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The effects of pathogen threat on helping behavior intentions and charitable giving
Blue, Thomas Robert
Blue, Thomas Robert
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[Fort Worth, Tex.] : Texas Christian University,
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2015
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Abstract
The purpose of the current research was to test if behavioral immune system activation via a pathogen threat priming slideshow would affect participants' helping behavior intentions (study 1) and charitable donations (study 2). Specifically, it was hypothesized that behavioral immune system activation would lower helping behavior intentions and charitable giving, but only for individuals who have high levels of self-perceived infectability. The author argues that a reduction in altruistic behaviors, specifically for those who perceive themselves to be highly infectable, in a pathogen dense environment would be adaptive. This is because the potential costs of altruism may be increased for the highly infectable by the presence of pathogens, skewing the risk-reward ratio of such acts. Study 1 yielded a marginally significant finding but not in the hypothesized direction while study 2 yielded nonsignificant results. The implications of the results and suggestions for future research and are discussed.
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Psychology