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Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice
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Does observability affect prosociality?

Alex Bradley1, Claire Lawrence2, Eamonn Ferguson2

  • 1Personality, Social Psychology, and Health (PSPH) Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK alexander.bradley@nottingham.ac.uk.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|March 30, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Observing behavior influences prosociality, with a small positive link found. This effect is stronger with passive observers, consequential decisions, lab settings, repeated measures, and social dilemmas.

Keywords:
competitive altruismcost signalling theoryindirect reciprocityprosocialvisibility

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Observability of behavior is a key factor in prosociality models.
  • Empirical evidence on the impact of observability on prosociality is inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a meta-analysis exploring the relationship between observability and prosociality.
  • To identify boundary conditions and moderators influencing this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Meta-analysis of 117 papers, encompassing 134 study-level effects and a total sample size of 788,164 participants.
  • Analysis of theoretical and methodological moderators to explain variability in findings.

Main Results:

  • A small but statistically significant positive association was found between observability and prosociality (r = 0.141).
  • Observability effects were stronger under specific conditions: passive observers, consequential decisions, laboratory settings, repeated measures, and social dilemmas.

Conclusions:

  • Observability has a measurable impact on prosocial behavior, contingent on specific contextual factors.
  • Understanding these moderators is crucial for maximizing the observed effects of observability on prosociality in research and practice.