Promoting Prosociality: Testing the Potential of Moral Elevation and Moral Outrage

This thesis examines the effects of two specific moral emotions - moral elevation (experienced when witnessing a moral virtue) and moral outrage (experienced when witnessing a moral transgression) - on prosociality. While ample research has examined emotions such as sympathy and guilt, much less is known about moral elevation and moral outrage. Yet, their separate strands of research suggest that both moral elevation and moral outrage are promising emotions for promoting prosocial responses. Chapters 1 and 2 are theoretical chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the literatures on prosociality, moral emotions, and the effects of moral emotions on prosociality. Chapter 2 identifies and describes the key gaps in the moral elevation and moral outrage literatures. The key gaps in the literature and avenues for research include: (1) testing and comparing the specific and potentially distinctive prosocial outcomes of moral elevation and moral outrage, and (2) examining the specific component features of moral elevation and moral outrage, in particular focusing on the component features that have prosocial implications. Chapter 3 is a methodological chapter which reports three pilot studies testing the effects of emotion-inducing videos on feelings of moral elevation and feelings of moral outrage. The three pilot studies provide evidence for the effectiveness of the emotion-inducing stimuli used in this thesis. Chapters 4 and 5 are empirical chapters which test the effects of moral elevation and moral outrage on prosocial outcomes, drawing on the appraisal tendency framework (Horberg et al., 2011). Specifically, to identify, for the first time, how moral elevation and moral outrage may affect the same or distinct prosocial intentions and behaviours, Chapters 4 and 5 report four studies testing the joint and independent effects of these two emotions on different types of prosocial outcomes. Comparing their effects in an experimental design enables a direct test of whether they increase helping behaviours generally (across moral domains), or whether their effects are more nuanced and depend on the salience of their associated sociomoral concern (i.e., benevolence concerns for elevation and justice concerns for outrage). Specifically, Study 1 examines benevolence-relevant intentions in the form of self-reported prosocial benevolence intentions. Study 2 examines justice-relevant intentions in the form of prosocial political action intentions following an inequality. Study 3 examines benevolence-relevant behaviour in the form of charitable donations. Study 4 examines justice-relevant behaviour in the form of third-party bystander compensation and punishment following unfairness. Results provide support for the appraisal tendency framework. Specifically, moral elevation promoted prosocial intentions and behaviours when outcomes were relevant to benevolence concerns (Studies 1 and 3). In contrast, moral outrage promoted prosocial intentions and behaviours when outcomes were relevant to justice concerns (Studies 2 and 4). Chapters 6 and 7 examine the component features, rather than the behavioural outcomes of moral elevation and moral outrage. Chapter 6 reports two studies that explore the relationships between moral elevation and moral outrage and the behavioural activation and inhibition systems. The primary aim was to uncover whether moral elevation can be conceptualised as an approach-oriented emotion. Past research has already demonstrated that moral outrage is an approach-oriented emotion (Harmon-Jones, 2007). However, evidence for whether moral elevation can be conceptualised as an approach-oriented emotion is mixed. Results of both studies provide clear support for the notion that elevation is also an approach-oriented emotion. Specifically, individual differences in moral elevation were related to individual differences in the behavioural activation but not inhibition system. Furthermore, an elevation-inducing video, as compared to a control video, increased an approach-oriented state, as well as prosocial motivation. Chapter 7 is the final empirical chapter. Chapter 7 reports two studies that explore the effects of moral elevation and moral outrage on two specific component features - stereotyping and self-focus. Study 7 demonstrates that sympathy (but not elevation or outrage) instigates undesirable paternalistic stereotypes. Study 8 shows that guilt (but not elevation or outrage) instigates relatively more self-focus than other-focus. These studies provide support for the distinctive roles of elevation and outrage as bases for more unqualified prosocial responses than are produced by sympathy or guilt. Chapter 8 provides an integrative discussion of this thesis, highlighting the key findings, the theoretical and applied implications, the limitations, and the future directions of this research. The primary findings of this thesis are that moral elevation and moral outrage may be particularly effective strategies for mobilising people to want to help others. However, their prosocial effects are distinctive and therefore the emotions should be used appropriately. This thesis informs and extends important theoretical frameworks including the appraisal tendency framework (Horberg et al., 2011) and the model of moral emotion prototypicality (Haidt, 2003), as well as the moral elevation and moral outrage literatures more specifically. The findings have direct implications for end-users including charitable organisations. Specifically, this thesis provides insights into the types of emotion-based interventions that may be effective for promoting prosocial action. Chapter 8 concludes with a discussion of important and exciting avenues for future research which include applying an intergroup framework to this research as well as testing the effects of moral elevation and moral outrage on prosociality among children and adolescents

Vers une intégration efficace du numérique en classe : croisement d'expériences et pistes de réflexion

Dans le cadre du Pacte pour un Enseignement d’Excellence, les consortiums Langues Modernes et Numérique ont analysé plusieurs dispositifs didactiques numériques dans neuf classes de langues modernes et de français-informatique. Les résultats des expérimentations ont mis en avant plusieurs difficultés techniques rencontrées par les élèves quant à l’utilisation d’outils numériques en classe. Par ailleurs, une série de facteurs ont été identifiés comme jouant un rôle sur la qualité de la production des élèves en matière de contenu disciplinaire. Le croisement des données permet dès lors de proposer certaines pistes de réflexion pour une intégration efficace d’un nouvel outil numérique dans une activité scolaire. Une combinaison réfléchie de l’expertise disciplinaire, pédagogique et technologique de l’enseignant est au cœur des suggestions tout comme, pour l’élève, une combinaison entre le contenu à produire, les activités pédagogiques dont il doit bénéficier pour le produire, et les outils à utiliser pour réaliser la tâche

Investigating the effects of social information on spite in an online game

While humans are highly cooperative, they can also behave spitefully. Yet, spite remains understudied. Spite can be normatively driven and while previous experiments have found some evidence that cooperation and punishment may spread via social learning, no experiments have considered the social transmission of spiteful behaviour. Here we present an online experiment where, following an opportunity to earn wealth, we asked participants to choose an action toward an anonymous partner across a full spectrum of social behaviour, from spite to altruism. In accordance with cultural evolutionary theory, participants were presented with social information that varied in source and content. Across six conditions, we informed participants that either the majority or the highest earner had chosen to behave spitefully, neutrally or altruistically. We found an overall tendency towards altruism, but at lower levels among those exposed to spite compared to altruism. We found no difference between social information that came from the majority or the highest earner. Exploratory analysis revealed that participants’ earnings negatively correlated with altruistic behaviour. Our results contrast with previous literature that report high rates of spite in experimental samples and a greater propensity for individuals to copy successful individuals over the majority

Teaching with technology, as easy as 1-2-3:assessment of an in-service teacher training module

Cet article fait état de la recherche menée par un groupe pluridisciplinaire sur un scénario de formation baptisé 2 temps 3 mouvements, à destination des enseignants en langues. Combinant une expertise multiple en acquisition des langues secondes, en numérique pédagogique, et en formation enseignante, trois chercheuses ont imaginé, mis en pratique, puis analysé un scénario de formation continuée. En se basant sur plusieurs théories d'intégration du numérique en classe et sur une série de données qualitatives récoltées tout au long de la formation, l'équipe de recherche a pu mettre en exergue différents aspects. Dans un premier temps, l'effet du scénario sur les représentations des participants quant au numérique à l'école a été analysé. Ensuite, l'attention a été portée sur l'évolution des pratiques numériques des enseignants à l'issue de la formation. Enfin, le scénario de formation en lui-même et son efficacité ont été investigués. Les différents résultats exposés ont permis aux chercheuses de formuler des recommandations de bonnes pratiques dans la perspective d'une nouvelle édition de formation en 2 temps 3 mouvements

Social learning strategies and cooperative behaviour: Evidence of payoff bias, but not prestige or conformity, in a social dilemma game

Human cooperation, occurring without reciprocation and between unrelated individuals in large populations, represents an evolutionary puzzle. One potential explanation is that cooperative behaviour may be transmitted between individuals via social learning. Using an online social dilemma experiment, we find evidence that participants’ contributions were more consistent with payoff-biased transmission than prestige-biased transmission or conformity. We also found some evidence for lower cooperation (i) when exposed to social information about peer cooperation levels than without such information, and (ii) in the prisoners’ dilemma game compared to the snowdrift game. A simulation model established that the observed cooperation was more likely to be caused by participants’ general propensity to cooperate than by the effect of social learning strategies employed within the experiment, but that this cooperative propensity could be reduced through selection. Overall, our results support previous experimental evidence indicating the role of payoff-biased transmission in explaining cooperative behaviour, but we find that this effect was small and was overwhelmed by participants’ general propensity for cooperation

Cooperation and group similarity in children and young adults in the UK

For cooperation to be beneficial, cooperators should be able to differentiate individuals who are willing to cooperate from free-riders. In the absence of kin or of familiar individuals, phenotypic similarity (e.g. in terms of language) can be used as a cue of how likely two or more individuals would behave similarly (cooperate or free-ride). Thus, phenotypic similarity could affect cooperation. However, it is unclear whether humans respond to any type of phenotypic similarity or whether only salient phenotypic traits guide cooperation. We tested whether within-group, non-salient phenotypic similarity affects cooperation in 280, 3-10 year old children and in 76 young adults (mean: 19.8 years old) in the UK. We experimentally manipulated the degree of phenotypic similarity in three computer-based experiments. We found no evidence of a preference for, or greater cooperation with, phenotypically similar individuals in children, even though children displayed ingroup preference. Conversely, young adults cooperated more with phenotypically similar than with phenotypically diverse individuals as themselves. Our results suggest that response to non-salient phenotypic similarity varies with age and that young adults may pay more attention to non-salient cues of diversity then children

L’ éveil aux langues en Belgique francophone: de la théorie à la pratique

In the framework of the ‘Pacte pour un enseignement d'excellence’ project (pact for teaching excellence) in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels (FWB), the Awakening to Languages (AtL) has been added to the kindergarten curriculum since September 2020. According to the progression framework document (Balises de progression de l'éveil aux langues, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, 2020), the objectives of this AtL involve developing openness to linguistic and cultural diversity, strengthening interest in languages, and ensuring the development of knowledge relating to languages. AtL is one of the four pluralistic approaches to plurilingualism and involves discovering, exploring, comparing and using a variety of languages (Candelier, 2008). Significant previous research has already been carried out in Europe while, surprisingly, little research has been carried out in our country.         In this framework, we put into perspective the aims of AtL inspired by Candelier (2008), and a series of teaching practices collected in four different kindergarten classes via two research questions: (1) Do the teaching practices meet the theoretical objectives of the progression framework? (2) What are the obstacles and difficulties encountered in the implementation of AtL in FWB ? Two types of data are collected and allow for the analysis of the implementation of EAL: self-reported teaching practices collected during interviews and observed teaching practices in the classroom. We will try to identify categories of information (L’Ecuyer, 1990) from the individual interviews and our observations of teaching practices. The qualitative analysis will also highlight the obstacles and difficulties with a view to improving the pedagogical support of teachers.Dans le cadre des travaux du Pacte pour un enseignement d’excellence en Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB), l'éveil aux langues (EAL) a été ajouté au programme des élèves en maternelle depuis septembre 2020. Selon les « Balises de progression de l’éveil aux langues » (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, 2020), les objectifs de sensibilisation et de prise de conscience de phénomènes langagiers impliquent de développer des attitudes d’ouverture à la diversité linguistique et culturelle, de renforcer l’intérêt pour les langues et d’assurer le développement de savoirs relatifs aux langues. Divers projets de recherche de grande ampleur abordant l’EAL ont été menés en Europe, mais la situation en FWB n’a pas encore fait l’objet d’études spécifiques. Notre recherche met en perspective les visées théoriques de l’EAL (inspirées de Candelier, 2008) et les pratiques enseignantes observées dans quatre classes de maternelle via deux questions de recherche : (1) Les pratiques observées rencontrent-elles les objectifs poursuivis par le document de référence Balises ? (2) Quels sont les freins et difficultés rencontrés dans la mise en œuvre de l’EAL en FWB ?  Les pratiques déclarées récoltées lors d’entretiens semi-dirigés et l’observation des pratiques en classe ont permis l’analyse de la mise en œuvre de l'EAL. En nous basant sur le modèle ouvert de l’analyse de contenu qualitative (L'Écuyer,1990), nous avons identifié des catégories d’informations à partir des données brutes. La grille d’analyse nous permet de dresser une classification finale des freins et difficultés et ainsi de dégager des pistes d’amélioration de l’accompagnement des nouveaux acteurs de l’EAL.&nbsp

Attribution of the heavy rainfall events leading to severe flooding in Western Europe during July 2021

In July 2021 extreme rainfall across Western Europe caused severe flooding and substantial impacts, including over 200 fatalities and extensive infrastructure damage within Germany and the Benelux countries. After the event, a hydrological assessment and a probabilistic event attribution analysis of rainfall data were initiated and complemented by discussing the vulnerability and exposure context. The global mean surface temperature (GMST) served as a covariate in a generalised extreme value distribution fitted to observational and model data, exploiting the dependence on GMST to estimate how anthropogenic climate change affects the likelihood and severity of extreme events. Rainfall accumulations in Ahr/Erft and the Belgian Meuse catchment vastly exceeded previous observed records. In regions of that limited size the robust estimation of return values and the detection and attribution of rainfall trends are challenging. However, for the larger Western European region it was found that, under current climate conditions, on average one rainfall event of this magnitude can be expected every 400 years at any given location. Consequently, within the entire region, events of similar magnitude are expected to occur more frequently than once in 400 years. Anthropogenic climate change has already increased the intensity of the maximum 1-day rainfall event in the summer season by 3–19 %. The likelihood of such an event to occur today compared to a 1.2 ∘ C cooler climate has increased by a factor of 1.2–9. Models indicate that intensity and frequency of such events will further increase with future global warming. While attribution of small-scale events remains challenging, this study shows that there is a robust increase in the likelihood and severity of rainfall events such as the ones causing extreme impacts in July 2021 when considering a larger region

The role of mobile-assisted language learning in instructed second language acquisition : a mixed methods approach to the integration of MALL in language skills training in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels

Digital technologies have transformed several aspects and domains of our society, among which language, language use and literacies, but also foreign language learning and teaching. The use of mobile technologies to support language learning has been studied for a few decades in the Mobile Language Learning (MALL) research field. In parallel, governments have started to support the integration of technologies in school curricula with, for example, in French-speaking Belgium, the introduction of digital literacies in learning outcomes. Yet, we have little knowledge about actual MALL practices in secondary schools in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels (FWB) or about how mobile technologies can be integrated in usual teaching and learning practices. The present thesis uses a mixed methods approach to investigate the potential role of mobile technologies in Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) and presents the results of three main studies conducted from 2015 to 2020. The first part of the dissertation aims to frame the research in its context, at the intersection of different fields of research, and to explore the FWB educational system, i.e. the learning environment in which most studies are conducted. Starting with a look into the ISLA research field and a focus on the integration and use of technologies in ILL, i.e. the world of CALL (Chapter 1), we then investigate the more recent field of MALL (Chapter 2) and several key aspects which are exploited in the studies of the research such as mobile attitudes, affordances, the evaluation of MALL activities, and the use of self-produced videos in oracy practices. We finally take a more institutional perspective and look into the place of (mobile) technologies in L2 learning and teaching in compulsory education in the FWB (Chapter 3). After the literature review, we detail the methodology (Chapter 4) adopted in each study developed in the multi-phase design, describe the MALL projects and activities co-created with teachers and/or researchers, and present three research paradigms selected to carry out the studies, viz. a mixed methods approach, teacher-researcher collaboration and an ecological perspective. The practical part of the research first seeks to understand its context by studying teachers‘ and learners’ declared uses of and attitudes towards MALL (Chapter 5). It therefore presents the descriptive results of a cross-sectional survey, whose questionnaire was distributed among upper-secondary FWB language teachers and learners in 2016. Additional qualitative data provides information on the educational context in which MALL could be used. This mixed-methods study is followed by a thematic comparison of its findings with the results of three complementary surveys on CALL & MALL uses carried out with teams of researchers in 2015, 2018 and 2020. The second study (Chapter 6) analyses the integration of mobile technologies in language skills training thanks to a cross-case synthesis of the results of four case studies conducted in collaboration with several researchers between 2017 and 2019. The first case study focuses on the design and evaluation of a writing mobile DDL app (TELL-OP app) for informal language learning. The second one looks into MALL integration among pre-service teachers with the co-creation of a mobile treasure hunt (De Avonturen van Hergé) focusing on the practice of reading strategies in primary education in the FWB. The last two case studies aimed to design and evaluate teacher training modules (formation 2 temps 3 mouvements) relating to the integration of (mobile) technologies in the practice of L2 productive skills in the FWB. The second edition of the module allowed to gather additional data from learners on their integration of the tool. The final case study (Chapter 7) zooms in on the integration and use of a video discussion app to support foreign language oracy practices in secondary education in French-speaking Belgium. The MALL project was implemented by four groups of learners and their three teachers for one school semester. The analyses focus on (1) the activities implemented in the projects, (2) the teachers’ perceptions on the project and their integration of technology, and (3) the learners’ perceptions and the task implementation process from their perspective. The main results, presented in the final part of the thesis (Chapter 8), show that, while actual MALL uses in FWB language classrooms are scarce, task-based MALL can promote the use of contemporary pedagogies, support ISLA research principles and foster the development of learners’ digital literacies. They suggest that three key factors need to be considered to align the use of MALL with ISLA principles: the mobile tool and its affordances, the task(s) designed for the learning activity, and the teacher and its multiple roles. It is also concluded that mobile tasks can be exploited at various levels of L2 proficiency to develop receptive and/or productive skills in different learning contexts. Besides, the findings reveal that perceptions on MALL have evolved throughout the research period and are generally positive, especially after teachers and learners have experienced MALL projects and had a recurrent use of tools in their practices. Nevertheless, the analyses indicate the need to consider some potential obstacles to effective mobile technology integration in language learning: (1) learners’ and teachers’ lack of digital literacies, (2) teachers’ difficulties in accompanying learners in the implementation of mobile tasks, and (3) the little attention drawn to the development of digital literacies when performing mobile tasks. Overall, the results of the three studies speak to the importance of developing specific MALL teacher training and support to ensure the implementation of sound practices in the foreign language classroom.(LALE - Langues et lettres) -- UCL, 202