Authors
Niels J Van Doesum, Paul AM Van Lange, Joshua M Tybur, Ana Leal, Eric Van Dijk
Publication date
2022/6
Journal
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations
Volume
25
Issue
4
Pages
1064-1083
Publisher
Sage Publications
Description
People are quick to form impressions of others’ social class, and likely adjust their behavior accordingly. If social class is linked to prosociality, as literature suggests, then an interaction partner’s class should affect prosocial behavior, especially when costs or investments are low. We test this expectation using social mindfulness (SoMi) and dictator games (DG) as complementary measures of prosociality. We manipulate target class by providing information regarding a target’s (a) position on a social class ladder, and (b) family background. Three studies using laboratory and online approaches (Noverall = 557) in two nations (the Netherlands [NL], the UK), featuring actual and hypothetical exchanges, reveal that lower class targets are met with greater prosociality than higher class targets, even when based on information about the targets’ parents (Study 3). The effect of target class was partially mediated by …
Total citations
202120222023237
Scholar articles
NJ Van Doesum, PAM Van Lange, JM Tybur, A Leal… - Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2022