Cognitive and dispositional processes underlying prosocial behavior

Sara E Branch, Purdue University

Abstract

This research explored the relations among self-awareness, agreeableness, and prosocial behavior. Past research showed that under conditions of objective self-awareness, individuals were motivated to behave consistently with salient standards of correctness. We propose that when objectively self-aware, individuals with chronically high levels of dispositional motivation to behave in prosocial ways may be less concerned with situational standards of correctness than those without such motivation. In the present study, participants high and low in agreeableness were induced into a state of objective self-awareness while either a communal or non-communal public norm was salient. They were then asked to volunteer hours to help an individual in need. Outcomes showed no evidence that helping varied across self-awareness conditions. There was evidence, however, that the standard method for inducing objective self-awareness in the literature may serve as a distracter. Results are discussed in terms of methodological design and theory application.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Graziano, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social psychology

COinS