Key Studies of Promoting Prosocial Behaviour

students, imagine you are walking down a busy street and someone drops a pile of papers. A few people keep moving, but one person stops to help. Why do some people choose to help while others do not? 🤔 Psychology asks this question when it studies prosocial behaviour. Prosocial behaviour means actions intended to help another person, such as sharing, donating, comforting, rescuing, or cooperating.

In this lesson, you will learn the key studies that explain how prosocial behaviour can be encouraged. You will also see how psychologists test ideas about helping, what the results mean, and why these findings matter in real life. By the end, you should be able to explain the main concepts, use evidence from studies, and connect the research to relationships, groups, and social responsibility.

What Counts as Prosocial Behaviour?

Prosocial behaviour is any voluntary action that benefits another person or group. It is not the same as obedience, because the helper is not just following orders. It is also not always the same as altruism. Altruism means helping with no expectation of reward, while prosocial behaviour can include helping for many reasons, including social approval, empathy, or a sense of duty.

Psychologists study prosocial behaviour because it affects friendships, families, schools, workplaces, and communities. For example, a student may share notes with a classmate, a bystander may call for help after an accident, or a person may donate money after a natural disaster. These actions can strengthen social bonds and support group survival. In IB Psychology, this topic fits inside Psychology of Human Relationships because helping behaviour changes how people connect, cooperate, and respond to one another.

One important idea is that helping is influenced by both internal and external factors. Internal factors include empathy, mood, and personal values. External factors include the presence of other people, social norms, and whether helping is rewarded. Key studies of promoting prosocial behaviour show that helping is not just a personality trait; it can be increased by the situation, the message, and the social context.

The Norm of Reciprocity and Why People Help

A major principle behind prosocial behaviour is the norm of reciprocity. This social norm says that people should return help when they receive help. It helps relationships function because it creates trust and fairness. If someone supports you today, you may feel social pressure to support them later.

This idea matters because it explains why people often help strangers, friends, and even people they do not know well. Helping is not always immediate payment for a favour. Instead, it can build a reputation as a kind and trustworthy person. In real life, reciprocity can be seen in classmates sharing resources, neighbors checking on each other, or coworkers covering a shift.

Psychologists use this concept in studies that look at how reminding people of social responsibility increases helping. If a person is made aware that others have helped them before, or that society depends on mutual support, they may be more likely to act prosocially. This is one reason why messages in schools, charities, and public campaigns often include ideas like “give back” or “help those who helped you.”

Key Study: Berkowitz and Daniels and the Reciprocity Explanation

One important study related to promoting prosocial behaviour is by Berkowitz and Daniels. Their work examined how people who had received help earlier were more likely to help others later. The key idea was that receiving help can create a feeling of obligation or reciprocity.

In simple terms, the study showed that if someone is helped, they may become more willing to help another person, especially if they feel the social norm of returning kindness. This suggests that prosocial behaviour can spread through a chain of helping. One person helps another, and that person may then help someone else. 🌱

The significance of this research is that helping is not only about individual kindness. It can be encouraged by social interaction and expectations. The study supports the idea that prosocial behaviour may increase when people are reminded that they are part of a network of support. This helps explain why communities with strong social ties often show more cooperation.

When using this study in IB Psychology, students, remember to explain the relationship between the independent factor and the outcome. The study links previous help received to later helping behaviour, showing how prior experience can shape future action. This is useful evidence when discussing why social support and cooperative norms matter in relationships.

Key Study: Bryan and Test and the Power of Social Responsibility

Another classic study is by Bryan and Test. They investigated whether people were more likely to help when they had been exposed to a message that appealed to social responsibility. In their work, participants were made aware of a need for help and were more likely to help afterwards if they had previously heard a reminder about being responsible toward others.

The study is important because it shows that helping can be increased through simple prompts. People do not always need strong rewards or punishment. A message that activates a moral or social norm can be enough to change behaviour. This is especially relevant in public settings, such as charity campaigns, anti-littering programs, or school assemblies promoting kindness.

The main lesson from Bryan and Test is that prosocial behaviour can be influenced by situational cues. If people are reminded that helping is the right thing to do, they may act on that reminder. This fits with the broader IB idea that human behaviour is shaped by both cognition and social context.

For example, imagine a school campaign with posters saying, “When you see someone struggling, step in and help.” Such a message may make students more aware of their responsibility to act. That is the practical value of this study: it helps psychologists and educators design interventions that encourage helping.

Key Study: Schwartz and Howard and Personal Norms

Schwartz and Howard contributed to the understanding of prosocial behaviour by focusing on personal norms. A personal norm is an internal sense of moral obligation, like feeling that you should help because it is the right thing to do.

Their work suggests that people are more likely to help when they believe they have a responsibility and when they understand that their actions matter. Helping becomes more likely when a person recognizes a need, feels responsible, and believes they can reduce the problem. This sequence is important because it shows that helping is not automatic. It involves thought, judgment, and moral decision-making.

This idea connects strongly to human relationships because relationships depend on trust, care, and ethical action. If people feel responsible for one another, cooperation becomes more likely. In families, friendships, and communities, personal norms can encourage people to support each other even when helping is inconvenient.

A real-world example is a student seeing bullying in the hallway. If the student has a strong personal norm about fairness and safety, they may report the incident or comfort the victim. The action is guided not only by outside pressure but also by an internal moral standard.

How Key Studies Work Together

These studies all show that prosocial behaviour can be promoted in different ways. Reciprocity emphasizes returning help after receiving it. Social responsibility highlights the idea that people should help because it is the right thing to do. Personal norms focus on internal moral beliefs. Together, they give a fuller picture of helping behaviour.

This is a helpful IB Psychology strategy: compare and connect studies. students, when you write or speak about these studies, do not just list them. Explain the shared theme and the difference in explanation. For example:

Berkowitz and Daniels highlight the role of past help and reciprocal obligation.
Bryan and Test show that simple reminders can increase helping.
Schwartz and Howard emphasize the role of internal moral norms.

A strong exam answer may also mention that helping is influenced by situational factors, not just personality. This is important because it means prosocial behaviour can be encouraged through education, social messages, and community design.

Application to Psychology of Human Relationships

The topic of prosocial behaviour fits the wider study of human relationships because relationships depend on mutual support and cooperation. Helping strengthens bonds and reduces conflict. It can improve trust between classmates, family members, friends, and strangers.

In group settings, prosocial behaviour can improve teamwork. A group project works better when members share tasks and support one another. In communities, prosocial behaviour can increase safety and connectedness. During emergencies, helping can save lives. In online spaces, prosocial behaviour might include encouraging someone, correcting misinformation kindly, or reporting harmful posts.

These studies also help explain relationship change. When people begin helping more, relationships often become warmer and more stable. Over time, repeated helping can create a cycle of trust. That is why prosocial behaviour is not only a nice extra; it is a key part of healthy social life.

Conclusion

Key studies of promoting prosocial behaviour show that helping can be encouraged through reciprocity, social responsibility, and personal norms. Berkowitz and Daniels demonstrated that receiving help can increase later helping. Bryan and Test showed that reminding people of responsibility can increase prosocial action. Schwartz and Howard showed that internal moral norms shape whether people choose to help.

For IB Psychology SL, the big idea is that helping is shaped by both the person and the situation. students, if you understand these studies, you can explain why people help, how helping can be increased, and how prosocial behaviour supports human relationships. This makes the topic useful not only for exams, but also for understanding everyday life and building better communities. 🤝

Study Notes

Prosocial behaviour is voluntary action that benefits another person or group.
Altruism is helping without expecting a reward; prosocial behaviour may include many motives.
The norm of reciprocity means people often feel they should return help.
Berkowitz and Daniels showed that receiving help can increase later helping.
Bryan and Test found that reminders about social responsibility can increase helping.
Schwartz and Howard emphasized personal norms, or internal moral obligations to help.
Helping is influenced by both internal factors, such as empathy and morals, and external factors, such as social messages.
Prosocial behaviour strengthens relationships, trust, cooperation, and community wellbeing.
In IB Psychology, compare studies by explaining both similarities and differences in their explanations of helping.
Real-world applications include school kindness campaigns, charity appeals, and public safety messages.