Empathy-motivated helping: the moderating role of group membership.
In this article, the authors present two laboratory experiments testing a group-level perspective on the role of empathy in helping. Experiment 1 tested the authors' predictions in an intercultural context of helping. Confirming their specific Empathy x Group Membership moderation hypothesis, empathy had a stronger effect on helping intentions when the helper and the target belonged to the same cultural group than when they belonged to different groups. Experiment 2 replicated these findings in a modified minimal group paradigm using laboratory-created groups. Moreover, this second experiment also provides evidence for the hypothesized psychological mechanisms underlying the empathy-(ingroup) helping relationship. Specifically, analyses in the ingroup condition confirmed that the strength of the empathy-(ingroup) helping relationship systematically varied as a function of perceived similarities among ingroup members. The general implications of these findings for empathy-motivated helping are discussed.
Stürmer
Stefan
S
Institut für Psychologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany. stuermer@psychilogie.uni-kiel.de
Snyder
Mark
M
Kropp
Alexandra
A
Siem
Birte
B
D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006126:Group Processes; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota; D012044:Regression Analysis