“Even a single marble will make him/her happy …”: Further evidence and extension of the legitimizing paltry contribution technique on helping

Abstract

Previous research has found that the statement “Even a penny will help” incorporated in charity donation requests increases compliance. The present study analyzed the effectiveness of this technique using a novel solicitation and where the participant had no possibility to comply immediately with the request. Confederates asked customers in a hypermarket (e.g., Costco, Sam's Club) for a toy donation in aid of children. They wore a t-shirt on which the statement “Even a single marble will make him/her happy …” was either present or not. Results show that more people gave a toy when this statement appeared on the t-shirt.

Keywords:

• Compliance
• Legitimization of paltry favors
• Helping