其他摘要 | The influence of social information on individuals is everywhere. Humans are constantly making decisions by integrating their own experience with information from the outside world. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to social influence from their peers. However, previous studies on peer influence mainly focus on risk-taking and misbehavior, such as aggressive behavior, negative risk-taking behavior, smoking and alcohol abuse, while the positive aspects of peer influence have not been paid enough attention. Prosocial behavior, as an important social adaptation behavior, is of great significance to adolescent development. In recent years, studies have begun to explore the positive influence of peers, but there is no consensus on whether adolescents' prosocial behavior is more likely to be influenced by altruistic or egoistic peers, and there is a lack of research on its influencing mechanism. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of decision-making information provided by peers on adolescents' sharing behavior and its internal influencing mechanism.
Study 1 examined how different types of information provided by peers (prosocial vs. selfish) affect charitable donation at real cost in adolescents and adults. In addition, previous studies have shown that children are more likely to learn from authority (reliable, knowledgeable, or high-status adults) than from peers, and that adolescents may be more influenced by information provided by peers than by adults. Therefore, the influence of different information sources (peers vs. adults) on adolescents' sharing behavior is another concern of this research. In Experiment 1,78 adolescents aged 1214 years old (Mage=13.81士0.58 years old, 35 girls) and 79 adolescents aged 15一17 years old (Mage=16.69士0.61 years old, 30 girls) and 61 adults aged 2252 years old (Mage=29.22士8.37 years old, 35 female) were recruited, and the adaptive behavior experimental paradigm was used. The results showed that adolescents were more prosocial than adults in their initial donation. They were also more likely to adjust their subsequent sharing to increase donations when they learned that their peers were more generous, but not when their peers shared less than they did. In Experiment 2, 77 adolescents aged 12一15 years old (Mage=14.06士0.74 years old, 32 girls) were recruited, and the conflicting information source paradigm was added (present subjects with two pieces of information at the same time in each trial: One message was more altruistic than the subject's initial decision and the other more egoistic than the subject's initial decision). The results confirmed the finding of Experiment 1 that adolescents were more likely to be altruistically influenced by peers. Moreover, when adolescents observed both generous and selfish information, their secondary donations were more likely to change in the direction of altruism, and this shift was more likely to occur under the condition of peer influence rather than the condition of adult influence.
Study 2 further examined the cognitive mechanism of adolescents' sharing behavior when it is influenced by peers. Some researchers believe that the process of peer influence on adolescent decision-making is due to intuitive or reactive decision-making, while others believe that it is related to the adolescents' processing ability of deliberative thinking. In Experiment 3, 85 adolescents aged 13一15 (79 valid data, Mage=13.82士0.44 years old, 34 girls) were selected to explore the information processing mechanism in the process of social information influence. By manipulating time pressure and cognitive load, the peer influence of adolescents under different processing modes of intuition and deliberation was investigated, which further supported the cognitive mechanism of prosocial behavior. The results showed that adolescents were more likely to be influenced by altruistic information than by egoistic information, which verifies the previous findings. Moreover, the prosocial influence of adolescents was stable in the decision-making process, and there was no significant difference between intuitive processing and deliberative processing, indicating that deliberative processing may not change the intuitive decisions.
Furthermore, exposure to social information of others can not only enable individuals to learn through observation and description, but also affect individuals' cognition of norms. Perceived social norms rather than actual social norms may play a role in social influence. In Experiment 4a, 93 adolescents aged 1214 (86 valid data, Mage=12.78士0.37 years old, 44 girls) were recruited to further investigated whether adolescents' perceived norms of peer group mediated their peer influence they experienced. The results showed that the mediating effect was significant. When adolescents observed their peer giving more, they assumed that most people gave more, thus determining their subsequent donation amount. In Experiment 4b, 62 adolescents aged 1214 years old (Mage=13.66士0.54 years old, 29 girls) were recruited to manipulate perceived social norms through normative cues to further verify the further connection between perceived descriptive norms and social influences.
Study 3 further examined the individual differences in the process of peer influence on adolescents' sharing behavior. Empathy is the basis of prosocial behavior, and the role of empathy on social influence is less discussed, especially in the prosocial context. In addition, from the perspective of social influence, interdependent self-constructors emphasize interpersonal connection and may be more susceptible to peer influence. Study 3 further examined the role of empathy and self-construal in peer influence on adolescent sharing behavior, with the same sample as Study 2. Experiment Sa used the Process plug-in to test the moderating effect. The results found that emotional empathy moderated peer influence adolescents experienced. Individuals with high emotional empathy were more likely to be influenced by peers, which is manifested as a greater increase in donation behavior. In Experiment 6a, the moderating effect of self-construal on peer influence was tested. The results showed that moderating effect was significant: the prosocial behaviors of highly interdependent individuals were more likely to be influenced by peers, which was manifested as a greater increase in donation behavior. Experiment Sb and Experiment6b further explored whether empathy or self-construal moderated the mediating effect of perceived descriptive norms in peer influence, and found that the moderated mediating effect was not significant. The mediating effect of perceived norms on peer effects did not change with the level of empathy or self-construal.
In conclusion, this paper examines the influence and mechanism of social information provided by peers on adolescents' charitable giving behavior at real cost. Adolescents are more prosocial than adults and are more likely to be positively influenced by their peers. Their secondary giving was more likely to change in the direction of altruism, and this shift was more likely to be influenced by peers than by adults. Such prosocial influences on adolescents are mediated by their perception of peer group norms. Emotional empathy and interdependent self-construal moderate the peer influence adolescents experienced. Individuals with high emotional empathy or high interdependent self-construal are more susceptible to peer influence in prosocial behavior. The research suggests that good peer moral models can help adolescents' sharing behavior and the mechanism of its formation. This research expands the theory of social learning, reveals the benefit of peer moral model to adolescents' prosocial behavior, and provides reference for improving the educational practice of adolescents' prosocial behavior. |
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