Bias Effect Of Beneficiary And Donor’s Perception Of Beneficiary’s Psychological Right Of Use And Its Psychological Mechanisms

The discussion on the beneficiary’s use of the donation has been overlooked in the study field of donation behavior.There are two research perspectives on donations: the donor’s perception of the recipient’s freedom to use the donation,and the beneficiary’s perception of their own freedom to use the donation,which may be inconsistent and hence influence whether the beneficiary uses the donation appropriately and the actual effect of the donation.To address this issue,this study proposes the concept of the beneficiary’s psychological right of use to identify the extent of their freedom to use the donation,while also examining whether there are discrepancies between the donor’s and beneficiary’s perceptions of this right.Based on Self-Determination Theory and the“moral restricted choice” perspective,we hypothesize that beneficiaries feel they have less of a psychological right to use donations than donors think they should,resulting in a perceived bias effect.This effect and its mechanisms are explored in three studies:Study 1 consisted of three studies using different donation contexts with self-report(Studies 1a,1b)and other-self reporting sequences(Study 1c)to investigate whether there is a significant difference in the perceived psychological right of use over donations between donors and beneficiaries.The Psychological Right of Use Questionnaire was adapted for use as a measure of the psychological right of use,with a scale-based adaptation(Studies 1a and 1b)and a context-based adaptation(Study 1c).All three studies validated the perceived bias effect,with beneficiaries reporting significantly less psychological right of use over donations than donors.Study 2 investigated the mechanisms underlying this bias effect using a contingent donation scenario and the Psychological Right of Use Questionnaire.The study found that the psychological need for autonomy mediated the bias effect,with beneficiaries feeling less satisfied with their psychological need for autonomy and therefore experiencing less psychological right of use over the donation than the donor.Study 3 comprised two studies using a virtual shopping paradigm to further explore the mechanisms underlying the perceived bias effect.Study 3a found that the sense of purpose in life moderated the bias effect,with beneficiaries reporting less psychological right of use when they had a weaker sense of purpose in life,whereas donors were unaffected by the sense of purpose in perceiving the beneficiary’s psychological right of use over donations.Study 3b found that the sense of purpose in life moderated the mediating effect of psychological need for autonomy,with beneficiaries feeling less satisfied with their psychological need for autonomy when their sense of purpose in life was weaker,and therefore experiencing less psychological right of use over the donation.In conclusion,this study revealed the bias effect of perceived psychological right of use over the donations and examined the underlying mechanisms.The study found that the psychological need for autonomy mediated the bias effect,while the sense of purpose in life moderated both the bias effect and the mediating effect of psychological need for autonomy.