The effects of animal's trait related to baby schema on help-giver's attribution of the situation and on helping behavior

ドウブツ ノ ヨウジ ズシキ ニ カンレンスル トクセイ ガ エンジョ ヨウセイ ノ ゲンイン キゾク オヨビ エンジョ コウドウ ニ アタエル エイキョウ

キシモト, ワタル

Kishimoto, Wataru

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ タイジン シャカイ シンリガク ケンキュウシツ

原因帰属

幼児図式

動物

ペット

helping behavior

attribution

baby schema

animal

pet

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of animal’s trait related to baby schema on the help-giver’s attribution of the help-needed situation and their helping behavior. In the questionnaire, pictures of dogs either with or without traitd related to baby schema and a description of the help-needed situation was provided. Participants, 289 undergraduate and graduate students (145 males and 144 females), rated dog’s controllability of the help-needed situation, the level of feeling pity and angry, and whether or not they will help the animal. The results indicated that the trait related to dog’s baby schema didn’t have an effect on participant’s attributional cognition, and the effect of attributional cognition on emotion and helping behavior was very weak. At the same time, two effects of interest were found: a direct effect of dog’s baby schema on pity emotion and helping behavior, and an indirect effect that a helping behavior was mediated by pity emotion. In sum, both effects indicate that the trait related to baby schema promoted human’s helping behavior. These results suggested that the trait related to baby schema has a large effect on human’s emotion and promotes human’s helping behavior, without affecting attributions of the help-needed situation.