Methodology

 

Background

A conventional supposition, in collection action theory, is that decision-makers will maximize returns to themselves –i.e., the individual rationality assumption. In experimental games where decision- makers are asked to divide up a sum of money between themselves and another recipient, the rational choice assumption predicts that decision-makers will keep all or most of the funds for themselves. However, it has been well established, in the research on experimental economic games, that decision- makers most often deviate from the rational choice hypothesis and exhibit considerable altruism –i.e., allocating significant funds to the other recipient (e.g., Camerer and Thaler, 1995).

There have been multiple reasons for this altruism that have been explored in the literature. One is so- called warm-glow altruism, where the giver derives satisfaction from the act of giving (Andreoni, 1990). Another is norm-driven behavior, where social norms or moral commitment around giving influence the giver (Wilhelm and Bekkers, 2010). Yet another is social pressure, sometimes from assuming that one’s behavior is public and can be judged by others (Levitt and List, 2007). Most recently, researchers proposed another mechanism for altruistic behavior –the so-called relational hypothesis, where some type of interpersonal connection to the recipient primes the decision-maker to consider the welfare of the other, thus resulting in increased giving.

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The classic experimental design involves the so-called dictator game, where the decision-maker is given a sum of money and is then asked to divide up this amount between self and another recipient. The proposed project tests the hypothesis that interpersonal connection will increase the amount of giving. Sometimes, such connection can be direct, where the other recipient is a known individual to the decision-maker. In other times, it can be indirect, where the decision-maker is provided a name or a photo of the recipient. The proposed research involves the latter, where the test group is provided a photo of the recipient (i.e., signified by a person standing at the site of the proposed environmental conservation project), the hypothesis being that simply seeing the face of the other primes the decision- maker to give more out of cognitive and/or emotional empathy.

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Methodology

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The research involves an online survey that will test whether provision of some mode of interpersonal connectedness, namely a photo of a person at a project site, will increase willingness to donate. The experimental game form is a variation of the classic dictator game formulation. The hypothesis is formally stated as follows:

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H1.  The amount of money donated to an environmental conservation project, versus kept for one’s self, will increase when the decision-maker is shown a photo showing a person standing at a project site, as compared to a control condition where no photo is shown.

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H2.  The effect of the treatment (i.e., stimulating connectedness by providing a photo of the recipients, in this case, a member of a protected species, a bird in this case, and a staff member of the conservation protection organization) will be greater among individuals who have a lower baseline propensity-to-give.

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1.    Recruitment of Human Subjects

Undergraduates will be invited to take the online survey by emailing an invitation to the undergraduate listserve.

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The target sample size is n=100 for the control group and n=100 for the test group, with Qualtrics programmed to randomly assign participants to control and test branches, and further, to equalize males and females (randomization done within each group). Recruitment ends when a sufficient number have completed the online survey. The sample size requirement was established from previous research. (Note: as online sign-up occurred rapidly, the protocol for terminating the survey allowed 104 subjects to enter and complete the survey).

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The online information sheet provides standard information, approved by the university IRB, and includes a click-on tab to allow potential participants to provide formal consent to take the survey.

2    Online Survey

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The introductory part of the survey introduces the project and principal investigator (PI), provides assurances of anonymity/confidentiality, information about foreseeable risks and benefits of the research, voluntary nature of the survey, and contact information for the PI. At the end of this section, the respondent will be asked to click on a box signifying their written consent to continue with the survey. The survey continues only if the box is clicked.

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Qualtrics will be used to conduct the online survey. Both control and test groups will complete the initial part of the survey, which will obtain demographic data (but not names, to increase the level of confidentiality. The requested information will include:

age gender
degree major city of birth
languages spoken
estimated monthly income of parents monthly income of self (if any)

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Several questions, pertaining to closedness to nature and degree of other-regard, will also be asked of both groups.

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Lastly, the groups will be asked to divide up the nominal monetary amount (180) between themselves and the recipient, which will be described as a local environmental conservation project. The actual amounts donated to the conservation project will be subsequently given to the project, and the amounts kept by the survey participant will be given to the participant, at the end of the project. To minimize the effects of personal knowledge of particular projects, the description will be kept general (i.e., no other particulars will be given). The question, given to both groups, is as shown below:

“In this part of the exercise, you will be asked to divide up a sum of money, 180 in total, between yourself and an environmental conservation project. The project, run by a nonprofit involves such activities as tree planting and restoration, ecological habitat protection, and soil conservation. In the space provided below, fill in the amount you would assign to yourself and the amount you would donate to the environmental conservation initiative. About 5-10 days after you complete the survey, we will contact you by email and provide you with instructions on how to collect the amount you assigned to yourself. The amount will be provided in the form of supermarket coupons.”

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The only difference between the control and test group surveys will be that the test group will also be provided a photo of one of the protected animals (bird) and a photo of a conservation project staff member. Written consent has been obtained from the person in the photo. Photos were taken by research team members.

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Participants will also be informed that, when they subsequently receive the amounts they decided to keep for themselves, that the amount in the envelope will not be known by the project assistant handing them the envelope (the amounts were put in the envelope by a different project staff member). This is to minimize the effect of social pressure or judgement on the subject’s decision to donate.

3    Data Analysis

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After all the survey respondents have completed the survey, the data will be downloaded from Qualtrics into a spreadsheet for analysis (using STATA).

4    Confidentiality and Quality Control Practices

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The only identifier provided by the respondent is his/her email address. To maintain confidentiality and anonymity, a subject ID number will be assigned each respondent, and the data file will consist of the subject ID number and the data, but no email addresses. A separate subject ID file will be created matching subject ID numbers and email addresses. Only the PI will have access to the subject ID file and will keep this file in his personal laptop and a project-dedicated USB drive. One year after completion of the project, the subject ID file will be deleted. The file will be password protected.

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The data file will be kept in the hard drive of the PI’s personal laptop and a dedicated USB drive. The file will be password protected.

5    IRB Approval

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The study protocol has been approved by the university IRB.