Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Humanities, Psychology and Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Ingroup Giving: How Our Affinity for People or Objects Shapes Altruism
Malika Malika, Durairaj Maheswaran
ABSTRACT:
This study examines the interplay of person-thing orientation (PTO) and victim group membership on prosocial behavior. PTO was experimentally manipulated by prompting participants to recall enjoyable interactions with either persons or things. Results indicate that person-oriented participants demonstrated greater ingroup bias in donation allocation, favoring ingroup causes significantly more than thing-oriented participants, who exhibited more equitable distribution between ingroup and outgroup causes. Mediation analysis further revealed that the proportion of thoughts related to the victim mediated the impact of person orientation on ingroup bias. These findings highlight how individual differences in orientation towards people or things can shape donation preferences and prosocial behavior. The study contributes to the understanding of PTO’s implications for charitable giving and provides actionable insights for developing targeted fundraising strategies.
keywords: consumer behavior; fundraising strategies; individual differences; ingroup bias; prosocial behavior