Need for Cognitive Closure and Prosocial Behavior in High School Students: the Role of Perspective Taking and Empathic Concern

What impact does a strong desire for cognitive closure have on an individual's social competence? The need for cognitive closure has been examined in conjunction with a broad spectrum of psychological constructs, encompassing empathy as well. However, there have been few studies that have investigated how the need for cognitive closure affects social competence, particularly prosocial behavior. For this reason, the present study examines the impact of individuals' dispositional need for cognitive closure on prosocial behavior. Specifically, it explores the role of empathy, including perspective-taking and empathic concern, in explaining this relationship. The hypothesis proposed that a higher level of need for closure would be negatively related to prosocial behavior due to its negative association with perspective-taking and, consequently, empathic concern. Our findings provided support for the hypothesis in a sample of high school students (N = 332). The current study underscores the importance of epistemic motivation for closure in affecting social competence behaviors, highlighting the significant roles played by cognitive and affective empathy within this framework. These findings are particularly important, especially in educational settings, because these behaviors have the potential to influence students' relationships, school well-being, and other educational outcomes.