Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Prosocial behavior can be defined as any behavior that results in the benefit of another individual (Coyne et al., 2018). This study sought to investigate potential influences on the prosocial behavior of donating to the homeless. With a rise in both homelessness and dog ownership, this project sought to investigate how the presence of a dog may impact both the willingness to donate and monetary amount donated to a homeless individual. Results indicated a significant three-way interaction between the sex of the homeless individual, the sex of the participant, and the presence of a dog. Overall, the presence of a dog was associated with a greater likelihood and monetary amount of food donations for homeless individuals. These results also suggest that homeless women may be significantly more impacted by owning a dog compared to homeless men.

Year manuscript completed

2022

Year degree awarded

2022

Author's Keywords

homlessness, dog ownership, donation, prosocial, gender differences

Thesis Advisor

Jana Hackathorn

Committee Chair

Jana Hackathorn

Committee Member

Daniel Wann

Committee Member

Sean Rife

Committee Member

Alexandra Hendley

Document Type

Thesis

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