Empathy moderates the relationship between cognitive load and prosocial behaviour.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Cognitive load theory posits that mental effort impairs cognitive functions.
• Previous research on cognitive load and prosocial behavior used artificial, short-term load induction.
• Real-world cognitive load, such as from pandemics, may have different effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the moderating role of naturally occurring cognitive load (COVID-19 pandemic) on the empathy-prosocial behavior relationship.
• To examine the impact of pandemic fatigue on empathy and support for public health measures.
• To understand how empathy for vulnerable populations influences prosocial behavior during a pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale study (N=600) was conducted in an Australian sample.
• Data collected on pandemic fatigue, empathy for COVID-19 vulnerable groups, and prosocial behavior (support for public health measures).
• Statistical analyses examined the relationships between these variables and the moderating effect of empathy.

Main Results:

• Negative relationships were found between pandemic fatigue, empathy for vulnerable individuals, and prosocial behavior.
• A positive relationship was observed between empathy and prosocial behavior.
• The negative impact of pandemic fatigue on prosocial behavior was attenuated in individuals with higher empathy for vulnerable others.

Conclusions:

• Naturally occurring cognitive load, like pandemic fatigue, affects empathy and prosocial behavior.
• Empathy, particularly for vulnerable groups, plays a crucial role in mitigating the negative effects of real-world cognitive load.
• Eliciting empathy may be a valuable strategy to support prosocial behavior amidst significant societal stressors.