Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 2022 · 20 citations · 0 references
EducationEducational PsychologyPsychologyAdolescent DevelopmentDevelopmental PsychologyProsocial BehaviorEmpathyPeer InfluencePeer RelationsPeer RelationshipsProsocial DevelopmentSocial-emotional InterventionAdolescent EmpathyAdolescent Prosocial DevelopmentEmpathic MotivationEmpathy In AdolescenceEmpathy-based InterventionPeer Influence On MotivationPeer Influence On Prosocial BehaviorPeer Motivation
to empathize. To do so, we leveraged strategies demonstrated to change motivation among early adolescents: social norms and mindsets. Compared with those in other conditions, students who received a norms-based intervention reported greater motivation to empathize with others, which was in turn associated with increased peer-reported prosocial behaviors, as well as lower levels of loneliness and aggression. The effects of this norms condition were strongest at schools with relatively high engagement with the intervention. Findings suggest a novel avenue for increasing empathy among early adolescents-focusing on peer-driven motivation-and underscore the importance of context in shaping intervention outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).