Understanding prosocial behavior: the impact of empathy and gender among African American adolescents.

Although prosocial behavior in adolescence is associated with many positive outcomes, few studies have examined the factors that contribute to the development of prosocial behaviors. This study examines empathy and gender as predictors of prosocial behavior among African American early adolescents. Results revealed a significant main effect for empathy, as well as an interaction between empathy and gender in predicting prosocial behavior. In general, youth with more empathy reported more prosocial behavior, and this effect was more pronounced for males than females. These findings suggest that the ability to understand another's perspective may be important in the development and expression of prosocial behaviors, particularly among males.