Psi Beta National Research Study (2020-2021)
The study has several purposes.
1. The positive psychology research literature suggests that “Gratitude” and “Appreciation” are identical psychological constructs. We question that. We suspect that gratitude is one form of appreciation, making appreciation a higher-level construct. That’s why this study includes many scales that probably relate to appreciation and gratitude. After the data-gathering phase, we will explore the data for response patterns that may reveal differences between Gratitude and Appreciation.
2. This study also tests whether a “brief intervention” can be shown to raise peoples’ scores on scales that measure constructs like self-esteem, gratitude, appreciation, etc. If the 8-minute thinking exercise is effective, a future study can examine the long term effect, if any, of the brief intervention.
3. Finally, the data from this study will be useful for comparing scores across demographic categories (e.g., gender, age, region). Using the data from this study, it will be possible to construct comparison tables so that future students can compare their scores to their peers.
Here’s additional background information on this study – Debrief Information
Big Five Inventory comparison scores – Big 5 Norms
