Abstract: The influence of sense of power on individuals’ altruistic behavior has long been a subject of debate. Scholars hold different views on whether power inhibits or promotes altruistic behavior. As an extension of real-world altruistic behavior in online contexts, Internet altruistic behavior (IAB) may also be influenced by power; however, systematic research on this topic remains limited. In particular, the underlying mechanisms through which sense of power affects IAB have not been fully explored. Based on social cognitive theory, sense of power, as a perception of social relationships, not only directly shapes individuals’ behavioral responses (e.g., IAB) but may also exert indirect effects through individuals’ social cognition (e.g., justice sensitivity) or interact with individuals’ emotional experiences (e.g., moral emotions) to regulate behavior. Therefore, from the perspective of social relationship perception, this study integrates relevant theories of power to examine its effect on IAB and further investigates the mediating role of justice sensitivity and the moderating role of moral emotions.
This study tested the hypotheses through three experiments. Study 1 employed a power priming paradigm and a one-factor between-subjects design (high sense of power vs. low sense of power) to examine the direct effect of sense of power on IAB. Study 2 adopted a dual-randomization design, incorporating two rigorous causal chain experiments to systematically explore the mediating role of justice sensitivity. First, power was manipulated, and justice sensitivity and IAB were measured to preliminarily test the mediating effect. Subsequently, justice sensitivity was further manipulated to assess its impact on IAB, strengthening the causal inference regarding mediation. Study 3 introduced moral emotions as a moderating variable and employed a 2 (sense of power: high vs. low) × 3 (moral emotions: positive vs. neutral vs. negative) between-subjects design to examine how moral emotions moderate the effect of sense of power on IAB.
The results of the three experiments showed that: (1) individuals with a high sense of power exhibited significantly lower levels of IAB than those with a low sense of power (Study 1); (2) justice sensitivity mediated the relationship between sense of power and IAB (Study 2); and (3) moral emotions moderated the effect of sense of power on IAB, with both positive and negative moral emotions significantly mitigating the negative predictive effect of power on IAB (Study 3).
This study contributes to both theoretical and practical domains. Theoretically, it deepens the understanding of the psychological mechanisms through which sense of power influences IAB and helps address inconsistencies in previous research. Practically, by integrating justice sensitivity and moral emotions, this study highlights the importance of enhancing justice sensitivity and activating moral emotions to alleviate the potential negative impact of power on IAB. These findings provide insights into promoting prosocial behavior in digital environments.

Key words: Internet altruistic behavior, sense of power, justice sensitivity, moral emotion