Individual Differences in Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms

How we behave in social contexts influences essential life aspects such as quality of relationships and well-being. Here, actions may have positive or negative consequences for others. Notably, patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) display inflated responsibility attitudes and often fear negatively affecting others. This study investigated whether participants high in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) display enhanced learning to benefit others in a prosocial learning task. Healthy individuals of two samples (N = 95; N = 86) performed the task in three responsibility contexts. Participants in the first study learned to obtain rewards for 1) no one, 2) an anonymous other, or 3) themselves. Participants in the second study learned to obtain rewards for a friend instead of no one. Groups of low and high scorers were created based on the participants’ scores on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). The results did not reveal support for a...Show moreHow we behave in social contexts influences essential life aspects such as quality of relationships and well-being. Here, actions may have positive or negative consequences for others. Notably, patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) display inflated responsibility attitudes and often fear negatively affecting others. This study investigated whether participants high in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) display enhanced learning to benefit others in a prosocial learning task. Healthy individuals of two samples (N = 95; N = 86) performed the task in three responsibility contexts. Participants in the first study learned to obtain rewards for 1) no one, 2) an anonymous other, or 3) themselves. Participants in the second study learned to obtain rewards for a friend instead of no one. Groups of low and high scorers were created based on the participants’ scores on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). The results did not reveal support for a relationship between OCS and prosocial behavior. Further, high OCS learned similarly to obtain rewards in anonymous and public prosocial contexts. Additionally, in both studies, participants learned best to obtain rewards for themselves. Results suggest that responsibility contexts do not modulate high OCS participants’ learning. This unexpected pattern may be explained by the absence of negative consequences for others. The present study also suggests that individuals, in general, may show enhanced motivation for effort when they can obtain a reward for themselves. Future research should investigate whether individuals who score low and high on OCS exhibit differences in obtaining rewards and preventing punishment.Show less

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Individual Differences in Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms