Project info
Work package
- Synthesis
Sustainability threat
- External Shocks
Challenge
- Network co-evolution
Study info
Description of Study
Study 3 builds on the findings from Studies 1 and 2, which examined how people cooperate during threat events (vs. non-threat events) and the processes and motivations underlying this cooperation. We define threat events broadly, from emergencies such as mass bombings to building evacuations. We have tested the latter (i.e., building evacuation) across two lab experiments. Study 3 will directly compare the results from Studies 1 and 2, which differed unexpectedly. We expect that this difference is due to participants being isolated (Study 1) or co-present (Study 2) when the alarm went off.
Study research question
RQ1: How does being co-present (vs. isolated) impact perceived emotions in people during threat events?
RQ2: What is the role of confusion (high vs. low) in amplifying cooperation and group processes (solidarity, common fate, and joint intentions) during threat events?
RQ3: How does being confused (high vs. low) impact cooperation and group processes (solidarity, common fate, and joint intentions) when people are co-present (vs. isolated)?
Collection provenance
- Collected during project
Collection methods
- Experiment
- Observation
- Questionaire
- Text Analysis
Personal data
Yes
External Source
Source description
File formats
Data types
- Structured
- Unstructured
Languages
- English
Coverage start
Coverage end
Spatial coverage
Collection period start
03/11/2026
Collection period end
29/01/2027
Variables
Unit
Unit description
Sample size
Sampling method
Individuals
Psychology bachelor students
330
SONA
Hypothesis
Theory
Participants in the co-present condition will experience less anxiety and more enthusiasm than participants in the isolated condition (H1).
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Participants in the high confusion condition will report more group processes (cooperation, solidarity, common fate, and joint intentions) and enthusiasm than participants in the low confusion condition (H2).
—
When isolated, participants in the high confusion condition will experience more cooperation and group processes (common fate, solidarity, and joint intentions) than those in the low confusion condition. When participants are co-present, the effect of confusion (high vs. low) is buffered and there will be no difference between the confusion conditions (H3).
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Variable type
Variable name
Variable description
Independent variable
Confusion manipulation (high vs. low)
The confusion manipulation consists of two conditions (high confusion=1, low confusion=0). In the high confusion condition, participants will receive minimal instructions and will not be warned about the alarm. The instructions will be the same from Studies 1 and 2, which participants found vague. In the low confusion condition, participants will be told that they will hear a fire alarm and that they should follow the verbal instructions closely.
Independent variable
Presence manipulation (isolated vs. co-present)
The presence manipulation consists of two conditions (co-present=1, isolated=0). In the co-present condition, participants will be seated at the same table and be able to see each other. In the isolated condition, participants will be seated at separate tables and will be unable to see each other.
Dependent variable
Cooperation
Same as in Studies 1 and 2.
Dependent variable
Common fate
Same as in Studies 1 and 2.
Dependent variable
Solidarity
Same as in Studies 1 and 2.
Dependent variable
Joint intentions
Same as in Studies 1 and 2.
Dependent variable
Perceived emotions
Same as in Studies 1 and 2.
Discipline-specific operationalizations
Conflict of interest
The authors have declared that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Data packages
Publications
Documents
Filename
Description
Date
Ethics
Ethical assessment
Yes
Ethical committee
The Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences of the University of Groningen (UG-2526-GMW-S-000126)