The Impact of Financial Deprivation State on Prosocial Behaviour: Comparing the Roles of Face-Saving Consciousness versus Status/Success-Gaining Intention

Study 1 provides evidence for the positive association between financial deprivation and prosocial behaviour using Mann-Whitney U analysis (H1). This study also tests the mediation role of status-gaining intention (H2a) in the observed effect following the three-step method. The indicator of status-gaining intention is need for status. Findings rejected H2a. In Study 2, we aimed to test whether the increase in prosocial behaviour among financially deprived (versus privileged) individuals can be carried over by their need for success (H2a) or their consciousness of Face-saving (H2b). Willingness to help and total number of clicks were two dependent variables showing one's prosocial tendency. Additionally, the mediation of emotion was also tested. Including trait anxiety about money and month-spending as covariates and using the bootstrapping technique (Hayes, 2013; Model4) with 5000 bootstrapped samples, results provided robust support for the prediction that financial deprivation promoted prosocial behavior (H1) and provided evidence for our theoretical account that the relationship between financial deprivation and prosocial behavior was explained by individuals’ Face-saving consciousness. Findings also revealed that emotion cannot explain the overall effects of financial deprivation on prosocial behaviour. In addition, we also measured another possible mediator (e.g., self-improvement motivation) in this study, and results rejected the possibility. In Study 3, we aimed to introduce a social contextual factor (public versus private) and address an important question that whether financial deprivation can more likely lead to an individual’s prosocial behavior in public (versus private) context (H3). Total number of clicks was the dependent variable. A 2(financial state: deprivation versus privilege) × 2 (context: public versus private) ANCOVA revealed thata significant interaction between financial state and context. In a public context, participants financially deprived clicked more than their financially privileged counterparts. However, in a private context, participants financially deprived did not differ from those in privilege condition in total number of clicks. The results supported the H3.研究1通过曼-惠特尼U检验（Mann-Whitney U analysis）验证了财务匮乏与亲社会行为之间的正向关联（假设1，H1）。本研究同时采用三步法检验了获得地位意向（status-gaining intention）在该效应中的中介作用（假设2a，H2a），其中获得地位意向的测量指标为地位需求（need for status），研究结果未支持H2a。 在研究2中，我们旨在检验经济匮乏个体相较于优渥个体的亲社会行为提升效应，是否可通过其成功需求或保全面子意识（Face-saving consciousness）得以介导（分别对应假设2a，H2a与假设2b，H2b）。本研究采用助人意愿与总点击量两个因变量，用以表征个体的亲社会倾向。此外，本研究还检验了情绪的中介作用。研究纳入金钱特质焦虑与月度支出作为协变量，并采用包含5000个自助抽样样本的自助法（bootstrapping technique，Hayes, 2013; 模型4，Model4），结果为以下两项预测提供了稳健的实证支持：其一，财务匮乏会促进亲社会行为（H1）；其二，财务匮乏与亲社会行为之间的关系可通过个体的保全面子意识得以解释，验证了我们的理论构想。同时研究发现，情绪无法解释财务匮乏对亲社会行为的整体效应。此外，本研究还测量了另一潜在中介变量（如自我提升动机），结果未支持该中介路径的可能性。 在研究3中，我们引入社会情境因素（公共情境与私人情境），旨在解答一个重要问题：相较于私人情境，财务匮乏是否更易促使个体在公共情境下做出亲社会行为（H3）。本研究以总点击量作为因变量。2（财务状况：匮乏vs.优渥）×2（情境：公共vs.私人）的协方差分析（ANCOVA）结果显示，财务状况与情境间存在显著的交互效应。在公共情境中，经济匮乏组被试的总点击量显著高于经济优渥组被试；而在私人情境中，两组被试的总点击量无显著差异。上述结果支持了H3。