💬 On definitions and concepts of prosocial behaviour — a new review article
One of the main research themes of our group is prosocial behaviour especially in common marmosets. To be able to make progress in terms of comparative research on prosocial behaviour conceptual frameworks are necessary to operationalize and compare prosocial behaviours among different species. In a review paper published in Animal Cognition the authors (including two lab members) attempt to provide such a framework. Central to the paper is the definition of prosocial behaviour which entails 3 main features:
the behaviour produces a benefit for one or more individuals other than the actor as a direct result of the actor’s action,
the behaviour is intentional, i.e. directed towards the respective outcome for the recipient(s), and not accidental,
the behaviour is voluntary, i.e. the actor was not (noticeably) forced to act and would have been able to act otherwise.
In the main body of the text the theoretical framework is applied to empirical work on two main contexts of prosocial behaviour namely food sharing and helping.
