Yang Yue, Zhan Jun, Liao Shanfang, Lian Rong, Fang Yiting
School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, PR China.
Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for the Mental Health and Crisis Intervention of Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, PR China.
Psych J. 2025 Feb;14(1):131-141. doi: 10.1002/pchj.788. Epub 2024 Oct 1.
Previous studies have highlighted the critical role that the belief in a just world (BJW) plays in maintaining and promoting prosocial behaviors within individuals. Considered a stable personality trait, the crux of BJW lies in the conviction that individuals receive what they deserve, and deserve what they receive. Simultaneously, the relationship between BJW and prosocial behavior is impacted by an individual's sense of fairness or unfairness. However, past research has primarily focused on real-life prosocial behavior, with limited exploration into the relationship between BJW and online prosocial behavior. This study, comprising a survey and an experiment, aimed to delve deeper into this relationship. The survey section randomly selected 4212 college students to examine how BJW correlates with online prosocial behavior. Findings predominantly revealed a significant positive correlation between online prosocial behavior and BJW. Additionally, the study explored how gender and place of origin influence these behaviors. Results showed that male students and those from urban areas exhibited significantly higher online prosocial behavior. The experimental research investigated the performance differences in online prosocial behaviors among college students under different fairness scenarios, revealing that the online prosocial behavior in an unfair situation was significantly higher than in fair or neutral situations. Furthermore, in unfair situations, a significant correlation was observed between BJW and online prosocial behavior. The findings from this study significantly advance our understanding of the dynamics between BJW and online prosocial behavior among college students, emphasizing that perceived injustices can markedly enhance prosocial behaviors in virtual settings. This study underscores the profound impact of fairness perceptions and highlights the modulating effects of gender and geographical background on online interactions.
以往的研究强调了公正世界信念（BJW）在维持和促进个体亲社会行为方面所起的关键作用。作为一种稳定的人格特质，BJW的核心在于坚信个体得其所应得，应其所所得。同时，BJW与亲社会行为之间的关系受到个体公平感或不公平感的影响。然而，过去的研究主要集中在现实生活中的亲社会行为，对BJW与网络亲社会行为之间的关系探索有限。本研究包括一项调查和一项实验，旨在更深入地探究这种关系。调查部分随机选取了4212名大学生，以考察BJW与网络亲社会行为之间的关联。研究结果主要显示，网络亲社会行为与BJW之间存在显著的正相关。此外，该研究还探讨了性别和籍贯如何影响这些行为。结果表明，男学生和来自城市地区的学生表现出显著更高的网络亲社会行为。实验研究考察了不同公平情境下大学生网络亲社会行为的表现差异，结果显示，不公平情境下的网络亲社会行为显著高于公平或中性情境。此外，在不公平情境中，BJW与网络亲社会行为之间存在显著相关性。本研究的结果显著推进了我们对大学生中BJW与网络亲社会行为之间动态关系的理解，强调了感知到的不公正会显著增强虚拟环境中的亲社会行为。本研究强调了公平感的深远影响，并突出了性别和地理背景对网络互动的调节作用。
