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

Abstract

Given that evidence for positive effects of cartoons has been relatively sparse, this article reports an experimental study concerning the effects of prosocial cartoons on aggressive behavior among aggressive boys (n = 160; Mage = 8.00, SD = 2.01), a population that has received relatively little attention in research literature. Boys were nominated by teachers as aggressive from three Chinese kindergartens and three primary schools. Cartoons were assessed as prosocial or nonprosocial via 100 experts, then half of them were randomly assigned to watch either prosocial cartoons or matched nonprosocial cartoons (a randomized controlled experiment). Boys in each condition watched the assigned one cartoon for 15 minutes per day and five different cartoons per week. Basic Empathy Scale (BES) and Competitive Reaction Time Task (CRTT) were employed to measure levels of empathy and aggressive behavior. Results showed that aggressive boys who watched prosocial cartoons reported higher levels of empathy but less aggressive behavior than those who watched nonprosocial cartoons. Specifically, ten-year-old boys reported higher levels of empathy and less aggressive behavior than six-year-old boys in the prosocial cartoon condition. The relationship between prosocial cartoons viewed and aggressive behavior was mediated by increased empathy (especially 10-year-old aggressive boys). The aggression reducing effect of prosocial cartoons indicated that training aggressive boys to be empathetic could decrease their aggression levels in educational practice.

The Influence of Chinese Parenting on Adolescent Pro-social Behavior

“…Positive parenting styles like authoritarian, devoted, and neglectful parents had a negative predictive effect on prosocial conduct, according to a 525 middle and high school students' anonymous online poll made by Lin Shuangjia and Hu Shan in 2022. Similarly, Zhang Jing and Yuan Yue propose that warm and trusting, and encouraging parents can positively predict pro-social behavior while authoritarian and spoiling parenting styles will negatively predict it [17]. The teenagers will lose their capability of being independent and self-reliant due to exceeded parental control and unrestrained care, which will negatively impact their offspring's prosocial behavior.…”