PSYCH C162 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Prosocial Behavior
Document Summary
In the empirical article, researchers bartlett and destono assessed the role of gratitude in shaping prosocial behavior. Given its important function in developing social relationships, the researchers hypothesized that the feeling of gratitude will increase one"s willingness to engage in costly prosocial behavior. Participants were induced to feel gratitude, as well as other positive emotions, across three studies and were observed when they had the opportunity to help others. Participants were also asked to self-report their emotional states. In study 1, participants were randomly assigned to one of three emotional conditions: gratitude, humor, and neutral. In comparison to the participants in the neutral condition, those in the gratitude condition felt more gratitude and were more likely to help the confederate. In study 2, participants were randomly assigned to two of emotional conditions: gratitude and neutral. Within either emotional condition, one of two types of confederates asked for help: a benefactor and a stranger.
