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BackgroundThis longitudinal mixed methods experimental study aimed to better understand the interplay between digital technology exposure over time, self-efficacy, and prosocial behavior in everyday contexts.Methods66 psychology students tracked their daily prosocial behavior over three weeks. Additionally, half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive access to an online platform, which made personalized suggestions for prosocial actions to complete. Qualitative post-study interviews complemented quantitative measures.ResultsPlatform exposure had no measurable impact beyond that of tracking over time on either prosocial behavior or self-efficacy. Tracking increased self-efficacy to perform everyday prosocial actions, but did not affect self-efficacy to impact change. Prosocial behavior was predicted by self-efficacy to impact change. Enjoyment of the platform predicted completing higher numbers of suggested prosocial actions and was related to a higher likelihood to continue using the platform in the future. Avenues for increasing platform effectiveness include context-specific action personalization, an effective reminder system, and better support for the development of self-efficacy to impact change through meaningful actions.ConclusionTechnology for prosocial behavior should be enjoyable, capable of being seamlessly integrated into everyday life, and ensure that suggested actions are perceived as meaningful in order to support the sustainable development of self-efficacy and prosocial behavior over time.

Abstract. Interactive narratives offer interesting opportunities for the study of the impact of media on behavior. A growing amount of research on games advocating social change, including those focusing on interactive narratives, has highlighted their potential for attitudinal and behavioral impact. In this study, we examine the relationship between interactivity and prosocial behavior, as well as potential underlying processes. A yoked study design with 634 participants compared an interactive with a noninteractive narrative. Structural equation modeling revealed no significant differences in prosocial behavior between the interactive and noninteractive condition. However, support for the importance of appreciation for and engagement with a narrative on subsequent prosocial behavior was observed. In summary, while results shed light on processes underlying the relationship between both noninteractive and interactive narratives and prosocial behavior, they also highlight interactivity as a multifaceted concept worth examining in further detail.

Playing digital games can confront the player with choices that are emotional, morally ambivalent and highly personally meaningful. Past research suggests that meaningful choices have the potential to positively affect prosocial behavior. Up to now however, it is unclear what specific characteristics make in-game choices meaningful. The goal of this work-in-progress was therefore to shed light on this topic. Coding qualitative answers to a preliminary online survey found that meaningful choices were often characterized by a combination of different options from which the player had to choose one: moral, strategic or emotional. Being able to choose between these types of options and knowing that these choices would have consequences lead to choices that were experienced as meaningful. Crucially, almost all choices reported also contained a social component. Steps for future research based on these findings are discussed.

To date the impact of game outcome on prosocial behavior and attitude change has went unexamined. Especially in the context of games trying to increase prosocial behavior and attitude change, understanding this connection may hold great potential. Therefore, the goal of this work-in-progress is to lay out the theoretical background to understanding this question, as well as presenting preliminary results from a pilot study, describing their implications, and outlining further research to come.