Psychology, Department of
Date of this Version
2-14-2002
Abstract
The correlates and structure of prosocial behaviors in late adolescents were examined using a newly constructed, multidimensional measure. In Study 1, 249 college students (145 women; M age = 19.9 years) were administered the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) which assesses 6 types of prosocial behaviors: altruistic, compliant, emotional, dire, public, and anonymous. Measures of sympathy, perspective taking, personal distress, social desirability, global prosocial behaviors, social responsibility, ascription of responsibility, vocabulary skills, and prosocial moral reasoning were also completed. Test-retest reliability and further validity of the PTM were demonstrated in Study 2 with a sample of 40 college students (28 women; M age = 22.9 years). Results from both studies yielded evidence of adequate reliability and validity of the PTM and support the notion of differentiated forms of helping.
Comments
Published in Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31:1 (February 2002), pp. 31-44. Copyright © 2002 Plenum Publishing Corporation/Springer Verlag BV. Used by permission. DOI 10.1023/A:1014033032440 Online @ http://www.springerlink.com/content/3e8lgjwbkup7gghm