Susceptibility to peer influence on prosocial behavior in adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disability or Borderline Intellectual Functioning

Background: Adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID) or Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) are highly susceptible to negative peer influence. However, research in typically developing adolescents shows that peers can also promote prosocial behavior, which is an opportunity for positive development. Aims: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of peer influence on prosocial behavior in adolescents with MID or BIF. Methods and procedures: In an experimental donation task, 40 adolescents with MID or BIF (Mage = 14.0, 40 % boys) were repeatedly asked how many of five coins they would like to donate to the group. The task had four consecutive within-subject conditions: alone, with virtual peers present, with virtual peer feedback, and alone again. Outcomes and results: Results showed that adolescents made larger donations with virtual peers present, and even larger with peer feedback. This increase in donations sustained for subsequent decisions made alone. Finally, adolescents with BIF made larger donations with peer feedback compared to adolescents with MID. Conclusions and implications: Adolescents with MID or BIF are susceptible to peer influence on prosocial behavior, demonstrating the potential effect social context can have on promoting positive development.