Helping others and adhering to social etiquette are considered positive traits, but researchers do not fully understand the daily habits of individuals regarding small acts of kindness or politeness. To investigate this, a social scientist used a self-report questionnaire to ask participants about their experiences with prosocial behavior and politeness. Some of the data collected is presented in the tables below.
Table 1: Answers to 'Do you enjoy helping lost strangers find their way?'
| Response | Number of participants |
|---|---|
| Yes | 145 |
| No | 55 |
Table 2: Answers to 'Do you regularly hold the door open for others?' split by gender
| Gender | 'Yes' | 'No' |
|---|---|---|
| Males | 58 | 22 |
| Females | 72 | 18 |
Table 3: Preferential charity categories selected by participants as most important
| Charity Category | Number of people |
|---|---|
| Arts & Culture | 10 |
| Animal Welfare | 45 |
| Medical Research | 55 |
| Environmental Protection | 30 |
| Homelessness Support | 40 |
| International Aid | 20 |
Using your knowledge of research methods, suggest two ways that social desirability may have influenced the data collected in this study.
644 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Research methods and techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.