SURPLUS AND SHARING IN A PRISON SAMPLE

• NCJ Number: 16941
• Journal: Journal of Social Psychology Volume: 94 Dated: (OCTOBER 1974) Pages: 3344
• Author(s): L SECHREST; L FLORES
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 12 pages
• Contract Number(s): NONR-656 (37)
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of the Navy
• Corporate Author: Journal Press
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

DESCRIPTION OF A RESEARCH PROJECT INVOLVING PRISONERS IN A PHILLIPINO PRISON WHO WERE TESTED ON THEIR PROPENSITY TO SHARE ITEMS ACQUIRED BY CREATING AN ARTIFICIAL SURPLUS.

Abstract

AMOUNT OF SURPLUS GOODS OR MONEY THAT AN INDIVIDUAL HAS AVAILABLE SHOULD BE AN IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF HIS SHARING OR DONATING TO SOMEONE IN NEED. PRISON INMATES WERE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN AN 'EXPERIMENT' IN WHICH THEY WON VARYING NUMBERS OF CIGARETTES FOR THE SAME EXPENDITURE OF EFFORT, THE THREE LEVELS OF 'SURPLUS' BEING APPROXIMATELY 10, 50, OR 150 CIGARETTES. THEY WERE THEN SOLICITED BY EITHER A HIGH STATUS OR A LOW STATUS INMATE FOR A DONATION OF CIGARETTES ON BEHALF OF INMATES IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. THE MEAN NUMBER OF CIGARETTES DONATED INCREASED WITH THE NUMBER AVAILABLE, BUT THE TREND WAS NOT LINEAR; RATHER IT WAS DECELERATED. WITH NUMBER OF CIGARETTES DONATED CONSIDERED AS A PROPORTION OF SUPPLY, IT WAS SHOWN THAT THE GROUP WITH THE LARGEST SURPLUS DONATED A SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER PROPORTION. THERE WAS ALSO SOME EVIDENCE THAT A HIGH STATUS SOLICITOR PRODUCED A HIGHER PROPORTION OF DONATED CIGARETTES. RESULTS WERE BELIEVED CONSISTENT WITH OTHER FINDINGS AND AS RESPONSIVE TO REALITY CONSTRAINTS ON GIVING. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)