Inspiring altruism: reflecting on the personal relevance of emotionally evocative prosocial media characters

Abstract

Educators have proposed that admired behavior by media characters evokes audience emulation if subsequent personal reflection results in audience members realizing that they want to and are able to behave in a similar manner. Two experiments investigated this. In Study 1, exposure to prosocial media models increased altruistic inclinations among teenagers only if they were also instructed to reflect on the personal significance of what they had seen. In Study 2, medical students exposed to prosocial media models had higher empathic and altruistic intentions if they reflected on the personal rather than the professional significance of what they had seen. Personal inspiration and recognition of enactment possibilities seemed key determinants of emulation.Don Quixote is arguably the finest novel ever written (Chrisafis, 2002). Cervantes' eponymous hero is driven mad trying to live up to chivalric ideals exemplified by characters in the historical romances he loves. In turn and in time, Don Quixote inspires idealism in his hitherto skeptical manservant, Sancho Panza. In emulating his master, Panza discovers that seeking a life of nobility can bring immense personal rewards potentially more satisfying even than those accruing from hardheaded and materialistic pragmatism.The story of Don Quixote references a number of key psychological processes, including modeling and selfregulation (cf. Bandura, 1991). People can be influenced by examples set by others and also by setting and pursuing personal goals. Sometimes, these processes operate in tandem, with people pursuing personal goals suggested by the examples of others. At other times, others' behavior is not considered appropriate for emulation. Identifying when others' behavior does and does not lead to emulation holds the key to understanding the processes by which role models are influ-

Prosocial modeling: A meta-analytic review and synthesis.

“…In addition to the moderators included in the current meta-analysis, there are a number of other moderators that have been proposed and demonstrated in the prosocial modeling literature. Some were contextual variables, including a low versus high cost of helping (Olivola & Shafir, 2018; Wagner & Wheeler, 1969), low versus high need for help (Wagner & Wheeler, 1969; Solomon & Grota, 1976), cooperative versus competitive social context (Masor, Hornstein, & Tobin, 1973), model competence (Eisenberg-Berg & Geisheker, 1979), and an opportunity for personal reflection of the modeled behavior (Farsides, Pettman, & Tourle, 2013). Some proposed moderators included individual differences, such as safety versus esteem orientation (Wilson, 1976), social dominance orientation (Freeman, Aquino, & McFerran, 2009), and prosocial orientation (Gentile et al, 2009).…”

Understanding the Better Than Average Effect on Altruism

“…For Class 4 populations, policies should strengthen and increase adherence to altruistic values, self-perceptions, and behaviors. Increasing altruism nudges (e.g., making altruism norms salient) and fostering habits of personal reflection on altruism (e.g., questions on the importance/consequences of altruism) are directions that may strengthen the enforcement mechanism between altruistic self-perception and behaviors ( Farsides et al, 2013 ; Capraro et al, 2019 ). While applicable to Class 3 populations, increasing accessibility and engagement to altruistic behaviors is the foremost priority for this population and may be achieved by targeting the interests/preferences for altruism within this population profile.…”

Prosocial Cartoons Exposure and Aggressive Behavior in Aggressive Boys: The Potential Mediating Role of Empathy

“…Researchers have found that there is a strong effect with well-known media characters, which viewers tend to identify with and imitate (Calvert, Murray, & Conger, 2004), and it is easy for individuals to predict a game character's behavior and behave similarly when playing a famous role (Bargh, Chen, & Burrows, 1996). On the other hand, prosocial media characters (e.g., justice behavior) can evoke altruism emotionally in children (Farsides, Pettman, & Tourle, 2013;Funk, Baldacci, Pasold, & Baumgardner, 2004). Given that the pretest levels of aggression were not signi cant between treatment group and the control group, it can be concluded that watching prosocial cartoons (versus nonprosocial) leads to lower level of aggression.…”