Religious Fundamentalism, the Need for Cognitive Closure, and Helping

Abstract

In this study, the authors investigated the relation of religious fundamentalism (RF) and need for cognitive closure (NCC) on helping. Participants were 161 undergraduates, 99 of whom met inclusion requirements. Helping was assessed by two pairs of vignettes requesting funding allocations. One pair contrasted a religious, homogenous in-group with a religious, heterogeneous out-group; the other pair contrasted a nonreligious, homogeneous in-group with a nonreligious, heterogeneous out-group. RF was significantly positively related to helping religious in-groups, and there was a significant interaction with NCC. No significant effects were found for nonreligious group contrasts. The results indicate that context influences helping and that both RF and NCC play a role when religious beliefs are activated.