In the first of two studies, participants were told that they could volunteer to help out a 7-year-old boy with a rare genetic disorder, but that even if they were willing to help, they would have to pass a sort of physical fitness qualifying task before they could participate in a walkathon. Some participants were led to believe that the qualifying standard was relatively easy; others were told that it was "extremely stringent." Batson et al. reasoned that when the standard was described as difficult, it would be easy to volunteer because there wasn't much chance that a participant would actually have to follow through with the volunteer commitment. Consistent with their expectations, the researchers found that an extrinsic orientation was negatively correlated with volunteering for both the easy and difficult qualifying standards (r = -.37, on average). Intrinsic scores, however, did not correlate with volunteering when the standard was easy, but they were positively correlated (r = .50) when the standard was difficult. Although other interpretations are possible, Batson et al. have suggested that this supports their contention that intrinsically inclined people want to look like helpers, but only if there is actually just a small chance of their having to carry through with the assistance.

Quest scores did not correlate with helping in either the easy or difficult conditions. Furthermore, those who volunteered were actually asked to proceed with the qualifying task (stepping up and down from a block for 30 seconds). There was evidence that intrinsically inclined individuals tried harder in the difficult condition only if they had not volunteered to help. Quest scores, on the other hand, were positively related to performance on the qualifying task only for those who had volunteered to help. Batson et al. have interpreted these rather complex findings as being consistent with Batson's earlier research findings. First, intrinsics' motivation for helping stemmed from a personal need to appear helpful (without actually having to help), rather than from the needs of others. Second, questers' motivation for helping was really generated by the needs of others, since they worked hardest when they thought it would be difficult to qualify to help.

A second investigation reported in the same article focused on a different helping context -- an undergraduate who was coping with a family tragedy and needed help from others to support her siblings. The pattern of correlations suggested that extrinsics were less likely to volunteer and questers were more likely to volunteer when there was little pressure to do so, but intrinsic scores were unrelated to offering assistance under either high- or low-pressure conditions.

REFERENCES

Batson, C. D., Oleson, K. C., Weeks, J. L., Healy, S. P., Reeves, P. J., Jennings, P., & Brown, T. (1989). Religious prosocial motivation: Is it altruistic or egoistic? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 873-884.