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Helping when the desire is low: Expectancy as a booster.
Małgorzata Kossowska1, Ewa Szumowska1, Paulina Szwed1
1Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060 Kraków, Poland.
Motivation and Emotion
|September 14, 2020
Summary
Helping intentions can arise even with low desire to help, provided the perceived effectiveness of aid (Expectancy) is high. These findings on the determinants of helping behavior are crucial for public policy.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Helping behavior is often assumed to be driven solely by the desire to help (Want).
- However, situational factors may influence helping intentions and actions independently of personal desire.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the desire to help (Want) and the expectancy of aid effectiveness (Expectancy) on helping declarations and behavior.
- To determine if high Expectancy can compensate for low Want in predicting helping.
Main Methods:
- Three experimental studies were conducted using variations of a victim scenario.
- Measures included the desire to help (Want) and the perceived effectiveness of helping (Expectancy).
- Expectancy was manipulated in Study 3; helping declarations were measured in Studies 1 and 3, and helping behavior in Study 2.
Main Results:
- Results supported the hypothesis that high Expectancy can lead to helping intentions/behavior even when Want is low.
- This indicates that perceived impact is a significant factor in prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
- Helping is not solely determined by the desire to help; perceived effectiveness plays a critical role.
- Understanding these determinants is vital for designing effective public policy interventions to encourage helping behavior.
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