I am a professor at Georgetown University who is conducting research about why people help others. (I gave a 2016 TED talk on this topic.) I would like to invite you take part in my research by completing an online questionnaire.

Overview. The reasons that motivate some people to take risks and make sacrifices to help others are not yet well understood. Globally, people appear to be increasingly likely to help strangers for reasons that are also not well understood. In an effort to better understand this type of behavior, we have created an online survey that we are inviting you to take part in. This survey contains measures that ask about personality, emotion, and personal values, as well as biographical details. Our goal is to identify variables that are associated with various forms of helping, including humanitarian work, heroic rescues, and organ donation. We plan to disseminate our results in scholarly journals and conferences.

Methods. We are inviting adults to take part in our study who have taken risks or made sacrifices to help people they do not know. The survey will be conducted online (using the platform Qualtrics). Some participants will also be invited to take part in a brief telephone interview.

The survey will inquire about previous behaviors you have engaged in, as well as other biographical details about you, such as your age and occupation. You will also be invited to answer questions related to personality, emotions, social behaviors, and personal values. All of the data we collect will remain confidential (we will not link your name or personally identifying information to your survey response), and you are free to refrain from answering any questions you do not wish to answer. We estimate that this measure will take 45 minutes to complete, and can be completed whenever is convenient for you. We can compensate you $20 for your time via PayPal or with an Amazon gift card.

We thank you in advance for considering participating in our research, which we hope will be beneficial for improving our understanding of important human motivations and behavior.

To learn more about participating, please contact us at lbm45@georgetown.edu or 1-202-687-6853.

Sincerely,

Abigail Marsh
Associate Professor Psychology and Neuroscience, Georgetown University
email: aam72@georgetown.edu; phone: 202-687-4100; http://www.abigailmarsh.com