NCT03834467

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.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
537

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2019

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 4, 2019

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 8, 2019

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 8, 2019

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

October 26, 2019

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

October 26, 2019

Completed
Last Updated

March 19, 2020

Status Verified

March 1, 2020

Enrollment Period

6 months

First QC Date

February 4, 2019

Last Update Submit

March 17, 2020

Conditions

Psychopathic Personality Trait

Keywords

psychopathic traitsmoral elevationprosocial behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in the Amount of Prosocial Behavior on the AlAn's Short Game v.2

    The primary outcome of interest is the change in the amount of prosocial behavior on the AlAn's Short game between sessions 1 and 2 (Costly Helping session 2 minus Costly Helping session 1). Our two main analyses of interest using this outcome measure are: (1) to test whether viewing the Moral Elevation stimulus video vs. the Control video experience a greater change in Costly Helping (e.g., that Moral Elevation response promotes prosocial behavior); and (2) to test whether psychopathic traits attenuate the relationship between Moral Elevation and prosocial behavior (i.e., among those viewing the Moral Elevation stimulus video, that our primary outcome - change in prosocial behavior - will be negatively related to level of psychopathic traits).

    within 45 minutes, during one single study visit

Study Arms (2)

Arm 1 - Elevation Stimulus Video

EXPERIMENTAL

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.

Other: Arm 1 - Elevation Stimulus Video

Arm 2 - Control Stimulus Video

SHAM COMPARATOR

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.

Other: Arm 2 - Control Stimulus Video

Interventions

Arm 1 - Elevation Stimulus VideoOTHER

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 1 - Elevation Stimulus Video
Arm 2 - Control Stimulus VideoOTHER

Subjects will watch a nature video.

Arm 2 - Control Stimulus Video

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 25 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • age 18-25 years

You may not qualify if:

  • refusal to provide informed consent

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States

Location

Related Publications (5)

  • 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.

    PMID: 19495425BACKGROUND

  • 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.

    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.

    PMID: 26977935BACKGROUND

  • 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.

    PMID: 21443375BACKGROUND

  • 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.

    PMID: 19017786BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Altruism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social BehaviorBehavior

Study Officials

  • Joseph T Sakai, MD

    University of Colorado, Denver

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
OTHER
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Study participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of two possible orders of administration. All subjects will first complete the Levenson Psychopathy Scale. Then Arm 1 presents the Moral Elevation stimulus after playing the first AlAn's Short Game v.2 (session 1), while Arm 2 presents the control stimulus (nature video). Subjects in both arms will then play AlAn's game again. After playing the game for a second time, subjects in both arms will fill out an Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACES), Social Connectedness survey, and Demographics form.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 4, 2019

First Posted

February 8, 2019

Study Start

May 8, 2019

Primary Completion

October 26, 2019

Study Completion

October 26, 2019

Last Updated

March 19, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

We will not share individual participant data. We might print the results of this research study in relevant journals or share aggregate data on that does not identify subjects with qualified investigators or as a supplement as required by some journals. However, the names and any other identifying information of research subjects will always be kept confidential and will not be shared. The data that may be shared in this manner include gender, age, and race/ethnicity, as well as responses from the AlAn's Game v.2, Levenson Psychopathy Scale, adverse childhood experiences questionnaire and social connectedness survey.

Locations

US(1)