| Abstract |
| Previous studies have demonstrated that childhood memories can impact self-concepts. However, scant research has been conducted to determine whether and how the activation of childhood memories relates to the motivation of prosocial behaviors. Thus, this study investigated whether childhood memories facilitated prosocial behaviors through implicitly activating moral purity and how differently an abstract (vs. a concrete) construal level of autobiographical memories evoke prosocial intentions. According to the results of Study 1, the participants in the experimental condition of childhood memories were more motivated to perform prosocial behaviors than those in the controlled condition of recalling recent mundane activities. In the experimental condition, moral purity was activated more strongly than in the control condition. Study 2 demonstrated that participants in the “concrete” condition of childhood memories tended to the lower levels of prosocial motivation than those in the “abstract” condition wherein they were counting and describing good deeds from their childhood in detail. These results indicate that different construal levels (abstract vs. concrete) can mediate the relationship between childhood memories and prosocial behaviors. This study contributes to extending previous research regarding the determinants of motivating prosocial behaviors in cognitive processes. |
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| Key Words |
| Childhood, Autobiographical Memory, Moral Purity, Construal Level, Moral License, Prosocial Behaviors, 아동기, 자서전적 기억, 도덕적 순수함, 해석수준, 도덕적 면허, 친사회적 행동 |
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