The Effect of Induced Threat in Different Levels of Proximity on Parochial Altruism and its Components

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

2 M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of induced threat in different levels of proximity on parochial altruism.
 
Method: The research method was experimental, utilizing a between-subject factorial design with two factors: condition of threat (induced threat vs. control condition) and proximity (high vs. medium vs. low). The statistical population of the study consisted of all Persian-speaking Iranian citizens of Tehran, Ghom, and Hamedan, with 192 individuals selected using the availability sampling method. Participants from each city (64 individuals) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Individuals in the experimental group were primed with the threat induction condition. Data were collected using the Dictator Game, a questionnaire on attitudes towards immigrants, and an aggression game. Data were analyzed by two-way multivariate analysis of covariance.
 
Results: The results showed that the interactional effect of proximity and induced threat on aggressive behavior towards out-group members was statistically significant, whereas this interactional effect was not statistically significant for in-group altruistic behavior. Parochial altruism was not supported.
 
Conclusion: Based on the results of the current study, it can be concluded that the effect of induced threat on the amount of out-group aggression depends on the level of proximity. However, the effect of threat on in-group altruistic behavior does not depend on the level of proximity.

Keywords

References

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