In contemporary cultural research, culture and prosociality have been established as coexisting components within social development. Within these broad elements sits numerous social and psychological factors, specifically the reciprocal exchanges, social norms, and social influence individuals perceive and adopt while integrating within varying cultural belief systems, acting as mechanisms for these beliefs to spread. This research contends that these specified clusters of beliefs, or defined cultural dimensions, and the action of pro-social behaviors are inherently related to such social mechanisms. More specifically, it is argued that cultural beliefs act through social norms and beliefs of reciprocity, emphasizing social context and influence, leading to pro-social behavioral change. Similarly, the extent that an individual participates in reciprocal exchanges promoting prosociality is argued to be a direct component stemming from their perception of culture, further strengthening the acceptance of pro-social behaviors or lack thereof. Through the conducted survey (N=182) and subsequent analyses, results were found that both supported and failed to support the proposed hypotheses, establishing the direct and indirect effects of perceived social and reciprocal norms within the relationship between perceptions of culture and prosociality. Further, an inquiry on the current standing of cultural measures and complex definitions of culture is considered. This dialogue addresses the diverse array of cultures around the globe and expands upon the possibilities for future directions within cultural research, emphasizing the need for measurement tools to align with the cultural definition of focus.
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