Technorati Tags: Personality or Social Psychology and intercultural or Medical and empathy or in-group and Mental Health or social sciences and Psychology or biology,
 | People more likely to help others they think are 'like them' |
Feelings of empathy lead to actions of helping – but only between members of the same group – according to a recent study in the July issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, an official publication of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, published by SAGE Publications.
The research, led by Stefan Stürmer of the University of Kiel, is presented in the article "Empathy-Motivated Helping: The Moderating Role of Group Membership." The article discusses two different studies, one using a real-world, intercultural scenario and the other using a mixture of people with no obvious differences besides gender. Researchers concluded that, while all the people felt empathy for someone in distress, they only tended to assist if the needy person was viewed as a member of their own "in-group."
The first study, using a real-world intercultural scenario, split German and Muslim male participants into culturally-defined groups. When everyone learned that another participant was having difficulty finding housing, they all felt empathy for the other regardless of what group they were in. However, when asked about their intentions to help the participant, empathy had a stronger impact when the other was categorized as a member of their in-group.
To further substantiate the findings from the first study, the second study created "minimal" in-groups and out-groups using a mixture of male and female participants without obvious cultural differences. As in the first study, when participants learned that another participant needed financial help due to the loss of money and a credit card, they all felt empathy, but actual assistance was provided only when the distressed person was a member of their in-group. ###
Research grants for these studies were provided by the National Institute of Mental Health and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Go to: pspb.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/ to access the article in the July issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin at no charge for a limited time. To contact the researchers, email Stefan Stürmer at: stuermer@psychologie.uni-kiel.de.
About Personality and Social Psychology BulletinFor over 30 years, the official monthly journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (PSPB) has provided an international forum for the rapid dissemination of original empirical papers in all areas of personality and social psychology. SPSP counts more than 4,500 researchers, educators, and students in its membership worldwide. To contact the Executive Officer of SPSP, please phone David Dunning at (607) 255-6391, or email at spsp@cornell.edu. online pspb.sagepub.com and spsp.org
About SAGESAGE Publications is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. SAGE Publications, a privately owned corporation, has principal offices in Thousand Oaks, California, London, United Kingdom, and New Delhi, India. sagepublications.com
Contact: Judy Erickson media.inquiries@sagepub.com online SAGE Publications
RELATED: Keyword biology, Sunday, July 09, 2006 Jefferson Team Designs Program that Helps Elderly Live Longer, Sunday, July 02, 2006 Gabapentin cools hot flashes as well as estrogen, Sunday, June 25, 2006 Estrogen plays different role during stress in black and white teens, Sunday, June 25, 2006 Our grip on reality is slim, Sunday, May 21, 2006 Genome doesn't start with 'G', Sunday, May 07, 2006 Lying Is Exposed By Micro-Expressions We Can't Control, Sunday, April 30, 2006 Mothers often have inaccurate perceptions of their children's body weight, Sunday, April 16, 2006 Other people influence us and we don't even know it!, Tuesday, January 04, 2005 The Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, Sunday, March 20, 2005 Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Thursday, March 24, 2005 Fish Oil Holds Promise in Alzheimer's Fight, Sunday, April 10, 2005 National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), Friday, April 15, 2005 Study uncovers bacteria's worst enemy , Sunday, May 01, 2005 Yes, it is an exoplanet 2M1207 system, Friday, May 20, 2005 a polysaccharide called hyaluronan, Tuesday, May 24, 2005 pseudoneglect phenomenon, Friday, June 03, 2005 DOE JGI sequences DNA from extinct cave bear, Monday, June 06, 2005 From a Few Wild Ancestors, a Citrus Cornucopia, Tuesday, June 07, 2005 NHGRI Selects 13 More Organisms for Genome Sequencing, Sunday, July 24, 2005 Prehistoric Native Americans maize cultivation ,
No comments:
Post a Comment