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| Research article summary (published 30 Jan 2002): |
The interactive effects of affective demeanor, cognitive processes, and perspective-taking focus on helping behavior.
Full Abstract
The author manipulated affective demeanor (positive or negative) and cognitive processes (positive or negative) displayed by a target person, along with the perspective-taking focus (affect or cognitions) of participants, to assess the unique and interactive effects of those variables on the participants' helping behavior, operationalized as time volunteered to help other students. An ethnically diverse sample (N = 109) of U.S. working adults (mean age = 31.56 years, SD = 8.21) viewed a videotape of a female target talking about returning to college. Participants adopting an affective perspective-taking focus volunteered more time than did those who adopted a cognitive perspective-taking focus. Also, a significant interaction between participants' perspective-taking focus and target's affective demeanor revealed that participants who focused on the target's feelings and who viewed a warm, cheerful target volunteered more time than did the other groups. Moreover, a significant interaction between participants' perspective-taking focus and target's cognitive processes revealed that the participants who focused on the target's feelings and who viewed a confused and unfocused target volunteered more time than did the other groups. The author also discusses the relationship between empathy, personal distress, and helping.
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Author information
Author/s: Oswald, Patricia A (PA);
Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Iona College, New Rochelle, NY 10801, USA. poswald@iona.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: The Journal of social psychology (J Soc Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Feb; vol 142 (issue 1) : pp 120-32
Dates: Created 2002/03/26; Completed 2002/09/19; Revised 2007/11/15;
PMID: 11913830, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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