Chapter 24: Psychological determinants of charitable giving Flashcards
Why do people participate in charitable giving at all? (4)
(1) Altruistic approach -> people give because of a self-less, empathic concern for others
(2) social exchange theory -> altruism exists and people give whenever the benefits outweigh the costs
(3) Andreoni’s warm glow –> people receive utility from charitable giving in the form of positive emotional feelings experienced after giving
(4) Moral satisfacion –> people are more willing to donate to a cause they perceive as moral. It aligns with one’s own norms, beliefs and values
How is charitable giving decisions different from purchasing decisions?
People are less sensitive to scope regarding charitable giving. The experience of moral satisfaction is the same regardless of the spent amount. Ofcourse, this is different from purchasing as you will be more happier if you can buy more
What are positive effects of charitable giving on individuals?
(1) People feel better about themselves after helping
(2) Happier people give more
What features trigger a greater positive response in charitable giving? (7)
(1) People respond more readily to sudden crisis because they evoke stronger emotions
(2) People have an immediacy bias: respond now to issues now
(3) People are more willing to help victims of natural disaster compared to man-made disaster
(4) People are more willing to give if they feel social or geographically close (prob in-group vs outgrip effect)
(6) Similarity-breeds-liking –> people are more willing to help others when they feel they share similar characteristics or beliefs
(6) Causes that evoke anxiety or fear are more likely to elicit attention and help
(7) people are highly insensitive to scope, probably even demoted by large groups at risk
What are effects of specific individuals in need on charitable giving?
(1) Singularity effect = a single identifiable victim receives more donations than an entire group of victims, regardless of identifiability
What we like most = single individual or a group of similar single individuals including A identifiable!
This probably because it evokes more emotions
What is the boundary condition of the singularity effect?
(1) When the victim is seen as responsible for their situation, their identification can strengthen negative perceptions thus decreasing helping
What is the effective altruistic approach of charitable giving?
People donate to the cause most likely to make biggest impact for their buck, regardless of type of need. However, people should apply system 2 mode of thinking which is to consider all casques and actions and then act in the manner it brings the greatest positive impact overall
What can be said about effectiveness/impact and charitable giving donations? (4)
(1) People support projects they believe to have bigger impact
(2) People donate more to charities/fundraises close to reaching their goal because it provides opportunity to feel that you personally made it happen
(3) Providing tangible details and results increases donations
(4) Lower donation costs means higher donations
Why do people refrain from helping large groups of victims? (2)
(1) Drop in the bucket thought –> it won’t make a difference
(2) Not everyone can be saved, thus reducing the warm glow feeling and negatively influencing peoples motivation to help
What can be said about effects of mood on charitable giving?
(1) People with a positive mood boost donations when the positive mood is induced by factors unrelated to the cause
(2) People with negative mood boosts donations when induced by factors directly related to the people or organizations in need (victims)
Differences in traits, beliefs and tendencies between people and their effect on charitable giving (3)?
(1) Social value orientation, people with cooperative or altruistic orientation give more to charity
(2) Individualistic states, provinces or cultures give more to charity
People with a strong belief in a just world donate more to charity
For what do we use survey research on charitable giving and what is a limitation? (3)
(1) insights into who gives and to what causes (difference in population, trends and predictions for future change
(2) Limitations: absence of significant data bout donation amounts and difficult to compare. Also no causal relationships due to correlational design
For what do we use Economic games and lab experiments research on charitable giving and what is a limitation? (3)
(1) They can isolate variables examined from other factors like individual or situational differences
(2) They use priming manipulations
(3) Behavioural tendencies and underlying mechanisms can be understood
What are research directions for future research on charitable giving?
(1) Interactions between personal and situational factors
(2) Longitudinal studies for observing trends in donations related to a lifetime and changing circumstances
(3) More cultural context and diversity, most research is individual and western
Name 4 ways people can improve effective altruism thus charitable giving?
(1) Work with defaults (opt-in vs opt-out in donor registration NL)
(2) Incentivize –> matching campaigns, tax deductions and so forth
(3) Unit asking (identifiable victim effect). First ask for one unit than see how much is transferred from one to the group. This counteracts the motivational bias
(4) Unit splitting –> increase donations towards more or most effective organizations, People give more to the super effective charity. First multiplier, then select a super effective charity further away from home, divide your donation eaten the 2 and 3-30% is added by the broker
What are 2 theories used to explain prosocial behaviour?
(1) Theory of empathy –> we observe someone’s distress, you get the same feeling and want to get rid of your stress thus help others. (self-centered reaction) or sympathy
(2) Social exchange theory –> warm glow is utility. No such thing as true altruism
Cognitive determinants of charitable giving is?
(1) Under time pressure people make more prosicial decisions
