number of harmful incidence in public spheres. Hence, the prosocial behaviour of bystanders is important to support persons in such incidents. This study aims at understanding the prosocial behaviours of bystanders of the metropolitan city in the southern part of India. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted with six respondents aged between 30-50 years. In-depth interviews were conducted, audio-recorded and transcribed later. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The qualitative analysis found two major themes such as factors that encourage citizen's prosocial behaviour that includes sense of belongingness, empathy, positive experiences, convenience and factors that discourage citizen's prosocial behaviour that include fear of being blamed, fear of being attacked, corruption and time-consuming procedures, barriers in understanding language, negative experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the longitudinal links among empathic concern, perspective taking, prosocial moral reasoning, and prosocial behaviors. Four hundred and seventeen adolescents (225 girls; Mage = 14.70 years) from public schools in Spain completed measures of those constructs in three successive years. Path analyses showed support for the notion that empathic concern and prosocial moral reasoning accounted for the relations between perspective taking in earlier adolescence and later altruistic and public forms of helping. Moreover, there was support for a reverse causal model such that empathic concern and prosocial moral reasoning mediated the relations between altruistic (but not public) helping behaviors in earlier adolescence and later perspective taking. The implications for cognitive developmental and social cognitive theories of prosocial development were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between empathy and friendship quality in children and adolescents is well established, but longitudinal studies are lacking. Because social interactions typically involve language, these relations might be moderated by children's communication problems. The current study examined the interrelation of friendship quality (positive and negative) and empathy (affective, cognitive, and prosocial motivation) development of 317 children (8–16 years old) at three time points across 18 months. Of these children 112 had a developmental language disorder (DLD). Results confirmed a bidirectional relation between empathy and friendship quality across time. Cognitive empathy and prosocial motivation contributed to the development of more positive friendship features in children with and without DLD. For children with unstable friendships, more cognitive empathy was related to fewer negative friendship features. Positive friendship features in turn contributed to higher empathy on all three aspects. Negative friendship features were related to higher affective empathy and lower prosocial motivation in both groups, but did not predict empathy development across time. These results imply that positive friendship features are important for development of empathic skills and vice versa that empathy enables children to grow in friendship quality in children with and without DLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guilt is a moral emotion that is often looked upon as a negative trait. However, studies show that some individuals are more predisposed to think, feel and act in a more ethical manner because of a lower threshold to experience guilt. Some theories of helping behaviour emphasize the evolutionary mechanisms, while other theories stress the importance of social variables. This study investigated whether guilt proneness as a dispositional trait can be associated with prosocial behaviour. Five hundred sixty-nine participants reported in an online survey their own levels of guilt proneness, frequency of prosocial behaviour, and related cognitions such as empathy. This study is among the first to demonstrate how guilt proneness combined with empathy can explain additional variance in prosocial behaviour. The findings also indicate gender differences in the precursors of prosocial behaviour, suggesting women are more influenced by the effects of guilt proneness on prosocial behaviour than men.