Method

1. Pay it Forward: Using Benefit Triggered Gratitude to Increase Interest and Motivation for a Gratitude Intervention Cosima Hoetger, Wendy Lozo, Daviana Garcia, Olivia Singleton & Rachel Hershberger / Faculty Advisors: Vann Scott & Wendy Wolfe Pilot Study Results Session Two was then conducted in the Psychology Department. Participants were asked to complete two timed tasks along with another participant (actually a research confederate). Instructions were provided in completing a Block Design Task from the WISC-III and a Trail Making Task (both used as distractor tasks in our study). In the Beneficiary condition, the participant lacked lead in his or her pencil and must receive a pencil from the confederate. In the Benefactor condition, the confederate lacked lead in his or her pencil, prompting assistance from the participant. In the control condition, both participant and confederate completed the tasks with properly functioning pencils. Following the manipulation of benefit-triggered gratitude, measures of experienced gratitude were administered in a counter-balanced order. The Lexical Decision Task requires participants to quickly distinguish between word and non-words. Embedded in the series of neutral words are gratitude-related words. Greater accuracy and reaction time to gratitude-related words is an indication that the benefit-triggered gratitude manipulation activated schemas related to the construct at an implicit level. The gratitude list asks participants to enumerate (in 10 min.) the things they are grateful for. A greater number of items listed, and a higher (more descriptive) word count illustrates experienced gratitude at an explicit level of awareness. Next, participants complete a series of manipulation check measures and a demographic questionnaire. Finally, we ask our participants to write an Optional Gratitude Letter. Introduction A pilot study was conducted in Fall, 2011 (N = 11 participants) to test the effectiveness of the experimental manipulation on experienced gratitude and interest in completing a gratitude intervention. A one-way ANOVA was conducted on the number of items written on the gratitude list. There was an effect of condition on the number of gratitude list items that approached statistical significance, F(2,10)= 3.550, p= .079, suggesting that the benefit-triggered gratitude manipulation did perform as expected (see below). In the pilot, participant interest/motivation was assessed via an item that asked participants to rate their interest in writing a gratitude letter to someone who has made a difference in their life. The graph of the mean ratings across condition (below) illustrated a trend of higher interest among participants in the Benefactor condition. However, the similar ratings across conditions [F(2,10)= 1.246, p= .338] underscored the need for a more sensitive measure of actual motivation to engage in the activity. Hence, a behavioral task (actually writing a letter) was used in the full study. Gratitude has been conceptualized and defined as an attitude, a moral virtue, a habit, an emotion, and a personality trait. Researchers’ definitions have ranged from broad general definitions to narrow research specific conceptualizations. Most recently, it has been discussed as existing at multiple levels: as an affective trait (i.e., dispositional gratitude), as a mood state, and as a momentary experience elicited by daily experience (McCullough, Tsang, & Emmons, 2004). Gratitude has been shown to influence pro-social behaviors, strengthen social bonds, and induce a sense of coherence. It has also been found to be associated with lower levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms (Lambert, Graham, & Fincham. 2009). As a result of these benefits, gratitude interventions have been developed, including gratitude meditations, gratitude lists, and gratitude letters. In research on the efficacy of gratitude interventions, Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson (2005) compared a “counting blessings” (i.e., gratitude list) intervention with a gratitude visit (i.e., writing a reading a gratitude letter). The letter was associated with the greatest initial (1 month) decrease in depressive symptoms. The counting blessings intervention was associated with more lasting change in depression (6 months). However, this was contingent on continued use of the intervention. Lyubomirsky, Dickerhoof, Boehm, & Sheldon (2011) compared the efficacy of an optimism intervention (“best possible selves”), a gratitude intervention (gratitude letter), and a control task. They found that participants in the optimism and gratitude interventions experienced improvements in well-being after the 8-week intervention, but only if they self-selected into the study (i.e., were interested in participating in a “happiness” study, as opposed to a “cognitive” study) and if they actually practiced the interventions. Based on these findings, it appears that gratitude interventions can be helpful, but only if the person is interested and willing to engage in them.One way to increase interest and willingness may be to activate a feeling of gratitude, such that the individual feels motivated to “pay it forward” by expressing feelings of appreciation to someone else. Benefit triggered gratitude is “the emotion that results from an interpersonal transfer of a benefit from a beneficiary to a benefactor” (Lambert et al., 2009). Our study examines if benefit-triggered gratitude can affect participants’ willingness to engage in a gratitude intervention. We also explore the interaction between dispositional gratitude and the effects of the benefit-triggered gratitude intervention (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002). Conclusion Data collection on this project will continue through Summer, 2012. Should the hypotheses be supported, results would suggest that there are methods for improving compliance with gratitude interventions, which past research has found to be critical for the efficacy of such beneficial interventions. Although we are examining benefit-triggered gratitude as one way of heightening interest and compliance with gratitude interventions, other methods might also be explored in future investigations. Key References Lambert, N.L., Graham, S., & Fincham, F.D. (2009). A prototype analysis of gratitude: Varieties of gratitude experiences. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1193-1207. Lyubomirsky, S., Dickerhoof, R., Boehm, J. K., & Sheldon, K. M. (2011). Becoming happier takes both a will and a way.. Emotion, 11, 391-402. McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112-127. Seligman, Martin E. P.; Steen, Tracy A.; Park, Nansook; Peterson, Christopher (2005). Positive Psychology Progress: Validation of Interventions. American Psychologist, Vol 60(5), Jul-Aug 2005, 410-421. Hypotheses Method • Compliance with the optional gratitude task (gratitude letter) will be greatest in the Beneficiary condition, least in the Control condition, and with the Benefactor condition in between. • Momentary gratitude as assessed via the Lexical Decision Task and the Gratitude List will be highest in the Beneficiary condition, lowest in the Control condition, and with the Benefactor condition in between. • Dispositional gratitude will have a significant interaction with the above results, such that individuals high in trait gratitude will experience the strongest effects from the benefit-triggered gratitude manipulation. Our study was split up into two separate sessions. During Session 1 (administered on-line using Survey Monkey), the Dispositional Gratitude Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Social Desirability Scale, Scott-MacIntosh Rumination Inventory, Subjective Happiness Scale, Self-Consciousness Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and an anxiety/depression screening questionnaire were administered. We then randomly assigned participants into three conditions: Benefactor, Beneficiary, and Control. For further information, contact: Vann Scott, Vann.Scott@armstrong.edu or Wendy Wolfe, wendy.wolfe@armstrong.edu