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The introduction substantiates the relevance of studying the modes of prosocial behavior in the conditions of new psychological normal, conditioned by informatization and digitalization of society, breaking of habitual behavioral algorithms during the pandemic, adjustment of rules and norms of interaction. Theoretical analysis and earlier studies allow us to differentiate compassion and kindness in terms of motives, goals and results of prosocial behavior: if compassion is associated with empathic connection, sympathy, resonant co-tuning with the Other, providing him with his own resources, kindness is interpreted as voluntary acceptance of responsibility for the present and future of the Other through the mobilization of his resources. Empirical analysis. The objective of this research is to study compassion and kindness as different modes of prosocial behavior from the point of view of their typicality and significance in the behavioral repertoire of modern students, the possibility of adequate recognition depending on the location of the Other on the scale “Acquaintance – Stranger”. Participants: psychology students (N = 76; M = 24.4; SD = 9.5). Methods: survey and psychological testing with the Kindness and Compassion Scenario Scale (Gilbert P. et al.). Conclusion. It has been revealed that the significance and typicality of the implementation of behavioral scenarios constructed with regard to the norms of prosocial behavior indicates their insufficient priority and demand. It is found that when the mode of kindness is more accurately recognized, compassion is equally well identified in relation to both familiar and unfamiliar people, whereas kindness is better identified in relation to familiar people and corresponds with altruistic investment.

Qiangqiang Li,1 Na Li2 1School of Educational Science, Jiangsu Second Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Humanities, Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiangqiang Li, Email lqq11202316@jssnu.edu.cnBackground/Objective: Social media significantly influences adolescents’ prosocial behavior. With smartphones becoming ubiquitous, short videos have emerged as the predominant social media format for adolescents. However, the effects of adolescents’ engagement with short videos on their prosocial behavior remain uncertain. This study aims to address the problem of how short videos (content and consequences) affect prosocial behavior in adolescents, and simultaneously explores the differences of this effect among individuals with different social value orientations.Methods: The current study conducted two research laboratory experiments using the between-subject study design of two factors. Study 1 (N=148) reveals that viewing prosocial short videos significantly predicts adolescents’ prosocial behavior more so than neutral short videos. The interaction between short video content and social value orientation on prosocial behavior illustrates that the encouraging impact of prosocial content is primarily evident in prosocial individuals, rather than in pro-self individuals. In Study 2 (N=152), we introduce new dimensions by assessing adolescents’ response to varying consequences of the same prosocial behavior (ie, reward, punishment) within the short video context. Findings indicate that reward consequences significantly bolster adolescents’ prosocial behavior, whereas punitive measures tend to adversely affect it. Furthermore, the interaction between the consequences of prosocial short videos and social value orientation suggests that prosocial individuals exhibit no significant behavioral difference between rewards and punishments; instead, the reward/punishment consequences notably influence the prosocial behavior of pro-self individuals.Conclusion: Short videos (content and consequences) and social value orientations interactively influence adolescents’ prosocial behaviors. This study underscores the need to recognize individual differences in adolescents’ use of short videos and its impact on their prosocial behavior, particularly highlighting the crucial role of their social value orientations. Practically, the research offers valuable insights for parents and professionals seeking to foster adolescents’ prosocial behavior.Keywords: social media, prosocial behavior, short videos, social value orientation, adolescents

Adolescence is one of the most difficult period in the person’s life. Adolescent behavior is influenced by many factors, including the social environment, internal attitudes and hormonal levels. One of the important hormones that can change behavior is oxytocin – an extremely important prosocial neuropeptide that influences social bonding from an early age. The effect of oxytocin on the psycho-emotional state is quite individual and may depend on age, gender, ethnocultural factors, social environment, the presence of stress factors, and personality traits. The results of the studies indicate the relationship between the increased concentration of oxytocin and the presence of developed social contacts. The aim of this work was to identify an association between psychosocial characteristics in adolescent of different gender and rs53576 polymorphism of the oxytocin receptor gene. Material and methods. Psychological and genetic testing of adolescents aged 11–18 living in the territory of the Angara-Yenisei macroregion was carried out. Mental health assessment was carried out using the Russian version of the questionnaire “Strengths and difficulties” by R. Goodman. Results and discussion. The rs53576 OXTR AA genotype is more frequent in boys than in girls (20.8 % vs. 14.3 %, p = 0.03). The association of the rs53576 OXTR A allele with social behavior disorders and depression was previously shown. Boys carrying the AA genotype have significantly higher scores (borderline values) on the scales of “Emotional symptoms” and “Problems communicating with peers” compared with carriers of the GA and GG genotypes. Conclusions. Evidences of differing individual psychosocial consequences of high activity of the oxytocinergic system, depending on the context of the social environment, allowed us to formulate the “hypothesis of the social significance of oxytocin”. Problems in communication with peers in adolescents with pronounced social empathy and altruistic personal characteristics can be successfully overcome. Both the general orientation of the pedagogical process towards the approval of prosocial behavior, and socially significant personalities, whom adolescents can perceive as an example to follow, can help in many ways.

Abstract Gratitude is pivotal in promoting and maintaining prosocial interactions in human society. However, it is unclear whether the prosocial function of gratitude can be observed even in situations of uncertainty about whether one can provide benefits to others. Here, we examined whether gratitude promotes prosocial behavior in uncertain situations. Participants (N = 60) were randomly assigned to either a gratitude or neutral group. Following the emotion-induced manipulation, we examined whether participants would choose a non-unique resource when selecting one of four resources (one unique and three non-unique) to leave the choice to the follower. This represented an uncertain situation in which choosing a non-unique resource does not necessarily mean the follower will choose the unique one. Results showed that participants in the gratitude group were more likely to choose non-unique resources than those in the neutral group, suggesting that gratitude promotes prosocial behavior even in uncertain situations. Our findings indicate that gratitude is widely prevalent as a lubricant for interpersonal and cooperative relationships in human society.

Background: Prosocial behavior is essential for effective patient communication and building a positive doctor-patient relationship in medical students. Research on the factors influencing prosocial behavior in medical students is limited. This research aims to examine how perceived social support influences prosocial behavior among medical students, focusing on the mediating role of empathy and the moderating role of moral identity. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2425 medical students from central and southern Jiangsu province. Participants were assessed using the Prosocial Behavior Scale, Interpersonal Response Index Scale, Moral Identity Scale, and Perceived Social Support Scale, with data collected through via an online questionnaire. SPSS PROCESS macro model 4.1 was used to examine the mediating effect and the moderating effect. Results: Perceived social support showed a significant positive correlation with prosocial behavior among medical students. The indirect effects of perceived social support on prosocial behavior through perspective taking (βindirect = 0.11, 95% Boot CI [0.09, 0.13]) and empathic concern (βindirect = 0.08, 95% Boot CI [0.06, 0.10]) confirmed the mediating roles of these variables, accounting for 32.05% and 23.82% of the total effect, respectively. However, personal distress did not mediate this relationship (βindirect = −0.004, 95% Boot CI [−0.01, 0.005]). Moral identity significantly moderated the effect of perceived social support on perspective taking (β = 0.05, p

Base the protective role of perceived social support and meaning in life, the function of meaning in life as a mediator and moderator of perceived social support and prosocial behavior among Chinese college students enrolled in online learning was examined in this study. This survey was completed by 459 college students in total (Mean age = 19.65, SD = 1.21). The results shown that Chinese college students’ perceived social support and prosocial behavior during online learning were significant lower than normal offline learning, but meaning in life was no significant difference. Perceived social support, prosocial behavior and meaning in life were all positive correlated with each other. The relationship between perceived social support and prosocial behavior was mediated and moderated by meaning in life. These findings enrich the research on prosocial behavior among college students by examining possible pathways linking factors associated to prosocial behavior during online learning. The findings suggest the need to promote prosocial behavior development through cultivate perceived social support and meaning in life among college students.

As an effort to realize children's concern for each other, an activity was carried out with the union of parents and teachers at one of the kindergartens in Beji Timur, Depok. This moment continues previous activities with the aim of being a solution to maintain the sustainability of social activities at Raudhatul Athfal Taufiqurrahman. Using participatory action research, the approach involves providing dissemination to children about the importance of sharing with others. The activity was carried out in the month of Ramadan, attended by 30 students with the school principal, accompanying teachers, and representatives of the student’s parents. At this event, the children distributed gifts to orphans and people in need around the school. With this action, children experience sharing with others so that the support of parents and teachers is expected to be touched and interested in social activities. This effort is related to the formation of good character in children so that collaboration with stakeholders will support the sustainability of this education. The togetherness of several parties is a form of subjective norm so that children become more interested in social activities. Meanwhile, messages reminded by teachers and mothers at home can form a positive attitude towards social activities. In this way, children can assess this activity as a positive experience, thereby fostering awareness and prosocial behavior in their adult years. This is in line with the sustainable development goals to ensure development progress for children. As a recommendation, further activities can be carried out with orphanages.

Abstract Indonesia is often regarded as a country with a strong inclination toward prosocial behavior, with both public and anonymous acts of kindness being commonplace. However, there is a notable gap in related research regarding the predictors of such behaviors. Previous studies have highlighted how individuals with diverse motives for wellbeing are inclined to either assist or hinder others. The present study explored the role of eudaimonic, hedonic, and extrinsic motives for wellbeing in predicting public and anonymous prosocial behavior. Using convenience sampling, 254 Indonesian undergraduate students (18-25 years old) from a private university participated in an online survey. The data were analyzed with correlational design and structural equation modelling. The findings revealed that the eudaimonic motive for wellbeing positively predicted anonymous prosocial behavior. Interestingly, no significant impact of hedonic motives on either public or anonymous prosocial behavior was observed. On the other hand, the extrinsic motive for wellbeing emerged as a positive predictor of public prosocial behavior. The absence of a discernible effect of the hedonic motive on either form of prosocial behavior highlights the need for further research into the complex interplay between motives for well-being and altruistic actions. This research represents a pioneering exploration into the distinct impacts of individuals' pursuit of wellbeing on their approaches to altruistic actions, providing valuable insights for understanding and promoting prosocial behavior in society.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate how young children define trust and to find out if there is a relationship between the people whom they trust and the people with whom they share their favorite food and toy. The participants consist of 273 kindergarteners enrolled in five public kindergartens. Research assistants asked the participants questions such as what they think trust is, who they trust, with whom they want to share their favorite food and favorite toy, and why. Findings did not reveal age or gender as factors for children’s trust and sharing decisions. Children’s trust decisions were not associated with their sharing decisions. Accordingly, it appears that children perceive trust and sharing as two separate concepts. This might be due to the abstract nature of trust and the social nature of sharing, in which immediate reciprocity might play a more important role in children’s sharing decisions. Children mentioned reciprocity as the second highest reason for their sharing decisions.

Fang Zhai,1 Fulei Han,2 Qiulin Wang1 1College of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, People’s Republic of China; 2Kunshan No. 1 Vocational School in Jiangsu Province, Kunshan, Jiangsu, 215300, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qiulin Wang, Email wangql@yzu.edu.cnPurpose: The continuous spread of the epidemic has inflicted serious harm upon individual’s mental well-being, and effective coping mechanisms are associated with positive mental health outcomes. Prosocial behavior and a sense of meaning in life can enhance individuals’ subjective well-being, which can subsequently positively impact their mental health. Thus, in the context of epidemic prevention and control, this study investigates the relationship between the meaning in life, prosocial behavior, and coping styles of outstanding physical education students and the impact on their mental health.Methods: The study involved a questionnaire survey on 498 outstanding physical education students, consisting of 297 boys (mean age = 13.16) and 201 girls (mean age = 12.87 years). Subsequently, the data was analyzed using the mediating effect and Bootstrap tests.Results: The coping style positively predicted the meaning in life (β=0.294) and prosocial behavior (β=0.293). Conversely, mental health was predicted in a negative direction (β=– 0.494). Mental health negatively predicted prosocial behavior (β=– 0.810), although prosocial behavior positively predicted meaning in life (β=0.644). Finally, prosocial behavior negatively predicted mental health (β=– 0.513). Additionally, the interplay between prosocial behavior and meaning in life is established in terms of both the individual and chain mediating roles.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that coping styles during a normalized epidemic prevention and control situation directly impact the mental health of Shanghai’s outstanding physical education students. Additionally, these coping styles indirectly influence mental health through the mediating effects of meaning in life and prosocial behaviors. Furthermore, meaning in life and prosocial behaviors act as chain mediators in this relationship.Keywords: coping style, mental health, meaning in life, prosocial behavior

Social norms are an essential determinant of conformity in decision-making, a powerful nudge for helping people adopt prosocial behavior. Informing people that most of their peers behave virtuously encourages them to improve their own behavior. Nevertheless, social norm mechanisms are efficient if the proportion of people who already act prosocially is sufficient, otherwise, the norm can lead to a ”boomerang effect” namely, this induces a person who acts prosocially to abandon her previous choice since she is informed that the majority does not support her prosocial behavior. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new norm that can be efficient even when implemented in behaviors practiced by a minority of people, by contrast to current social norm nudges. In our experiment, we create a new type of feedback that includes descriptive and injunctive norms and then observe whether they are more effective than standard social norm feedback. This new feedback, named ”Norm From The Top”, provides information based on the most altruistic people in the population. The experiment was run online due to the sanitary conditions in 2021. 203 participants were recruited from Cirano (Montreal, Quebec). Cirano is an interuniversity center, multidisciplinary and intersectoral. The sample comprises 120 women and 83 men (Average age = 37.2; SD = 10.5). In the experiment, participants were randomly exposed to a social norm that elicited prosocial behavior from other participants, and we observed whether the group exposed to the Norm From The Top increased their prosocial behavior compared to the other groups. Specifically, participants were asked whether they were willing to complete surveys without compensation. This study found that this norm acted as an effective nudge, increasing the average decision regarding prosocial behavior and addressing the boomerang effect issue. The Norm From The Top sets a high reference point compared to the standard norm and does not induce a reduction of contributions higher than this reference point. In contrast, the standard norm does not have a significant effect due to the boomerang effect and leads to a concentration of the contributions towards the average, resulting in an inefficient nudge in this context. These results show the potential of the Norm From The Top enforcement to promote low-practiced prosocial behaviors, thereby increasing the range of prosocial behaviors that social norm nudges can reinforce. Applying this norm to different types of prosocial behaviors in field experiments would allow for observing its impact on actual behaviors and assessing the external validity of this new instrument before making it available to policymakers.

Xiaofang Xu,1 Yang Li,2 Shuyuan Liu,2 Wenchao Wang2 1School of Education Science, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, 471934, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wenchao Wang, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +8601058801184, Email psychao@bnu.edu.cnPurpose: Bullying victimization is a serious issue among college students, which might affect the development of their social behaviors. Based on the theory of stress and coping and emotion regulation theory, the present study examined the mediating role of self-compassion and trauma-related shame between bullying victimization and cyber aggression/prosocial behavior.Patients and Methods: We gathered self-reporting data on bullying victimization, self-compassion, trauma-related shame, cyber aggression, and prosocial behavior from 634 college students in China using a three-wave longitudinal design survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test temporal mediation.Results: The results showed that bullying victimization predicted cyber aggression and prosocial behavior via trauma-related shame and the chain effect of self-compassion and trauma-related shame. Moreover, self-compassion also mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and prosocial behavior.Conclusion: The study revealed the different emotional processes that underlie both bullying victimization and different social behaviors. It also contributes to more effective prevention and intervention measures for the social adaptation of bullied students.Keywords: bullying victimization, self-compassion, trauma-related shame, cyber aggression, prosocial behavior, emotional mechanisms

Abstract Introduction Prosocial behavior has been shown to be protective against burnout. Yet, we know little about prosocial behavior in medical students. We wanted to know what are chinese medical students' understanding of prosocial behavior and which factors influence their participation in it? Methods We undertook a grounded theory study, following Corbin & Strauss. We used convenience sampling and conducted semi-structured individual interviews. We analyzed data using open, axial, and selective coding techniques. Next, we grouped data into concepts. We noticed these concepts aligned with three existing social theories, so we developed our theory in concert with these: the Theory of Planned Behavior, Self-Determination Theory, and Social Support Theory. Results Twenty-eight medical students participated in this study. Medical students hold especial views on the roles of medical physicians, and most of these views align with students' core values, including the value of prosocial behavior. Students are intrinsically motivated to engage in prosocial behaviors that align with their core values. Personal values, personality traits, perceived self-competence, career motivation, environmental factors, and family influences are the core factors influencing medically positive prosocial behavior. Conclusions This study supports a focus on prosocial behavior instead of altruistic behavior in medical education. We anticipate that promoting prosocial behavior through medical curricula will reduce moral distress and burnout among medical students.

Introduction: the relevance problem of differentiating modes of prosocial behavior is substantiated and the main goal is determined: to identify differences in the recognition and experience of modes of prosocial behavior among psychology students and the role of subjective well-being of the person in them. Theoretical analysis of compassion and kindness made it possible to formulate a hypothesis: the empirical referents of distinguishing between the prosocial scenario of kindness, associated with concern for the future of the Other and the activation of his psychological resources, and the scenario of compassion, aimed at reducing the negative experiences of the Other by providing one’s own resources, are actualized emotions, and the facilitator is the current level of subjective well-being of the person. Empirical analysis. Participants: psychology students (N = 76; M = 24.4; SD = 9.5). Methods: Kindness and Compassion Script Scale (P. Gilbert et al.); Kindness modes technique (D. E. Youngs et al.); Methods of diagnostics of subjective well-being of the person (R. Shamionov, T. Beskova). Conclusions: differences were identified in the recognition of prosocial scenarios of kindness and compassion; emotional markers have been identified that allow them to be differentiated; differences were found in the indicators of subjective well-being of participants with different abilities to recognize kindness and compassion, and a significant connection was established between compassionate kindness and the components of subjective well-being. The results can be used in the educational process for developing the professional competencies of psychology students through training in the practices of mindfulness, compassion, and self-care.

IntroductionResearchers have identified links between anxious and avoidant attachments and difficulties with self-compassion, giving others compassion, and receiving compassion. However, while compassion requires both awareness of opportunities for compassion and compassionate action, little is known about attachment-related differences in reporting compassionate opportunities. Further, most research relies on retrospective-reports that may not accurately assess compassionate behaviors in everyday life.MethodConsequently, we collected 2,757 experience sampling survey responses from 125 participants (95 women, 27 men, 3 non-binary, Mage = 18.74, SDage = 1.66) to investigate whether attachment anxiety, avoidance, or their interaction were associated with differences in propensity for reporting compassionate opportunities, actions, and emotional responses to opportunities in everyday life across self-compassion, giving compassion, and receiving compassion.ResultsAnxiety was associated with greater likelihood of reporting all types of compassionate opportunities and less positive responses to opportunities to receive compassion. Avoidance was associated with less likelihood of reporting opportunities to give and receive compassion and less positive responses to opportunities to give compassion. Those high in anxiety but simultaneously low in avoidance reported fewer self-compassionate actions, but we identified no further differences in compassionate action.DiscussionThis study highlights the potential role of awareness of compassionate opportunities in attachment-related differences in compassion.

Social–emotional development is a key factor in child well-being and development, and studying how it can be supported in early childhood is crucial. This study acted as a second trial testing the efficacy of a shared story book reading intervention combined with mentalizing discussions (SAGA), on children’s (N = 196) social–emotional development. In contrast to the first trial, the current trial utilized a group comprised of mostly multilingual children, attending daycare in a minority language. In addition, we investigated the effect of the intervention on the mentalizing capacity of the staff. The staff of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers were trained to lead discussions about story characters’ mental states with children three times a week. The staff’s mentalization ability was measured by the self-reported Mentalization Scale (MentS). Children’s social–emotional development was evaluated via the teacher-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire SDQ, and verbal fluency via a subtest from the NEPSY II neuropsychological test battery. After 12 weeks, the children in the SAGA group showed improvement in prosocial behavior, whereas no change was observed in the control group. Furthermore, within the SAGA group, the children showing initially lower scores for prosocial behavior displayed larger improvement compared to their peers with higher scores at baseline. No such intervention-based improvement emerged in verbal fluency. Unlike in the first trial, the intervention did not have an impact on children’s internalizing or externalizing problems. The results suggest that story reading sessions combined with mentalizing discussions about emotions, thoughts, and intentions of the story characters may support children’s social–emotional development within the realm of prosocial behavior, although the possibility to decrease children’s internalizing and externalizing problems with these sessions remains unclear based on the two trials. In addition, training the ECEC staff in mentalization theory and guiding them toward mind-related dialogs improved staff motivation to mentalize, as well as their child-related mentalization capacity.

Preschool age is a crucial period to foster children's prosocial behavior using imaginative play. This study aims to determine the relationship between imaginative play and prosocial behavior, with inhibitory control as a moderator. The instruments used are the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) dimensions of prosocial behavior, the Child Imagination Questionnaire (CIQ), and Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task. Participants were preschool children aged 3–6 years (n = 75). Parents and teachers of children are also involved in administering the data. The results show that there are differences in the assessment results between teachers and parents. The teachers' assessment result shows a significant relationship between imaginative play and prosocial behavior [(75)=0.501, p

Purpose: This study aims to provide empirical evidence regarding the effect of anger and moral approbation on whistleblowing intention with microsocial ethical environment and group cohesion as moderating variables. Methodology/approach: This paper is an empirical study that delves into behavioral patterns of accounting students from public universities in Madura regarding their intentions to blow the whistle. By using incidental sampling, this study obtains 164 responses. WarpPLS 4.0 is employed to run and test the hypotheses. Findings: From testing four different models, we find that moral approbation and anger significantly promote whistleblowing among students. However, we find no significant relationship for interaction between anger and moral approbation with microsocial ethical environment on whistleblowing intentions. Further, we find the interaction between group cohesion and moral approbation reduces the student’s willingness to report fraud in cases when they have strong self-interest and discretionary grading policy. Practical and Theoretical contribution/Originality: Our findings suggest that public universities in Madura need to take into account the closeness of potential whistleblowers with fraud perpetrators even more in the context of students with low self-interest when developing and implementing whistleblowing systems. These findings suggest the wavering state of students’ convictions of fraud done by their peers. Research Limitation: The results of this study need to be interpreted carefully due to the dominance of small observations in our sample. Our study obtained 164 responses that can be considered sufficient by the analytical tools. However, these numbers are inadequate to generalize our findings, especially when our scope is only three public universities in Madura.

In the study, the role of self-regulation skills and digital game addiction tendencies in predicting the prosocial behavior of preschool children was examined. The study group of the research, which was conducted using the correlational model, consisted of 255 children aged 5-6 years who were studying in the kindergartens of the primary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the Efeler district of Aydın province in the 2022-2023 academic year. The data of the study were collected through the General Information Form filled by their parents for their children, The Digital Game Addiction Tendency Scale, The Self-Regulation Skills Scale for 4-6 Years-Old Children-Mother Form and The Child Prosociality Scale-Teacher Form filled by their teachers for children. In the research findings, a negative significant weak relationship was determined between the prosocial behaviors of preschool children and the conflict and reflection sub-dimensions of digital game addiction tendencies. A positive and significant weak relationship was determined between pre-school children's prosocial behaviors and the sum of their self-regulation skills and sub-dimensions of attention, working memory, inhibitory control-emotion, and inhibitory control-behavior. As a result of regression analysis, it was determined that self-regulation skills and digital game addiction tendencies of 5-6 year old children together predicted prosocial behavior variability by 14%. The findings showed that the most powerful predictors of the child's prosocial behavior are self-regulation skills, attention and inhibitory control-behavior sub-dimensions, and the tendency for digital game addiction to be the conflict sub-dimension. The findings were discussed in the light of the literature, and suggestions were made to those concerned that prevention and intervention studies should be given importance to the negative effects of digital games that contain negative elements and are exposed for long periods of time, and that it would be effective to address self-regulation skills in interventions and programs aimed at encouraging children's prosocial behaviors.

Abstract: The present study, exploring media exposure of preschool age children using media diaries had three major goals. First goal was to examine whether there was a relationship between the duration of children’s media use and their prosocial and aggressive behavior. Then, the second goal was to explore links between the content of media they use and children’s prosocial and aggressive behavior. Finally, informed by Displacement theory, we focused on exploring whether the time spent for developmentally enriching activities changed based on the time spent for media use. Parents of 52 preschool age children between the ages of 4 and 6 reported on their children’s media use on a media diary filled out throughout a weekend and the teachers assessed the prosocial and aggressive behaviors of the same children. The results showed that the aggressive behavior of the children increased as their time spent for playing video games increased. Also, the time they spent for engaging developmentally enriching activities decreased as the time they spent for playing video games increased. The results of the study contributed to the field as it provided an in-depth exploration of factors associated with media use habits of children at home using media diaries providing duration, content and context of media use and their relationship to children’s prosocial and aggressive behaviors.

This study's primary objective is to identify behavioural differences among varsity team athletes through an analysis of their prosocial and antisocial conduct in relation to a variety of variables. A scanning model, which is classified as a quantitative research method, was utilised in the study. The research study group comprises students enrolled at Osmaniye Korkut Ata University who are actively engaged in team sports during the academic year 2022-2023. The Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviour Scale in Sports, which was adapted from Turkish by Balcıkanlı (2013) and developed by Kavussanu and Boardley (2009), was utilised to assess the conduct of team athlete students. Kolmogorov-Smirnov (n>50) and Skewness-Kurtosis tests were utilised in the analysis of the research data to determine whether or not the measurements followed a normal distribution; since the measurements did follow a normal distribution, parametric tests were applied. According to the research findings, there are significant differences in prosocial and antisocial behaviour among university students who participate in team sports. These variations are contingent upon factors such as age, gender, academic discipline apart from sports sciences, and the number of siblings. By proposing that university students demonstrate greater prosocial behaviour in team sports, it is anticipated that these results will make a scholarly contribution to the current body of knowledge.

Abstract. Altruistic behavior is a subset of prosocial behavior, aimed at intentionally benefitting another while incurring a cost to the actor. It develops throughout childhood as underlying social–emotional and cognitive mechanisms become mature. Prosocial behavior in childhood is considered as a predictor of later well-being and academic achievement, yet educators and clinicians have few means of measuring it. This study aimed to translate and validate a French version of the Altruism Scale for Children originally developed in English by Swank et al. (2020) that focuses on altruistic behavior with individuals varying in closeness and animals. Children aged 7 through 11 from public and private elementary schools in France (N = 743), all following the same core curriculum, completed the 30-item questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted on the obtained data. The final French version of the Altruism Scale for Children contains 20 questions and distinguishes two facets of altruistic intention, namely, toward close and more distant social contacts. It can be considered as a useful instrument to gain a better understanding of a child’s prosocial behavior throughout contexts.

Abstract: The present study adapts and investigates the psychometric properties of the German version of the Prosocial Behavioral Intentions Scale (PBIS). The sample included 507 participants. Incongruent with the original study, the PBIS showed low internal consistency (α = .57; ω = .63). The CFA results indicated a good two-dimensional model fit. The PBIS scores showed convergent validity with related instruments. A positive correlation with materialism was observed, so no statements on discriminant validity were made. Additional measurement invariance testing with an existing US sample showed configural measurement invariance, indicating differences in the mode of action in both cultures. Based on these results, the PBIS-G should be used with caution, and further psychometric testing should be conducted to examine discriminant validity and the origin of missing measurement invariance.

Based on data from the 2022 Chinese Minors’ Digital Life and Online Protection Survey, this study investigated the status quo of social media use and its influencing mechanism on academic performance among Chinese children and adolescents. The statistical results indicate that the average level of Chinese students’ social media use was generally low, with their academic performance varying across socio-demographic and schooling characteristics. After controlling for other variables, it was found that the frequency of social media use could exert a significant positive impact on students’ academic performance. Moreover, the mechanism analysis revealed that online learning behavior and prosocial behavior served as chain mediators linking social media use to academic performance. Specifically, students could transfer their social media behavioral patterns to the internet-based learning context, and then effectively utilize remote learning resources. Meanwhile, engagement with social media would cultivate individuals’ prosocial personality, thereby stimulating intrinsic motivation for learning and ultimately enhancing academic performance. The heterogeneity analysis further confirmed that the impact of social media use on students’ academic performance was stronger in lower-class families, underscoring the moderating role of family socioeconomic status in the relationship between social media use and academic performance. The findings suggest that if academic performance is regarded as an integral part of individual capacity development, then the rational utilization of social media resources might be a pivotal approach to alleviate the predicament of developmental inequality faced by students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Intensive parenting” is a tendency to invest parents’ time, money, and energy in their child. This also includes some gender bias concerning a mother being the best person to primarily raise her children. Some psychology scholars have pointed out that this attitude causes much stress, anxiety, depression, and a sense of guilt among mothers. However, its effects on children have yet to be revealed using an extensive survey, and this indicates the need to investigate any possible impact of an intensive parenting attitude on children. The aim of this study was to elucidate a link between a maternal intensive parenting attitude and their children’s social competence through maternal parenting behavior. This was based on collecting data from 675 Japanese women who were mothers of preschoolers using the Japanese version of the Intensive Parenting Attitude Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Parenting Scale, and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results showed that the “Essentialism,” “Fulfillment,” and “Child-centered” components of intensive parenting attitude influenced the “involvement and monitoring” and “positive responsivity” of parenting behavior. Furthermore, these two parenting behaviors affected children’s prosocial behavior and hyperactivity/inattention. These findings suggest that an intensive parenting attitude has some impact on children as well as mothers, both positively and negatively, pointing to a serious effect on society.

The search for greater popularity and acceptance by peers increases the use of social networks that may cause cyberbullying. The high number of adolescents who observe this phenomenon may help reduce the negative impact on the victims. Emotion regulation is an important predictor of adolescents' psychological adjustment and social competence to adopt a prosocial behavior. Bystanders of these incidents may misinterpret what they see, due to specific cyberbullying characteristics which may influence emotion regulation negatively. Studies about emotions and emotion regulations in bystanders are scarce. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the emotional reactions and emotional regulation strategies of bystanders while witnessing various cyberbullying scenarios (posting photographs, direct threats, offences to integrity, threats to share personal information), as well as to focus on different behavior, victim characteristics, aggressor traits, and spectator reactions. A convenience sample of 143 adolescents (from 12 to 17 years old) was used. Results showed that worry and sadness were the most expressed emotions in all scenarios (mainly for girls) and posting a photograph was considered more concerning for girls and boys both. To regulate emotions, participants used distraction (especially seven graders) and rumination strategies. Nonetheless, when posting a photo without permission, they all adopted prosocial behavior (boys and girls) because they considered it more serious. Seventh graders adopted less prosocial behavior than eighth graders. In short, girls were more prosocial than boys. Boys may have more difficulty in regulating emotions properly and it may contribute to not intervening. Also, younger adolescents may have experienced less emotional maturity. Therefore, developing programs based on socio-emotional skills, which increase awareness of the seriousness of cyberbullying, can teach youth how to deal with emotions in order to regulate them effectively, thus increasing emotional maturity.

The present study investigated the impact of social exclusion on prosocial behavior, examining the roles of relational need threat and regulatory focus. Utilizing a questionnaire study with 483 participants (Study 1) and an experimental study with 100 participants (Study 2), we found that (1) social exclusion negatively predicted prosocial behavior; (2) relational need threat fully mediated the relationship between social exclusion and prosocial behavior; and (3) regulatory focus, categorized as either promotion or prevention, moderated this relationship in opposite directions. In conclusion, our findings reveal that social exclusion does indeed trigger prosocial behavior. Meanwhile, relational need threat and regulatory focus have a co-action impact on this process. These findings have been carefully discussed within the frameworks of the temporal need-threat model and the cognitive-affective personality system theory.

Research on intertemporal and prosocial decisions has largely developed in separate strands of literature. However, many of the decisions we make occur at the intersection of these two dimensions (intertemporal and prosocial). Trust is an example, where a decision today is made with the expectation that another person will reciprocate (or betray) later. A new literature is emerging to explore the role of time in these types of situations, where time and social considerations are intertwined. In many cases, time introduces (or magnifies) an element of uncertainty about future outcomes and utility that people need to deal with – what will happen, how good will it be, how will it feel. We review this emerging literature on intertemporal prosocial decision-making and discuss how new research can fill existing knowledge gaps.

Background: Creating a child-friendly social environment is an important component of promoting child-friendly city development. This study aims to explore the key indicators of friendly family, school and community social environments from the perspective of children's conduct problems and prosocial behaviors. Method: The sample included grade 3–5 students from one public elementary school in the urban areas and another public elementary school in the rural areas of a Chinese city pursuing a child-friendly philosophy. A total of 418 participants were included in this study. Data on conduct problems, prosocial behaviors and the social environment were collected. To effectively select important variables and eliminate estimation bias, this study used LASSO regression to identify key indicators predicting children's conduct problems and prosocial behavior, followed by linear regression coefficient estimation and significance testing. Results: Creating a friendly family environment (ensuring family members' assistance with academic problems) and school environment (reducing cheating, fighting, and unfriendly teacher language) was associated with reduced conduct problems in children. Creating a positive family atmosphere (enhancing children's trust in family members), school environment (increasing parents' awareness of school affairs, reinforcing students' prosocial behavior, increasing extracurricular activity programs, and encouraging student engagement in academics) and community environment (respecting all children in the community) was associated with improving children's prosocial behavior. Conclusions: This study transforms the multidimensional, complex child-friendly social environment evaluation indicator system into concise and specific measurement indicators, which can provide theoretical and practical implications for government decision-making in child-friendly city development through empirical research.

Past research suggests that parents’ familism values play a positive role in Latinx American youth’s prosocial tendencies. However, little is known about how individual differences in youth’s neural development may contribute to this developmental process. Therefore, using two-wave longitudinal data of 1916 early adolescents (mean age = 9.90 years; 50% girls) and their parents (mean age = 38.43 years; 90% mothers) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, this pre-registered study took a biopsychosocial approach to examine the moderating role of youth’s neural reward sensitivity in the link between parents’ familism values and youth’s prosocial behaviors. Results showed that parents’ familism values were associated with increased prosocial behaviors among youth two years later, controlling for baseline prosocial behaviors and demographic covariates. Notably, parents’ familism values played a larger role in promoting youth’s prosocial behaviors among youth who showed lower ventral striatum activation during reward anticipation. Moreover, such association between parents’ familism values and youth’s later prosocial behaviors was stronger among youth who showed lower levels of prosocial behaviors initially. Taken together, the findings highlight individual differences in neurobiological development and baseline prosocial behaviors as markers of sensitivity to cultural environments with regard to Latinx American youth’s prosocial development.

IntroductionThe popularization and widespread use of smartphones and other electronic devices have led to the occurrence of “parents phubbing”, which may have a negative impact on child-parent relationship and preschoolers’ prosocial behavior.MethodsTo clarify this process, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 3,834 parents from 20 kindergartens in Zhuhai, China. This study examined the relationship between between parents phubbing, closeness child-parent relationship, authoritative parenting style and children’s prosocial behavior.ResultsAccording to the study, we found a significant negative correlation between parents phubbing and preschoolers’ prosocial behavior. Closeness child-parent relationship mediated between parents phubbing and preschoolers’ prosocial behavior through mediation effects analysis. In other words, parent phubbing was negatively associated with closeness child-parent relationship, which in turn predicted less child prosocial behavior. In addition, authoritative parenting styles have a moderating effect. As the level of authoritative parenting style increases, the negative impact of parent phubbing on the prosocial behavior of preschool children is attenuated.DiscussionThis study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between parents phubbing and prosocial behaviors of preschool children, as well as the internal mechanisms at work. Practically, the study suggests that parents should reduce the incidence of phubbing in their contact with their children and, at the same time, work to improve the child-parent relationship and promote the development of prosocial behaviors in children.

Abstract We investigated parental attachment and prosocial behavior as social protective indicators in adolescents (age 11–17) with symptoms of depression in a clinical setting. Specifically, we tested the moderating effect of these factors on the relation between symptoms of depression and their impairment on daily life. The Development and Well-Being Assessment, as completed by children, mothers, and fathers, was used, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted for these three perspectives. From the adolescents’ reports, we only found a significant effect of symptoms on impairment, indicating that a higher number of symptoms were related to higher impairment. For the mothers and fathers, a higher score on the adolescents’ prosocial behavior was related to a lower impairment from depression symptoms on the daily life of the adolescent and the family. Only for the mothers did a higher score on prosocial behavior buffer the effect of symptoms on impairment, while a higher parental attachment score was associated with a lower impairment. Further, when examining maternal and paternal attachment separately, only the mothers reported less impairment when perceiving that the adolescent was attached to the father. Paternal attachment even buffered the effect of symptoms on impairment. To conclude, our results indicate that social protective factors, from the parent’s perspective, are likely to have a beneficial effect in clinical practice and should be taken into account when examining impairment scores. Future studies should investigate whether additional protective indicators from the adolescents’ perspective, such as quality of parental attachment or family climate, may have a positive impact on their daily functioning.

Previous research has established a positive link between prosocial behavior (PB) and psychological well-being. However, limited studies have explored the relationship between PB and well-being (WB), particularly among vocational students. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms, including mediating factors, remain understudied in this context. This study aimed to investigate the association between PB and WB among vocational students while examining the mediating role of basic psychological needs. A sample of 221 vocational students (mean age = 19.68 years, SD = 1.57) completed anonymous questionnaires assessing PB, basic psychological needs, and WB. The results revealed a positive correlation between PB and WB in vocational students (r = 0.22, p < 0.01), with basic psychological needs partially mediating this relationship (β = 0.14, t = 10.85, p < 0.001, 95% CI = (0.18, 0.23)). These findings enhance our understanding of the association between PB and vocational students’ WB, shed light on the mechanisms involved, and offer insights into promoting the well-being of vocational students.

Teachers’ actions go beyond instruction, as their personal traits influence their teaching methods, problem-solving skills, and the quality of their relationships with students. Among these attributes, their prosocial competencies stand out for contributing to school, community, and social coexistence. Furthermore, the connection they have to resilience and self-efficacy promotes increased effectiveness in meeting the demands of an ever-more challenging work environment. This research aimed to analyze the effect of the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience on the prosocial behavior of Chilean elementary school teachers. The sample consisted of 1426 teachers (77.2% women) working in public and subsidized Chilean schools. Structural equation modeling (SEM) explored the relationships between self-efficacy, resilience, and prosocial behavior. The findings indicate that self-efficacy and resilience directly and positively affect the prosocial behavior of elementary school teachers. It is suggested that resilience, self-efficacy, and prosociality among teachers are promoted due to their synergistic effects and, consequently, the benefits for school children, especially those from vulnerable social contexts.

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-compassionon prosocial behaviour (c = 0.10, p

Abstract Background The schoolyard environment provides key opportunities to promote physical activity and socioemotional development for children. Schoolyards can also serve as a community park resource outside of school hours. We aimed to: (i) implement and evaluate reliability of the System for Observing Outdoor Play Environments in Neighborhood Schools (SOOPEN), (ii) assess schoolyard use by children during recess and community members of all ages outside of school hours, and (iii) investigate relationships of schoolyard and children´s group characteristics with physical activity levels and prosocial interactions. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we observed student and community visitor behavior using SOOPEN at three urban elementary schoolyards in Tacoma, Washington, USA, prior to renovations intended to expand each facility’s use as a community park in neighborhoods with poor park access. We assessed interrater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients and described current levels of schoolyard use (at the group level), physical activity, and prosocial behavior. Physical activity was assessed on a five-point scale and dichotomized to indicate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Social interactions were coded as prosocial, antisocial, or neutral. We examined associations of selected schoolyard features and group characteristics with group MVPA and prosocial behavior during recess using modified Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results We observed a total of 981 activity-defined, informal groups in the schoolyards, and achieved good to excellent interrater reliability using SOOPEN. Community use of the schoolyards during evenings and weekends was limited (n = 56 groups). During 26, 25–50 min recess periods (n = 833 groups), 19% of groups were engaged in MVPA. Schoolyard areas with paved surfaces were associated with more MVPA (PR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.23) compared to field/grass areas; supervised groups were associated with less MVPA than groups not directly supervised by an adult (PR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.96). Schoolyard characteristics were not associated with prosocial behavior. Mixed-gender groups were associated with more MVPA and more prosocial behavior. Conclusions Our study using SOOPEN, a reliable new activity observation tool, highlights the multi-dimensional dynamics of physical activity and social interactions in schoolyards, which could be leveraged to promote healthy behaviors during and outside of school hours.

Children distribute resources to recipients differentially regarding various factors such as ‘need’ or ‘friendship’ (social closeness). The aim of this study is to examine the interaction between these two variables by presenting children with two recipients who are a friend and a stranger varying on the number of materials they need. A distribution task with four different scenarios (conditions) was applied to 25 children (Mage =62.16, 15 males) aged 4-6 years. Across scenarios of four experimental conditions, the amount of needed materials was manipulated between the friend and the stranger. The participants were asked to distribute resources to the recipients in each experimental session. Allocation of all resources to the needy recipient to eliminate the need in the expense of the friend meant ‘fair’ distribution; while the allocation of all resources to the friend meant ‘friend-favoring’. The results showed an interaction between ‘need’ and ‘friendship’ for their roles in allocation decisions. Children favored the friend when their friend is needier than the stranger and transferred the greatest amount of resources to the needy friend. In the condition that the stranger is needier, levels of friend-favoring decrease. The results indicated that preschool children have a tendency for favoritism but this preference weakens in presence of a needier stranger. Taken together, the findings suggest that children are capable of taking the two competing factors of friendship and neediness into consideration at a time and able to adjust their allocation to meet the needs of not only friends but also strangers. Preschool children’s preference to support fairness occurs together with their developing helping behavior and moral reasoning as well.

Yukun Feng,1,2,&ast; Na Ni,3,&ast; Wei Liu,4 Xinli Chi5,6 1Shenzhen Audencia Financial Technology Institute, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China; 2Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Macau, People’s Republic of China; 3Faculty of Business, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Management, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China; 6The Shenzhen Humanities & Social Sciences Key Research Bases of the Center for Mental Health, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xinli Chi, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 755 26976348, Email xinlichi@126.comPurpose: Past studies have indicated that air pollution is a major environmental factor that negatively affects prosocial behavior in adolescents. However, the mechanism underlying this negative relationship has not been fully explored. This study postulated that this impact may occur through individual resilience, a major psychological capital for adolescents. In addition, we studied interpersonal relations, namely, adolescents’ perceived family and teacher support, which may moderate the proposed relationship.Methods: This study combined the three-year tracking survey data of 11-to-15 old adolescents (N=1301; approximately 48% female) in China with objective data from the air quality index (AQI) to measure the level of air pollution.Results: Findings from ordinary least squares analysis indicated that air pollution negatively influences adolescents’ prosocial behavior, and their resilience mediates this negative relationship. In addition, the results showed that the negative effect of air pollution on adolescent resilience is attenuated by higher family income, whereas it is accentuated by the absence of teacher support.Conclusion: Our study provides insight into how the negative effect of air pollution on adolescents’ prosocial behavior is mediated by their psychological resilience, and highlights the moderating role of adolescents’ interpersonal relations in the association between air pollution and their psychological resilience. Our research also provides practical advice on how families, teachers, and psychologists can mitigate this negative impact.Keywords: psychological resilience, environment, interpersonal relations, prosocial behavior, adolescents, China

Several experimental studies in recent years have shown an effect of the appearance of embodied avatars in a digital environment on subsequent behaviors in unrelated context. However, such studies often focus exclusively on the appearance of avatars, and do not consider the nature of the behavior carried out in-game. This article presents an experiment exploring the combined effects of avatar appearance and in-game behavior on subsequent prosocial behavior in an unrelated task. 120 undergraduate students from a medical and health sciences course traversed a digital environment in a roleplaying game, battling opponents (“mobs”) along the way. Using a factorial design, participants embodied either a heroic or a villainous avatar, and battled good or evil mobs. Results show that mob appearance, but not avatar appearance, affected prosocial behavior in a subsequent unrelated task. Participants having battled negative-looking mobs tended to exhibit more prosocial behavior than those having battled positive-looking mobs. These results, highlighting the potential of avatar’s behavior to influence user’s subsequent behavior, are discussed in terms of self-perception, theoretical insight and research on the Proteus effect.

The term ‘moral wiggle room’ (MWR) is often used to describe features of social situations that reduce the transparency between behaviors and their consequences. Previous research found that MWR decreases the likelihood of prosocial behavior and inferred that prosocial behavior is driven not only by genuine prosocial preferences but also by the desire to appear prosocially. Unfortunately, this postulation has never been specified as a theory. Consequently, studies testing the MWR effect reveal substantial heterogeneity in the understanding of core concepts, their operationalizations, and boundary conditions. To advance the field of MWR research, we remove these ambiguities by providing a verbal proposition-based theory specification. We first outline the original formulation of the MWR effect and its mediating mechanism, and we identify its loopholes. On this basis, we propose, refine, and distinguish between core propositions and auxiliary assumptions as well as relevant concepts and their operationalizations. The result is a fully testable theory of MWR (MWR-T) that includes a sharpened concept of MWR, distinguishes between three underlying psychological mechanisms of the behavioral MWR effect (i.e., anticipated social image damage, perceived social norms, and anticipatory guilt), and takes into account the role of individual differences in susceptibility to MWR (i.e., the joint effect of dispositional other-regarding preferences and social image concerns). Lastly, we relate MWR-T to existing theories and draw a roadmap for future work. With our contribution, we hope to stimulate more rigorous research on MWR and provide an example of the utility of verbal proposition-based theory specification.

Diminished basal parasympathetic nervous system activity is a feature of frontotemporal dementia that relates to left frontoinsula dysfunction and empathy impairment. Individuals with a pathogenic expansion of the hexanucleotide repeat in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72), the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, provide a unique opportunity to examine whether parasympathetic activity is disrupted in genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia and to investigate when parasympathetic deficits manifest in the pathophysiological cascade. We measured baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia, a parasympathetic measure of heart rate variability, over two minutes in a sample of 102 participants that included 19 asymptomatic expansion carriers (C9+ asymp), 14 expansion carriers with mild cognitive impairment (C9+ MCI), 16 symptomatic expansion carriers with frontotemporal dementia (C9+ FTD), and 53 expansion-negative healthy controls (C9- HC) who also underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. In follow-up analyses, we compared baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the C9+ FTD group with an independent age-, sex-, and clinical severity-matched group of 26 people with sporadic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. The Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration-modified Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes score was used to quantify behavioral symptom severity, and informant ratings on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index provided measures of participants’ current emotional (empathic concern) and cognitive (perspective-taking) empathy. Results indicated that the C9+ FTD group had lower baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia than the C9+ MCI, C9+ asymp, and C9- HC groups, a deficit that was comparable to that of sporadic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Linear regression analyses indicated that lower baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia was associated with worse behavioral symptom severity and lower empathic concern and perspective-taking across the C9orf72 expansion carrier clinical spectrum. Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analyses in participants with C9orf72 pathogenic expansions found that lower baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia correlated with smaller gray matter volume in the left frontoinsula and bilateral thalamus, key structures that support parasympathetic function, and in the bilateral parietal lobes, occipital lobes, and cerebellum, regions that are also vulnerable in individuals with C9orf72 expansions. This study provides novel evidence that basal parasympathetic functioning is diminished in FTD due to C9orf72 expansions and suggests that baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia may be a potential non-invasive biomarker that is sensitive to behavioral symptoms in the early stages of disease.

Bullying is a social problem that is immersed within the social context and can have serious consequences in adolescence. Prosocial behaviors allow adolescents to have more positive behaviors. The objective of this systematic review study is to identify different programs that have been carried out for both bullying prevention and the promotion of prosocial behaviors in adolescent students. In order to carry out the systematic review, an exhaustive search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus and PsyCINFO databases using specific search formulas. Subsequently, eligibility criteria were applied to select relevant studies. After reviewing the results obtained, a total of 28 studies were identified and selected for the search on bullying prevention programs and 10 on prosocial behaviors that met the established criteria for inclusion in the analysis. The results of the systematic review indicate that the intervention programs analyzed are not only effective in reducing bullying and promoting prosocial behaviors, but also have a positive impact on other related variables. Evidence was found that these programs contribute to improving school climate, promoting emotional well-being and supporting adolescent mental health. These findings highlight the importance and additional benefits of implementing comprehensive intervention programs that address multiple aspects of adolescent development and well-being in the school environment.

Gamebooks and branching narratives are a specific form of interactive literature that allows the reader to participate in the story, making decisions that affect its final outcome. We describe one case-study of introducing branching stories in the context of higher education, and discuss how it possibly enhanced communication and collaboration skills as well as prosocial attitudes. We further generalize this experience to discuss how educators can use branching narratives to promote positive social change. To this aim, we clarify what social development and sustainability competences are, and show how educational activities based on branching narratives can effectively promote their acquisition.

Acting prosocially and feeling socially included are important factors for developing social relations. However, little is known about the development of neural trajectories of prosocial behavior and social inclusion in the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence. In this pre-registered study, we investigated the development of prosocial behavior, social inclusion, and their neural mechanisms in a three-wave longitudinal design (ages 7–13 years; NT1 = 512; NT2 = 456; NT3 = 336). We used the Prosocial Cyberball Game, a ball tossing game in which one player is excluded, to measure prosocial compensating behavior. Prosocial compensating behavior showed a linear developmental increase, similar to parent-reported prosocial behavior, whereas parent-reported empathy showed a quadratic trajectory with highest levels in late childhood. On a neural level we found a peak in ventral striatum activity during prosocial compensating behavior. Neural activity during social inclusion showed quadratic age effects in anterior cingulate cortex, insula, striatum, and precuneus, and a linear increase in temporo-parietal junction. Finally, changes in prosocial compensating behavior were negatively associated with changes in ventral striatum and mPFC activity during social inclusion, indicating an important co-occurrence between development in brain and social behavior. Together these findings shed a light on the mechanisms underlying social development from childhood into adolescence.

Abstract Aims This study aimed to examine differences in xenophobia, prosocial behavior tendency, and sociodemographic characteristics among nursing students. Materials & Methods The participants were 227 nursing students (29.1% male, 70.9% female) attending the nursing department in the spring semester of the 2019–2020 academic year. We used a personal identification form, xenophobia scale, and prosocial behavior tendency scale to collect the data. Results Among the participants, 24.7% were in first year, 30.4% were in second year, 21.6% were in third year, and 23.3% were in fourth year. Female students had higher prosocial behavior disposition, altruistic, and submissive scores than their male counterparts. The second‐year students’ prosocial behavior scores were higher than those of the third‐year students. The male students’ hatred, humiliation, and xenophobia scores were higher than those of the female students. Discussion The xenophobia scores were higher in those with two living parents and lower in those whose mothers had secondary education. We used the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Shapiro–Wilk test, and graphical assessments to test the quantitative data's compliance with normal distribution. We also employed the Student's t‐test and one‐way analysis of variance for data showing a normal distribution and Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests for data showing non‐normal distribution. To evaluate the relationships among variables, we used the Pearson correlation analysis for normally distributed variables and Spearman's correlation analysis for non‐normally distributed variables. Conclusion Women's prosocial behavior tendency total score was higher than men's, and men's xenophobia total score was higher than women's. There was a weak negative correlation between the positive behavior tendency and xenophobia total scores.

Whereas some previous studies have shown that upper-class individuals are more unethical and less prosocial than lower-class individuals, other studies reported contradictory results. The present research provides two replication attempts by examining whether upper-class drivers would be more likely to cut off a pedestrian at a marked crosswalk (Study 1) and less likely to let a pedestrian cross an unmarked pedestrian crossing (Study 2) than lower-class drivers. In both studies, the vehicle status as an index of the social class of the driver was not significantly related to whether the driver let the pedestrian cross the street. Overall, it appears that the associations between social class and unethical behavior and prosocial behavior are less robust and generalizable than initially thought.