Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Psychology

Committee Chair

Dr. Donald Sacco

Committee Chair School

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Dr. Alen Hajnal

Committee Member 2 School

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Dr. Kenji Noguchi

Committee Member 3 School

Psychology

Committee Member 4

Dr. Mitch Brown

Committee Member 4 School

Psychology

Abstract

Framing effects can shape perceptions, beliefs and behavior, particularly in prosocial contexts. The current study examined how language framing (social justice, social activism, volunteerism) and moral values influence interest in prosocial engagement across low- and high-cost helping scenarios. Participants (N = 219) were randomly assigned to one of three framing conditions and reported willingness to help in both low- and high-cost situations. They also completed the Moral Foundations Questionnaire. Replicating prior work (Olagbegi and colleagues, 2024), participants were more willing to engage in low- than high-cost helping. Across conditions, social justice framing elicited the greatest willingness to help. Higher fairness concerns predicted greater helping overall, while Loyalty predicted greater willingness to help, particularly for high-cost helping. Additionally, individuals higher in Binding moral foundations (Loyalty, Authority, Purity) were less deterred by high-cost helping. These findings suggest that both moral values and message framing play key roles in promoting costly prosocial behavior, with implications for designing value-aligned appeals in activism, policy, and nonprofit work.

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