A practical test of the link between perceived identifiability and prosociality with two field studies.
Sci Rep
; 12(1): 13149, 2022 07 31.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1972660
ABSTRACT
Covering the face with masks in public settings has been recommended since the start of the pandemic. Because faces provide information about identity, and that face masks hide a portion of the face, it is plausible to expect individuals who wear a mask to consider themselves less identifiable. Prior research suggests that perceived identifiability is positively related to prosocial behavior, and with two pre-registered field studies (total N = 5706) we provide a currently relevant and practical test of this relation. Our findings indicate that mask wearers and non-wearers display equivalent levels of helping behavior (Studies 1 and 2), although mask wearers have a lower level of perceived identifiability than those without a mask (Study 2). Overall, our findings suggest that claims that face masks are related to selfish behavior are not warranted, and that there is no practical link between perceived identifiability and prosocial behavior.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Altruism
/
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
/
Masks
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Sci Rep
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S41598-022-17248-2
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