A Multiplicative Model of the Dispositional Antecedents of a Prosocial Behavior: Predicting More of the People More of the Time

Researchers have demonstrated that individual differences in prosocial behavior may be a function of dispositional or person variables. However, the observed empirical relations have been relatively modest, perhaps because researchers have most often examined simple additive or single predictor models. The present investigation examined a multiplicative model of the relation of dispositional variables to a prosocial behavior. Eighty-six children between 6 and 9 years old completed a monetary donation task and measures of the general tendency to understand and reason about the affective state of others, to be sympathetic, and to understand the units and value of money. As expected, children who scored high in affective reasoning, sympathy, and money knowledge donated considerably more than children who scored low in any of these dispositional variables.