Testing a Shortened Version of the AlAn's Game

NCT ID: NCT03834467

Last Updated: 2020-03-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 537 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-05-08
• Study Completion Date: 2019-10-26

Brief Summary

It has been demonstrated that behavior on the AlAn's (altruism-antisocial) game is related to Moral Elevation response. Moral Elevation is a positive response to another's act of generosity "of charity, gratitude, fidelity, generosity or any other strong display of virtue". The constellation of emotional, physical and psychological aspects of a Moral Elevation response have been well described. Moral Elevation can be elicited with stimulus stories or videos and measured with self-report questionnaires. The experience of Moral Elevation is associated with subsequent prosocial and affiliative behaviors. Additionally, the research has linked Moral Elevation response with behavior on the AlAn's game. This study will test whether behavior on the AlAn's Short Game v.2 is related to Moral Elevation response and extend prior work by testing whether viewing the Moral Elevation stimulus prior to playing the AlAn's Short Game v.2 is associated with differences in game behavior. The study will also test whether psychopathic traits will correlate with game behavior.

Detailed Description

Hypotheses and Specific Aims:

Aim 1: Examine the similarities and differences in behaviors on the AlAn's Short Game v.2 seen with the two Active Trial (AT) types (where Red Cross donation will be reduced and subject will gain money (AT1) vs. where the Red Cross donation will increase and study participants will lose money (AT2).

Hypothesis 1: Number of accepted trials of AT1 and AT2 from session 1 will significantly correlate.

Aim 2: Test the effects of Elevation vs. Nature video on change in AlAn's Short Game v.2 behavior between sessions 1 and 2.

Hypothesis 2: Subjects who view the Elevation stimulus video (study Arm 1) will show increases in prosocial behavior while those watching the Nature video will not.

Aim 3: Test the association between psychopathic traits and Costly Helping and determine whether the influence of Elevation on Costly Helping dissipates with increasing levels of psychopathic traits.

Hypothesis 3: Psychopathic traits, as measured by the Levenson Self Report Psychopathy Scale, will significantly and negatively correlate with the amount of prosocial behavior in session 1.

Hypothesis 4: Using subjects from study Arm 1, change in AlAn's Short game v.2 behavior (session 2 minus session 1) will be negatively correlated with psychopathic trait scores.

Conditions

Psychopathic Personality Trait

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Arm 1 - Elevation Stimulus Video

All subjects complete the Levenson Psychopathy Scale first. Arm 1 then presents the Moral Elevation stimulus video after playing the first AlAn's Short Game v.2 (session 1). Participants will then play the AlAn's Short Game v.2 (session 2) for a second time and then fill out an Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACES), Social Connectedness survey, and Demographics form.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Arm 1 - Elevation Stimulus Video

Intervention Type: OTHER

Subjects will watch a video that has been shown in previous studies to elicit an elevation response. This video shows a news story about a man saving the life of another man who falls onto the subway tracks.

Arm 2 - Control Stimulus Video

All subjects complete the Levenson Psychopathy Scale first. Arm 2 then presents the control stimulus (nature video) after playing the first AlAn's Short Game v.2 (session 1). Participants will then play the AlAn's Short Game v.2 (session 2) for a second time and then fill out an Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACES), Social Connectedness survey, and Demographics form.

Group Type: SHAM_COMPARATOR

Arm 2 - Control Stimulus Video

Intervention Type: OTHER

Subjects will watch a nature video.

Interventions

Arm 1 - Elevation Stimulus Video

Subjects will watch a video that has been shown in previous studies to elicit an elevation response. This video shows a news story about a man saving the life of another man who falls onto the subway tracks.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Arm 2 - Control Stimulus Video

Subjects will watch a nature video.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• age 18-25 years

Exclusion Criteria

• refusal to provide informed consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 25 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Colorado, Denver

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Joseph T Sakai, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Colorado, Denver

Locations

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Countries

United States

References

Algoe SB, Haidt J. Witnessing excellence in action: the 'other-praising' emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration. J Posit Psychol. 2009;4(2):105-127. doi: 10.1080/17439760802650519.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19495425 (View on PubMed)

Haidt J. Elevation and the positive psychology of morality. In: Keyes C, Haidt, J., editor. Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association 913-919, 2003.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Sakai JT, Dalwani MS, Mikulich-Gilbertson SK, McWilliams SK, Raymond KM, Crowley TJ. A Behavioral Measure of Costly Helping: Replicating and Extending the Association with Callous Unemotional Traits in Male Adolescents. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 15;11(3):e0151678. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151678. eCollection 2016.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26977935 (View on PubMed)

Aquino K, McFerran B, Laven M. Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011 Apr;100(4):703-18. doi: 10.1037/a0022540.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 21443375 (View on PubMed)

Freeman D, Aquino K, McFerran B. Overcoming beneficiary race as an impediment to charitable donations: social dominance orientation, the experience of moral elevation, and donation behavior. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2009 Jan;35(1):72-84. doi: 10.1177/0146167208325415. Epub 2008 Nov 18.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19017786 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

17-0182

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id