Measurement of Prosocial Tendencies: Meta-Analysis of the Generalization of the Reliability of the Instrument

Abstract

The Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) and its revised version (PTM-R) are used internationally to measure prosocial behaviors in different life situations. To obtain accumulated evidence of the report and the reliability of its scores, a meta-analysis of the reliability of internal consistency was performed. The databases of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus were reviewed and all the studies that applied it from 2002 to 2021 were selected. Results: Only 47.9% of the studies presented the index of reliability of PTM and PTM-R. The meta-analytic results of the reliability report of the subscales that the PTM and the PTM-R have in common were: Public 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76–0.80), Anonymous 0.80 (95% CI: 0.79–0.82), Dire 0.74 (95% CI: 0.71–0.76), and Compliant 0.71 (95% CI: 0.72–0.78). Each one of them presents high levels of heterogeneity derived from the gender of the participants (percentage of women), the continent of the population, the validation design, the incentive to participate, and the form of application. It is concluded that both versions present acceptable reliabilities to measure prosocial behavior in different groups and situations, as adolescents and young people, but their clinical use is discouraged.

The influence of social exclusion on prosocial behavior of college students: the role of relational need threat and regulatory focus

“…We employed the Prosocial Tendencies Measurement Scale, developed by Kou et al (2007) , to measure prosocial behaviors. A meta-analysis indicated that the reliabilities of the PTM were acceptable ( Reig-Aleixandre et al, 2023 ). The scale comprised 26 items, each scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = “not true” to 5 = “certainly true.” The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency in this study was 0.95.…”

“…Prior literature has demonstrated the influence of cognition and emotion on prosocial behavior (Rahal and Fiedler, 2022). Recent research has uncovered that music therapy might enhance prosocial behavior by affecting these two factors, especially among individuals who have undergone social exclusion (Martí-Vilar et al, 2023). Within the CAPS framework, the current study aims to integrate contextual, cognitive, and personality factors to explore their impact on prosocial behavior, particularly following experiences of social exclusion.…”