Two Sides of the Same Coin? The Relations between Prosocial and Physically Aggressive Behaviors

The direct and indirect relations between six types of prosocial behavior and physical aggression were examined. Data were gathered from 252 college students (M age = 21.67 years; 184 women) who completed measures of sympathy, prosocial behavior, and physical aggression. Structural equation modeling revealed that sympathy fully mediated the relations between compliant prosocial behaviors and physical aggression, and partially mediated the relations between altruism and physical aggression and public prosocial behaviors and physical aggression. The fi ndings suggest that the relations between prosocial behaviors and aggression are complex and that prosocial behavior should not be treated as a unitary construct

Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project

Citizen science, also known as participatory research, combines the efforts of professional researchers and community volunteers to collect data. We have established one such collaborative project in eastern North Carolina, near the 79,000-acre Hofmann Forest, called the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) citizen science project. The White Oak River, New River, and Trent River all flow out of the Hofmann. The Hofmann is an ecological keystone in the region, acting as a natural filtration system for harmful runoff that occurs in the coastal plain of North Carolina. Our purposes for this study were twofold: (a) to evaluate the HOWL project by assessing the perceptions of HOWL participants and determining whether the project achieved its goals of individual development and community engagement and (b) to provide recommendations for the HOWL project as well as suggestions for other participatory research projects in their beginning phases. We interviewed 12 HOWL citizen scientists who participated in the project, and we drew two major conclusions from our research. First, we recognized that community engagement and collaboration drastically increased in rural eastern North Carolina due to the community members’ participation in water monitoring and natural resource management. Second, citizen scientists achieved their personal goals and objectives by participating in the HOWL project: Participants reported that they learned new skills, gained knowledge of scientific and research procedures, developed an attachment to their community and region, and acted as environmental stewards

The interplay of emotional instability, empathy, and coping on prosocial and aggressive behaviors

Examine the meditating and moderating effects of socioemotive traits and coping styles on aggression and prosocial behaviors. A sample of 1,557 students from Spain (53% male, M age = 13.12) completed self-report instruments of coping, empathy, emotional instability, physical aggression, and prosocial behaviors. Structural equation analysis showed support for two mediation models but little support for moderation. Emotional instability positively predicted emotion-focused coping, which in turn, positively predicted aggression. In contrast, empathy positively predicted problem-focused coping, which in turn, positively predicted prosocial behaviors. Moreover, problem-focused coping positively predicted trait empathy, which in turn positively predicted prosocial behaviors, and negatively predicted aggression. Emotion-focused coping was positively related to emotional instability, which in turn, was positively related to aggression. Discussion focuses on the interplay of self regulation and socioemotive traits in predicting aggressive and prosocial behaviors

The Structure and Correlates of a Measure of Prosocial Moral Reasoning in Adolescents from Spain

Examined the structure and correlates of a measure of prosocial moral reasoning in a sample of young and middle-aged adolescents. 1556 students (53% male, M age = 13.12, SD = .87) from Valencia, Spain completed paper-and-pencil measures of prosocial moral reasoning (PROM), empathy, prosocial behaviors, and aggression. As expected, a series of confirmatory factor and structural equation modeling analyses revealed a four-factor solution of the PROM to have the best fit (as compared to alternative models) among Spanish youth (across gender and grade). Moreover, higher level and other-oriented forms of prosocial moral reasoning were generally positively related to empathy and prosocial behaviors, and negatively related to aggression. In contrast, generally, lower level and self-focused modes of prosocial moral reasoning were negatively related to such prosocial tendencies, and positively related to aggression. Discussion focused on the psychometric properties of the PROM and its relations to theoretically-relevant correlates among Spanish yout

The Protective Role of Prosocial Behaviors on Antisocial Behaviors: The Mediating Effects of Deviant Peer Affiliation

Prosocial behaviors, actions intended to help others, may serve a protective function against association with deviant peers and subsequent delinquent and antisocial behaviors. The present study examined the relations among specific types of prosocial behaviors, deviant peer affiliation, and delinquent and aggressive behaviors. Six hundred and sixty-six adolescents (46% girls; M age = 15.33, SD = .47) from Valencia, Spain completed questionnaires of prosocial behaviors, affiliation with deviant peers, antisocial behaviors, and aggression. Results showed that antisocial behaviors were negatively related only to specific forms of prosocial behaviors. Further analyses showed that deviant peer affiliation mediated the relations between compliant prosocial behavior and delinquency and aggression. Although altruism was not directly related to delinquency and aggression, it was indirectly linked to the behaviors via deviant peer affiliation. Discussion focuses on the relevance of specific forms of prosocial behaviors to antisocial behaviors and the risk of deviant peers for prosocial youth

Virtual Interviewing for Residency/Fellowship during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Virtual interviewing for graduate medical education (GME) had been experimented with on a small scale in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but it became a necessity for the 2020–2021 match season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will briefly discuss the history of virtual interviewing and the published literature on virtual interviewing in GME. Based on the literature and recommendations from various organizations, we address preparation for virtual interviews including special considerations for programs and fellowships. We discuss the pros and cons of virtual interviewing both in order to better understand the current situation and to make informed choices moving forward regarding continuation of virtual interviewing versus returning to in-person interviewing

Temperament, Parenting, and Prosocial Behaviors: Applying a New Interactive Theory of Prosocial Development

The primary purpose of the current study was to examine whether theoretically based interactions between dimensions of children’s temperament and maternal socialization predicted children’s and early adolescents’ prosocial (i.e, helping) behaviors. A new theory was derived by examining how an existing interactive model of early moral development, Kochanska’s (1993) theory of early conscience internalization, would apply to the prediction of prosocial behaviors. Aspects of child temperament and maternal socialization were thought to operate in a different manner from Kochanska’s theory. Unlike early conscience internalization, fearful temperament and parental punishment do not appear to promote prosocial behavior. Moreover, it was thought that children with vulnerable temperaments may especially benefit from maternal responsiveness to children’s distress as the regulation of distressful emotions is necessary before children can help others. The current study thus tested the hypothesis that the relations between responsive parenting and prosocial behaviors would be the most positive for children and early adolescents with vulnerable (i.e., fearful, angry/frustrated, shy) temperaments. It was also expected that the relations between firm discipline and prosocial behaviors would not be positive for individuals with vulnerable temperaments. The current study examined 1,068 (538 girls, 83% White) children across several time points (54 months, 6 and 10, 11, and 12 years) who participated in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. No support for the hypotheses proposing interactions between maternal socialization and children’s vulnerable temperament was evident. However, partial support was found for main effects such that angry/frustrated temperament was generally negatively related to prosocial behaviors, and maternal responsiveness and firm discipline were generally positively related to prosocial behaviors. Contrary to the hypothesis, fearful and shy temperament were not related to prosocial behaviors and maternal responsiveness did not emerge as a unique predictor in relation to firm discipline. Demographic variables were related to prosocial behaviors; girls were rated as being more prosocial than boys, White children were rated as being more prosocial than minority children, and family income was positively related to prosocial behaviors. These results indicate that interactions between children’s temperament and maternal socialization may not be predictive of children’s and early adolescents’ prosocial behaviors. Advisor: Gustavo Carl