Lost Letter Technique Research Articles

Social capital is associated with cooperation and indirect norm enforcement in the field: behavioural evidence from Switzerland

Abstract Social capital, comprising networks, generalized trust, and cooperation norms, is often considered a key factor in promoting prosperity and cooperation. Informal norm enforcement also drives cooperation. While early theories of social capital and norm enforcement propose that networks encourage sanctions, strong reciprocity theory argues that sanctioning non-cooperation is a universal preference. In the lab, people uphold cooperation through sanctions without networks, but this occurs only in regions characterized by high trust levels and strong cooperation norms outside the laboratory. Are trust, cooperation, and enforcement linked in the field, and if so, what are the generative mechanisms? In two neighbourhoods of Bern, one high in social capital and one low, we linked indicators of social capital and expected norm compliance from resident surveys (N = 466) with cooperation, measured with the lost-letter technique (N = 240), and norm enforcement, measured with reactions to transgressions of the antilittering norm (N = 123). Cooperation and indirect enforcement were more prevalent in the high social capital neighbourhood. Direct enforcement was rare in both neighbourhoods. The less optimistic expectations of cooperation and norm compliance prevalent in the low social capital neighbourhood can potentially explain the lower levels of cooperation and norm enforcement.

Facilitating Scientific Communication Between Strangers: A Preregistered Lost E-Mail Experiment

Communication scholars are increasingly concerned about biases that shape people's interactions with science. Past study has focused on echo chambers (cultivating social networks that reinforce existing worldviews). People's facilitation of scientific discourse between strangers also may be shaped by their attitudes. To study the latter, we employed a recent adaptation of Milgram's lost letter technique called the lost e-mail technique (LET). We conducted a preregistered field study using a large undergraduate university sample (N = 1,508) to examine how the LET might elucidate people's treatment of scientific information. We distributed four ostensibly misaddressed scientific messages and monitored the likelihood of these e-mails being facilitated by participants. Participants' beliefs about self-esteem's importance, assessed months earlier, were associated with increased facilitation of scientific claims congruent with (vs. incongruent with) these beliefs. Thus, people shape the spread of online information in a manner matching their beliefs, even for people outside their social networks.

Urban Civility: City Dwellers Are Not Less Prososcial Than Their Rural Counterparts

Urban living is often thought to promote incivility, but the existing sociological evidence paints a mixed picture. We aimed to examine the urban incivility phenomenon from an evolutionist’s perspective. Small communities are expected to show a higher incidence of helping because the applicability of theories such as kin selection, direct reciprocity and indirect reciprocity to acts of cooperative behaviour is augmented in small-scale demographic settings. Smaller communities have a reduced total pool of individuals to interact with, increasing the likelihood of encountering any given individual multiple times. This makes it easier for individuals to form cooperative relationships with one another, which may facilitate prosociality within smaller communities. Using the lost letter technique, our results show that city dwelling, compared with rural residence, per se does not negatively influence prosociality. This contradicts the expected erosion of cooperative behaviour in anonymous cities and adds to our understanding of the interplay between human macroecology and individual behavioural tendencies.

Lost Letters: Using the Lost-letter Technique to Teach Social Research Methods

Over 50 years ago, Stanley Milgram and colleagues published a short article detailing an unobtrusive experimental design they called the lost-letter technique. The technique involves placing stamped, unmailed letters in a community and using the relative rate of return to infer local attitudes toward political issues and social groups. Furthermore, the technique is simple and inexpensive enough to replicate in an introductory-level social science course as a means to familiarize students with social research methodology. This activity utilizes active learning with student-centered pedagogy, and this paper details the procedure, best practices, and student feedback. Students enjoy having a personal stake in the project and find they better understand social research through this active learning project. Instructors are encouraged to consider adopting the technique in their courses.

Communicating the Neuroscience of Psychopathy and Its Influence on Moral Behavior: Protocol of Two Experimental Studies.

Neuroscience has identified brain structures and functions that correlate with psychopathic tendencies. Since psychopathic traits can be traced back to physical neural attributes, it has been argued that psychopaths are not truly responsible for their actions and therefore should not be blamed for their psychopathic behaviors. This experimental research aims to evaluate what effect communicating this theory of psychopathy has on the moral behavior of lay people. If psychopathy is blamed on the brain, people may feel less morally responsible for their own psychopathic tendencies and therefore may be more likely to display those tendencies. An online study will provide participants with false feedback about their psychopathic traits supposedly based on their digital footprint (i.e., Facebook likes), thus classifying them as having either above-average or below-average psychopathic traits and describing psychopathy in cognitive or neurobiological terms. This particular study will assess the extent to which lay people are influenced by feedback regarding their psychopathic traits, and how this might affect their moral behavior in online tasks. Public recognition of these potential negative consequences of neuroscience communication will also be assessed. A field study using the lost letter technique will be conducted to examine lay people’s endorsement of neurobiological, as compared to cognitive, explanations of criminal behavior. This field and online experimental research could inform the future communication of neuroscience to the public in a way that is sensitive to the potential negative consequences of communicating such science. In particular, this research may have implications for the future means by which neurobiological predictors of offending can be safely communicated to offenders.

Using the lost letter technique to measure real-life behavioral effects of alcohol use

Introduction and aims: People’s behaviors after alcohol use are more extreme and alcohol has a narrowing effect on a person’s cognitive capacity. We tested this effect, making use of the Lost-Letter Technique (LLT), in which the return rate of “lost letters” by public mail is used to measure altruistic behavior. We hypothesized that return rates would be lower when people are under the influence of alcohol, and that an anti-alcohol prime in the address would even further decrease return rates.Design and methods: 768 letters were dropped, half of those at times when some degree of intoxication was likely versus when sober passers-by were common. Three different addressees were used to convey an anti-alcohol cue, a charitable cue, and a neutral cue.Results: The average response rate was 33.1%, and was significantly lower during late bar hours than during lunch hours (20.3% versus 45.8%). Also, when envelopes were found by people who were more likely to have consumed alcohol, anti-alcohol cues gained significantly lower response rates (12.7% versus 23.1%).Discussion and conclusions: This study confirms that alcohol use causes less altruistic behavior and different responses to alcohol-related cues, suggesting that LLT is a promising method to study people’s behavior. Future research could also focus on other substances, (mood-)states, and technology as a means of data collection.

Lost Letters in Dutch Neighborhoods: A Field Experiment on Collective Efficacy

A lack of collective efficacy in neighborhoods is associated with social and physical disorder and related anti-social actions. It is less clear, however, whether collective efficacy in neighborhoods also enhances prosocial, other-regarding behavior. We studied this association by employing the Lost Letter Technique in a large-scale field experiment. Our data stem from 1,240 letters dropped in a representative sample of 110 Dutch neighborhoods, combined with neighborhood data based on a survey of residents (SSND2, n = 996) and information provided by Statistics Netherlands. We distinguish between two conditions: (1) location of the lost letter, that is, behind a car’s windshield wiper or on the sidewalk; and (2) type of addressee, that is, a Dutch name or a Turkish/Moroccan name. When we decompose collective efficacy into social cohesion and shared expectations of social control, we find that shared control expectations clearly matter for the rate of posted letters. Social cohesion has no effect. Furthermore, a high percentage of non-Western residents, high residential mobility, and a relatively low local income level are negatively related to the rate of posted letters.

"A letter for Dr. Outgroup": on the effects of an indicator of competence and chances for altruism toward a member of a stigmatized out-group.

The lost letter technique is an unobtrusive method to investigate attitudes in a particular population. Ostensibly lost letters from senders who apparently belong to different groups or addressed to recipients from apparently different groups are dispersed in public places, and return rates represent a measure of altruistic or discriminatory behavior toward one group or another. In two field experiments using the lost letter technique, we investigated the influence of group membership and the presence or absence of a doctorate degree as an indicator of competence on the likelihood of receiving helping behavior. Experiment 1 showed that a generic member of a low-status ethnic out-group (Turks living in Germany) was the target of discrimination, while a generic member of a non-stigmatized out-group (French in Germany) was not. Moreover, when the name of the member from the stigmatized out-group was (vs. was not) preceded by a doctorate degree, more of the allegedly lost letters were returned. There were no such differential effects for recipients who were members of the in-group (Germans) or the non-stigmatized out-group (French). Experiment 2 showed that a recipient from the stigmatized out-group (Turk) with a doctorate degree received more letters when the sender was German versus Turkish (i.e., from the recipient’s own group). Overall, the sender’s ethnic group membership was an important factor for the likelihood of receiving an ostensibly lost letter, in that fewer letters arrived from a sender with a Turkish (vs. German) name. We conclude that the likelihood of altruistic behavior toward out-group members can increase when in-group members intend to communicate with competent out-group members. Therefore, under certain conditions, the presentation of a highly competent member of an otherwise stigmatized out-group may serve as a discrimination buffer.

Lost and Found, Letters and Methods: Assessing Attitudes toward Chiropractic and Medical Care

Attitudes toward traditional and chiropractic medicine were compared using Milgram's lost letter technique. A total of 192 letters were placed on the windshields of vehicles in parking lots at six restaurants and department stores in each of four quadrants of a medium-sized, Southeastern city. These letters were addressed to "Admissions" at either a fictitious Institute of Medicine or Institute of Chiropractic Care. Return addresses included either a male or a female name. Thus, those who found a lost letter were faced with the option of returning or not returning a letter from either a male or a female, addressed to an Institute of traditional or non-traditional medicine. After examining previous studies which had used the lost letter technique, numerous methodological improvements were implemented. For example, letters were randomly assigned to potential drop spots for each of 24 study locations (six study locations in each of four city quadrants), and a Latin square design was used to control for possible order effects in the four study conditions that were implemented. Nearly 65% of the letters (124 of 192) were returned. We found: 1) letters addressed to a fictitious Institute of Chiropractic Care were just as likely to be returned as those addressed to a fictitious Institute of Medicine; 2) letters with female return addresses were as likely to be returned as those with male return addresses; 3) there was no interaction between study conditions; 4) based on what was essentially a replication study, a comparison of the pattern of returns using the first and second cycle of lost letters (n = 96 for each cycle) revealed an equivalent pattern of no-difference findings. DOI:10.2458/azu_jmmss_v1i1_kern

Lost and Found, Letters and Methods: Assessing Attitudes toward Chiropractic and Medical Care

Attitudes toward traditional and chiropractic medicine were compared using Milgram's lost letter technique. A total of 192 letters were placed on the windshields of vehicles in parking lots at six restaurants and department stores in each of four quadrants of a medium-sized, Southeastern city. These letters were addressed to "Admissions" at either a fictitious Institute of Medicine or Institute of Chiropractic Care. Return addresses included either a male or a female name. Thus, those who found a lost letter were faced with the option of returning or not returning a letter from either a male or a female, addressed to an Institute of traditional or non-traditional medicine. After examining previous studies which had used the lost letter technique, numerous methodological improvements were implemented. For example, letters were randomly assigned to potential drop spots for each of 24 study locations (six study locations in each of four city quadrants), and a Latin square design was used to control for possible order effects in the four study conditions that were implemented. Nearly 65% of the letters (124 of 192) were returned. We found: 1) letters addressed to a fictitious Institute of Chiropractic Care were just as likely to be returned as those addressed to a fictitious Institute of Medicine; 2) letters with female return addresses were as likely to be returned as those with male return addresses; 3) there was no interaction between study conditions; 4) based on what was essentially a replication study, a comparison of the pattern of returns using the first and second cycle of lost letters (n = 96 for each cycle) revealed an equivalent pattern of no-difference findings. DOI:10.2458/azu_jmmss_v1i1_kern

Lost and Found, Letters and Methods: Assessing Attitudes toward Chiropractic and Medical Care

Attitudes toward traditional and chiropractic medicine were compared using Milgram's lost letter technique. A total of 192 letters were placed on the windshields of vehicles in parking lots at six restaurants and department stores in each of four quadrants of a medium-sized, Southeastern city. These letters were addressed to "Admissions" at either a fictitious Institute of Medicine or Institute of Chiropractic Care. Return addresses included either a male or a female name. Thus, those who found a lost letter were faced with the option of returning or not returning a letter from either a male or a female, addressed to an Institute of traditional or non-traditional medicine. After examining previous studies which had used the lost letter technique, numerous methodological improvements were implemented. For example, letters were randomly assigned to potential drop spots for each of 24 study locations (six study locations in each of four city quadrants), and a Latin square design was used to control for possible order effects in the four study conditions that were implemented. Nearly 65% of the letters (124 of 192) were returned. We found: 1) letters addressed to a fictitious Institute of Chiropractic Care were just as likely to be returned as those addressed to a fictitious Institute of Medicine; 2) letters with female return addresses were as likely to be returned as those with male return addresses; 3) there was no interaction between study conditions; 4) based on what was essentially a replication study, a comparison of the pattern of returns using the first and second cycle of lost letters (n = 96 for each cycle) revealed an equivalent pattern of no-difference findings.

Lost and Found, Letters and Methods: Assessing Attitudes toward Chiropractic and Medical Care

Attitudes toward traditional and chiropractic medicine were compared using Milgram's lost letter technique. A total of 192 letters were placed on the windshields of vehicles in parking lots at six restaurants and department stores in each of four quadrants of a medium-sized, Southeastern city. These letters were addressed to "Admissions" at either a fictitious Institute of Medicine or Institute of Chiropractic Care. Return addresses included either a male or a female name. Thus, those who found a lost letter were faced with the option of returning or not returning a letter from either a male or a female, addressed to an Institute of traditional or non-traditional medicine. After examining previous studies which had used the lost letter technique, numerous methodological improvements were implemented. For example, letters were randomly assigned to potential drop spots for each of 24 study locations (six study locations in each of four city quadrants), and a Latin square design was used to control for possible order effects in the four study conditions that were implemented. Nearly 65% of the letters (124 of 192) were returned. We found: 1) letters addressed to a fictitious Institute of Chiropractic Care were just as likely to be returned as those addressed to a fictitious Institute of Medicine; 2) letters with female return addresses were as likely to be returned as those with male return addresses; 3) there was no interaction between study conditions; 4) based on what was essentially a replication study, a comparison of the pattern of returns using the first and second cycle of lost letters (n = 96 for each cycle) revealed an equivalent pattern of no-difference findings. DOI:10.2458/azu_jmmss_v1i1_kern

The Effects of Altercasting and Counterattitudinal Behavior on Compliance: A Lost Letter Technique Investigation

A field experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of altercasting (Weinstein & Dutschberger, 1963) as a compliance-gaining technique. The central hypothesis predicts that positive altercasting messages should produce greater compliance than direct requests. Following Milgram's (1969) lost letter technique, 2,400 ostensibly “lost” letters were placed on car windshields throughout a metropolitan area along with a business card containing a handwritten altercasting or direct request message to mail the letter. The frequency of letters returned was used as a primary measure of compliance. The results do not demonstrate the effectiveness of altercasting as a compliance-gaining technique; on the contrary, they indicate that negative altercasting significantly reduces compliance.

Responses to lost letters about a 2000 General Election amendment to abolish prohibition of interracial marriages in Alabama.

A field study using 621 "lost" letters was conducted in the city of Mobile and in small towns in mostly rural Baldwin County, Alabama. Milgram's lost letter technique was validated against the actual votes cast during the November 7, 2000 General Election. The technique was successful as an unobtrusive measure useful for predicting patterns of voting behavior. Rates of return of lost letters "in favor of and opposed to legalizing interracial marriage" agreed with the actual election returns (chi-square "goodness of fit"). Community size seemed associated with return of lost letters.

Extensions of the lost letter technique to divisive issues of creationism, darwinism, sex education, and gay and lesbian affiliations.

Two field studies using 1,004 "lost letters" were designed to test the hypotheses that returned responses would be greater in small towns than from a city, that addressees' affiliation with a group either (1) opposed to physical education in schools, (2) supporting gay and lesbian teachers, or (3) advocating Creationism or Darwinism would reduce the return rate. Of 504 letters "lost" in Study A, 163 (32.3%) were returned in the mail from residents of southeast Louisiana and indicated across 3 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiLiations were not associated with returned responses. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in the city. Return rates from sites within a city were lower when letters were addressed to an organization which opposed (teaching) health education in the schools than to one supporting daily health education. Of 500 letters "lost" in Study B, 95 (19.0%) were returned from residents of northwest Florida and indicated across 5 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiliations were significantly associated with returned responses overall (5 addressees) and in small towns (control, Creationism, Darwinism addressees), but not with community size. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in small towns, with returns greater than or equal to those in the city (except for the addressee advocating teaching Darwinism in public schools). The present findings appear to show that applications of the lost letter technique to other divisive social issues are useful in assessing public opinion.

EXTENSIONS OF THE LOST LETTER TECHNIQUE TO DIVISIVE ISSUES OF CREATIONISM, DARWINISM, SEX EDUCATION, AND GAY AND LESBIAN AFFILIATIONS

Two field studies using 1,004 “lost letters” were designed to test the hypotheses that returned responses would be greater in small towns than from a city, that addressees' affiliation with a group either (1) opposed to physical education in schools, (2) supporting gay and lesbian teachers, or (3) advocating Creationism or Darwinism would reduce the return rate. Of 504 letters “lost” in Study A, 163 (32.3%) were returned in the mail from residents of southeast Louisiana and indicated across 3 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiliations were not associated with returned responses. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in the city. Return rates from sites within a city were lower when letters were addressed to an organization which opposed (teaching) health education in the schools than to one supporting daily health education. Of 500 letters “lost” in Study B, 95 (19.0%) were returned from residents of northwest Florida and indicated across 5 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiliations were significantly associated with returned responses overall (5 addressees) and in small towns (control, Creationism, Darwinism addressees), but not with community size. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in small towns, with returns greater than or equal to those in the city (except for the addressee advocating teaching Darwinism in public schools). The present findings appear to show that applications of the lost letter technique to other divisive social issues are useful in assessing public opinion.

Gay marriage affiliation and location in return of lost letters: reply to Waugh, Plake, and Rienzi (2000).

Reinspection of Waugh, Plake, and Rienzi's 2000 data allowed for several additional analyses. Statistical confirmation was found for no more negative attitudes toward gay marriage as measured by returned responses among churchgoers than among the general public. Confirmation was also found for their previous conclusion that the putative gay marriage controversy among Christian church attendees would be greater than among the general public, but for reasons different from those they proposed. Finally, it is argued that the limitations for the lost letter technique in "prohibiting fine distinctions" is not always correct because their analysis of one research question seemed not too subtle a distinction for the technique.

Homeless Affiliation, Location, and Sender Address in Return of Lost Letters

A field study used 1008 “lost letters” to test the hypotheses that the differences in returned responses would be attributable to the addressee (i.e., ending homelessnesscontrol or preventing it among youth, veterans, and lesbians) and especially to a socially deviant addressee, that cultural differences between distribution locations might influence returned responses of lost letters, and that sender address (i.e., urban, rural, control) would also influence returned responses. Both addressees’ affiliations and distribution location were associated with returned responses, with the lowest rates being for the Prevent Lesbian Homelessness Program affiliate overall and for the city of Pensacola, respectively. Antigay prejudice toward a deviant group may still be strong even when a helping act can be performed without intimate contact involving members of a deviant group. Neither distribution location nor the sender or return address conditions were associated with different returned responses. Further testing of the lost letter technique, as a measure of public response, may be warranted.

Assessing attitudes toward gay marriage among selected Christian groups using the lost-letter technique.

100 each envelopes were distributed to Christian church parking lots and general public parking lots. Letters were addressed to either the "Gay Marriage Foundation" or to a neutral organization. Significantly more neutral letters (n = 75) were returned than "Gay Marriage Foundation" letters (n = 36) from both types of locations, but no differences were found for return rates. Gay marriage may be a controversial topic for people in this area of California. The limitations of the lost-letter technique prohibit fine distinctions; however, one may infer attitudes toward gay marriage may not be more negative among Christian church attendees than in the general public.

Impeachment Affiliation and Levels of Response to Lost Letters

A study using 75 “lost” letters was designed to test the hypothesis that the rates of return would not vary with the addressees' affiliation, while the level of response would. 30 letters (40%) were returned in the mail to a Post Office Box in Pensacola, Florida. Returns to a Control addressee, Committee to Support the Impeachment of President Bill Clinton, and Committee Opposed to the Impeachment of President Bill Clinton affiliates were 56.0%, 20.0%, and 44.0%, respectively. Of 314 responses recorded for 30 returns, more passersby chose to “ignore” an apparently lost letter than passersby who “responded to an apparently lost letter but did not take it.” Addressees' affiliations significantly were associated with both rates of return and levels of response, as measures of public response using the lost-letter technique.