Participants in the ‘‘giver” condition were asked ‘‘how much did
you pay for this gift?” and instructed to provide a dollar value
(M = $105.97; SD = 138.26). Gift-recipients were asked ‘‘how much
would you estimate the gift-giver paid for this gift?” and instructed
to provide a dollar value (M = $148.45; SD = 257.12). These means
were not significantly different from one another, t(230) = 1.61,
p < .11.2
As for feelings of appreciation, gift-givers were asked, ‘‘To what
extent do you think the recipient appreciates this gift?” and ‘‘To
what extent do you think the recipient feels grateful for this gift?”
Gift-recipients were asked ‘‘To what extent do you appreciate this
gift?” and ‘‘To what extent do you feel grateful for this gift?” Participants
in both roles were asked to respond to these items using
a 7-point scale ranging from 1 = ‘‘Not at all” to 7 = ‘‘To a great extent”.
Their responses to the two items were averaged into one
overall appreciation variable, a = .85 for givers and a = .87 for
receivers.