Dr. Tsang has three general programs of research: Gratitude, forgiveness and the psychology of religion. One program of research has involved gratitude and the use of behavioral measures. Prior research in gratitude has relied predominantly on scenario inductions of gratitude and self-report dependent measures. This standard methodology poses several limitations, including the possibility that scenarios do not induce actual grateful emotion, as well as the confound of social desirability in the use of self-report. In this program of research, our lab has worked to refine an experimental induction of gratitude that distinguishes between grateful emotion and general positive mood. This methodology also includes a behavioral dependent measure of gratitude that is both costly and covert, which better insures that participants are providing sincere answers, rather than responding as they think the experimenter might want them to respond. This methodology has provided us with a foundation for testing many different variables known to affect gratitude but which previously have been investigated only through self-reports. These include the relationship between gratitude and favor value, the effect of religious priming on gratitude, and whether grateful behaviors are fueled by egoistic or altruistic motivations. In addition to this methodology, our lab has employed retrospective and scenario methodology to investigate the differences between gratitude and indebtedness.
