A Prototype Analysis of Gratitude: Varieties of Gratitude Experiences

The present research tested the hypothesis that concepts of gratitude are prototypically organized and explored whether lay concepts of gratitude are broader than researchers' concepts of gratitude. In five studies, evidence was found that concepts of gratitude are indeed prototypically organiz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality & social psychology bulletin 2009-09, Vol.35 (9), p.1193-1207
Main Authors: Lambert, Nathaniel M., Graham, Steven M., Fincham, Frank D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Affect
Altruism
Center and periphery
Centrality
Concept Formation
Definitions
Empathy
Female
Gratitude
Humans
Imagination
Interpersonal Relations
Judgment
Lay conceptions
Male
Mental Recall
Narration
Narratives
Prototypes
Social Behavior
Studies
Young Adult
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Summary:The present research tested the hypothesis that concepts of gratitude are prototypically organized and explored whether lay concepts of gratitude are broader than researchers' concepts of gratitude. In five studies, evidence was found that concepts of gratitude are indeed prototypically organized. In Study 1, participants listed features of gratitude. In Study 2, participants reliably rated the centrality of these features. In Studies 3a and 3b, participants perceived that a hypothetical other was experiencing more gratitude when they read a narrative containing central as opposed to peripheral features. In Study 4, participants remembered more central than peripheral features in gratitude narratives. In Study 5a, participants generated more central than peripheral features when they wrote narratives about a gratitude incident, and in Studies 5a and 5b, participants generated both more specific and more generalized types of gratitude in similar narratives. Throughout, evidence showed that lay conceptions of gratitude are broader than current research definitions.
ISSN:0146-1672
1552-7433
DOI:10.1177/0146167209338071