Dispositional Factors in Prosocial Behaviour

• What are dispositional factors?

  Individual characteristics influencing behavior
• Name two examples of dispositional factors.

  Personality and specific skills
• What does a dispositional explanation of prosocial behavior suggest?

  Some people are naturally inclined to help
• Why might people help others who are similar to them?

  They identify with the victim
• How does similarity to a victim influence helping behavior?

  It fosters identification and empathy
• What did Levine et al. (2005) find about football fans' helping behavior?

  Fans helped those wearing their team's shirt
• What was the main finding of Lichtenbarger (1983) regarding college students?

  Students posted letters regardless of college
• What conclusion did Lichtenbarger draw about college students' behavior?

  Being a college student influenced their actions
• What does expertise refer to in the context of helping behavior?

  Special skills, training, or knowledge
• How might a person’s expertise affect their willingness to help?

  They may feel confident to intervene
• What did Cramer et al. (1988) find about nurses and law students?

  Nurses were more likely to help in emergencies
• What did Kirschenbaum & Rapaport (2020) identify as predictors of prosocial behavior?

  Self-efficacy and sufficient skills
• What are the strengths of dispositional factors in prosocial behavior research?

  • Use of naive participants increases validity
  • Insights into real-world applications:
  • Educational settings
  • Anti-racist strategies
• What are the weaknesses of dispositional factors in prosocial behavior research?

  • Does not explain helping behavior across differences
  • Difficulty in operationalizing prosocial behavior variables