RECOLLECTIONS OF HELPING BEHAVIORS

The study included a diverse sample of individuals from Estonia (N = 505; mean age = 40.77 years, SD = 13.17; 55.50% female), Latvia (N = 505; mean age = 41.37 years, SD = 12.77; 52.47% female), and Lithuania (N = 504; mean age = 40.30 years, SD = 12.70; 52.18% female). The survey was conducted online and administered by a research agency, enabling the formation of randomized samples with similar demographic characteristics across all three countries.
Measures
The frequency of helping behavior was assessed with the question: “How often during the past month have you helped someone?” Participants were asked to specify their responses in two sub-questions: “How many times were they relatives or acquaintances (write down the number)?” and “How many times were they strangers (write down the number)?” Similarly, the frequency of receiving help was measured using the question: “How often during the past month has someone else helped you?” This was followed by the same two sub-questions as those for helping behavior.
Emotions associated with providing or receiving help were measured with the question: “How did you feel when you helped someone (or received help from someone), rating your feelings from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much so).” This question was accompanied by a list of emotions, categorized as positive (ambitious, proud, inspired, powerful, happy) or negative (worried, scared, guilty, sad, angry, annoyed). Index variables were created for positive (Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .80 to .88) and negative (Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .80 to .86) emotions.
Expected compensation for helping was evaluated with the question: “When helping someone else, how much do you expect some kind of compensation, rating each element on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (I definitely expect it).” The motivation attributed to others was assessed with the question: “To what extent do you think other people in Estonia (Latvia, or Lithuania, respectively) expect compensation, rating each element on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (definitely).” Respondents rated a list of possible expectations: money, a present, a simple thanks, reciprocity of help in the future, expressions of positive emotions (smile, commendation) by others, or nothing (it’s just human to help others).