Psychological Development and Education ›› 2017, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (3): 289-296.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2017.03.05

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Gratitude and College Students' Helping Behaviors: Mediating Effect of Empathy and Its Gender Difference

DING Fengqin, SONG Youming   

  1. School of Education, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
  • Online:2017-05-15 Published:2017-05-15

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Abstract: To explore the inner mechanism of college students' gratitude on their helping behaviors, 629 college students were surveyed with gratitude questionnaire, empathic concern questionnaire and dictator game of helping behaviors. The results are as followings:(1) Female college students' gratitude traits, empathy and helping behaviors are significantly higher than those of males; (2) Empathy partially mediates the relationship between gratitude and charitable donations of college students; (3) The mediating effect of empathy on both male and female samples have reached the significant level, compared with male college students, the females' mediating effect of empathy on gratitude and helping behaviors has been significantly enhanced. These findings have reference value for education and intervention of college students' gratitude and moral behaviors.

Key words: gratitud, empathy, helping behavior, gender difference, college students

CLC Number: 

  • B844

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