Should I Help? Moderating Effects of the Collaborative Aspect of the Helping Situation on the Attribution‐Emotion‐Help Relationship

Previous studies have shown that attributions of controllability influence the decision to help a person in need through elicited emotions. However, it has been suggested that various factors may moderate the relationships within the attribution-emotion-action model. The aim of the present study was to examine the moderating effects of the collaborative aspect of the helping situation on the relationships within the attribution-emotion model of helping behavior. Data were collected from 757 (51% male) undergraduate students. A 2 (controllable vs. uncontrollable cause of help needed) × 2 (collaborative assignment vs. noncollaborative situation) study design was used. Participants read a description of one of four situations in which a student attempted to borrow class notes and rated the controllability of the cause for needing help, the personal benefit of providing help, emotions toward the student seeking help, and willingness to help in the described situation. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results support previous findings and the attribution-emotion-action model. However, the helping situation moderated the relationships within the model. The effects of controllability on emotions toward the help-seeking peer were stronger, but the effects of emotions on helping judgments were weaker in the collaborative assignment situation than in the noncollaborative situation. The collaborative situation was also directly related to a greater willingness to help. The results suggest that in situations where the helper's outcome also depends on the person seeking help, the decision to help is guided more by a cost-benefit analysis than by an attributional analysis.