Scope insensitivity in helping decisions: is it a matter of culture and values?

Abstract

Scope insensitivity in helping decisions refers to people’s greater tendency to favor a single identified victim compared to a group of anonymous or hypothetical victims. Research in individualistic cultures shows that this bias is diminished when multiple victims are presented. The authors investigate whether the cultural factor of collectivism, emphasizing interdependence and relatedness, affects the singularity effect. Collectivists from Bedouin and Western Israeli cultures evaluated a single child or a group of eight children in need of an expensive medication. Collectivists were more likely to give similar amounts to the groups and single recipients. The effect is mediated through collectivist values, suggesting that horizontal collectivism (i.e., interdependence without desire for special status) increases donations to groups. Moreover, a priming manipulation showed that people primed with collectivism donated similar amounts to groups and single victims. Collectivist values, beyond individualism, modulate the singularity effect by increasing donations to groups – AI-generated abstract.