Contemporary study (option): Prot et al. (2014)

Aims

To investigate links between prosocial media use (TV, films and games showing helping), empathy and prosocial (helping) behaviour, across cultures and over time, and whether empathy explains the link. It tests social learning ideas: do people learn helping from media models?

Study 1 (cross-sectional, seven countries)

• 2,202 adolescents and adults from Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, Japan, Romania and the United States.
• Participants named their 3 favourite TV shows, films and video games, rated how often they watched or played them, and rated their prosocial and violent content.
• Empathy: subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Prosocial behaviour: the Brief Prosocial Scale.
• Results: in all country groups, more prosocial media use was associated with more empathy and more prosocial behaviour; empathy explained the link.

Study 2 (longitudinal, Singapore)

• Children and adolescents in Singapore, followed for two years with three data collection points. The sample started at 3,034 and 2,232 remained at the end.
• Measured favourite video games, hours played and violence in the games; empathy; and helping and cooperation.
• Results: at each time, prosocial media use correlated positively with empathy and prosocial behaviour, and violent media use negatively. Prosocial game use at Time 1 predicted more prosocial behaviour at Time 3; violent game use predicted less. Empathy explained these effects.

Conclusions and evaluation

Conclusions: prosocial media has a positive long-term effect on helping, and violent media a negative one, through changes in empathy; the links appeared across cultures, ages and genders.

Evaluation:

• Strengths: large samples from many cultures increase generalisability; Study 2 is longitudinal, so it can show which came first; standardised scales support reliability.
• Weaknesses: self-report measures of media use and helping may be inaccurate or socially desirable; correlational, so third variables (such as parenting) cannot be ruled out; attrition in Study 2; Study 1 is cross-sectional, so the authors noted strong causal conclusions are difficult.

Worked example

In Study 2 the sample fell from 3,034 to 2,232. Calculate the attrition rate.

1. Dropped out: 3034 - 2232 = 802.
2. 802 / 3034 x 100 = 26.4%.

Answer: About 26.4% dropped out.

Check yourself

1. How many participants were in Prot et al.'s Study 1?
   Show answer

   2202 people. 2,202 adolescents and adults.

2. How many countries were in Study 1?
   Show answer

   7 countries. Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, Japan, Romania and the United States.

3. Where was Study 2 carried out?
   • Singapore
   • Brazil
   • Canada
   • Spain
   Show answer

   Singapore. Study 2 used children and adolescents in Singapore.

4. Study 2 started with 3,034 participants and ended with 2,232. What percentage dropped out, to 1 decimal place?
   Show answer

   26.4 %. 802 / 3034 x 100 = 26.4%.

5. What did Prot et al. find explained the link between prosocial media and helping?
   • Testosterone
   • Empathy
   • Classical conditioning of fear
   • Sleep quality
   Show answer

   Empathy. Increases in empathy explained increases in helping.

6. In Study 2, what did violent video game use at Time 1 predict?
   • More prosocial behaviour at Time 3
   • No change in anything
   • Higher empathy at Time 3
   • Less prosocial behaviour at Time 3
   Show answer

   Less prosocial behaviour at Time 3. Violent game use had a negative long-term effect on helping.

7. Explain how Prot et al. (2014) supports social learning theory.
   Show answer

   It found that people who used more prosocial media, which shows models helping others, later showed more helping behaviour, suggesting they learned prosocial behaviour by observing and imitating media models.. Media models and imitation.

Practise with instant feedback Print this lesson

Sources

• Pearson Edexcel International Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level in Psychology specification, Issue 5 (February 2021)
• Pearson IAL Psychology component guide: WPS02 (Issue 2, November 2024)
• Pearson IAL Psychology summary of studies: WPS02

Last updated 8 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.