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Abstract
The effect of large and small favors on gratitude was tested using a behavioral measure. Participants were 149 undergraduates (120 female, 29 male). Half received raffle tickets for a US$100 prize, and half received tickets for a US$10 prize. Some received tickets from another (fictitious) student, and others received tickets by chance. Participants receiving a favor subsequently distributed more tickets to the other student; participants receiving a more valuable favor also distributed more (ps < 0.05). Self-reported grateful motivation predicted distribution better than did indebtedness. Grateful motivation mediated the relationship between favor and distribution (p < 0.05). Results provide validity for a behavioral measure of gratitude, tentatively support favor value as a determinant of gratitude, and further differentiate between gratitude and indebtedness.
Acknowledgements
The author expresses appreciation to Diana Castillo, Aline Defreitas, Brandi DeLeon, Cara Johnston, Shannon Kelley, Daniel Nguyen, and James Reeves for data-collection assistance, and to Tamara Rowatt, Wade Rowatt, Philip Watkins, and an anonymous reviewer for providing helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. This research was supported in part by a summer research sabbatical provided by Baylor University.