• 1 gallon milk (1%)
• 1/2 gallon OJ (some bits)
• 1 jar peanut butter (smooth)
• 1 jar raspberry jelly
• 6 packets microwave popcorn
• 4 apples, each the size of a grapefruit
• 1 bunch bananas
• assortment of granola bars
• peanuts, 1 sack
• monster trail mix (peanuts, raisins, chocolate chips, M&Ms), 1 sack
• ground coffee, 1 sack
• butter, 1 stick
• Philly, 1 tub
• ketchup, 1 bottle
• French’s mustard (well of course!), 1 bottle

Yup, I’m in America alright. It sure beats orange squash, cheesy wotsits, and Marmite.

To see if you are eligible for that study (which, if you are a UK-based Christian aged 18+, you almost certainly are) you would first need to join the participant panel. That involves completing a short questionnaire at http://tinyurl.com/6cxvcl.

The participant panel manager, Kirsten Barnes, will then get in touch with everyone who is eligible and invite them to do the £10 online study.

Just ask if you’ve any questions about what it would involve.

But that’s probably not all.

The amount you decide to give also has signal value — you are sending a message about yourself to anyone else who finds out how much you give. When you buy presents off a wedding list, for example, you are sending a message to the couple-to-be about your generosity, the value you place on your relationship with them, and how much you approve of their relationship, all summed up in an exact figure. And let’s face it, they will check. (Now their conclusions will be tempered by their perception of how much you earn, how much they liked you to begin with, their sense of entitlement, and all kinds of other factors, but that’s another story.)

But who is it with whom you are communicating with a leaving or thank-you gift? In this situation the recipient of the gift normally just gets a card with everyone’s names in it along with a cheque or voucher for the total amount (unless it is pitifully small, in which case standard practice seems to be to give a framed print of dubious artistic merit “to remember us by”; that too is another story). Probably then the only person who finds out how much you’re giving is the person who is organizing the collection. So if you’re honest you’ll acknowledge that how generous you want to appear to the person who is organizing the whip-round will have some influence on the amount you are giving — after all, perhaps someone will organize a leaving gift for you one day!

But there’s another factor that might be even more important — knowing how much other people are giving.

I experienced a vivid example of this recently. I was organizing a thank-you gift for a couple of people who’d led a church group for the last couple of years and accordingly sent an email round to the group members to invite those who wanted to contribute to the gift to do so. The first five people who responded directly to me between them donated £20, thus averaging £4.00 per person. Then someone accidentally responded to the entire group promising a £20 donation. What effect did this have on everyone else? The amount of donations went up, big time. I had six further responses directly to me who between them donated £85, so averaging £14.17 per person. The increase was so dramatic that the smallest gift in this second group was double the size of the largest gift in the first group. Even with such small sample sizes this difference is statistically significant with a hefty effect size [t(5.5) = 3.66, p = .01, Cohen's d = 2.12, for those who care about these things]. So we can pretty confidently say that knowing how much someone else gave affected how much people chose to give. (I should point out that this is hardly the first time this effect has been noted!)

What’s going on here? Just to consider a few potential factors, it’s unlikely the six people who gave more knew the gift recipients twice as well, liked them twice as much, were twice as grateful, or earned twice as much. Rather, it seemed that knowing how much another donor gave — having a social norm — set a baseline that trumped the other factors used to decide how much to give. (There was of course still variation in the amounts given in the second group, but this can probably be explained by some function on the baseline of the other factors in relation to people’s perceptions of the public donor’s reasons for giving £20.) But why did having a baseline have such an effect? However much an individual in the second group gave, the only people who would know the amount were me (the gift organizer) and the donor himself. So did people in the second group give more so that I would think they were generous relative to the £20 public donor? Well that might explain some of it, but certainly not all, because everyone knows that I’ll know how much they and everyone else will give anyway (in that sense it is like the wedding gift example, the difference being that the gift isn’t for me). So the only other factor here is how people want to think about themselves. No one wants to think of themselves as stingy, so having a baseline allows people to make a judgment that balances how generous they want to feel that they are in relation to the public donor and modulated by their personal circumstances (how much they earn, how much they like the recipient, and so on).

So, enough theory — how about a practical application of this. If you are organizing a gift for someone, suggest a range of appropriate gift amounts that will allow you to reach your target sum (especially if you have a specific gift in mind). By setting the baseline people can vary around that according to their circumstances without trying to guess what would be appropriate. Another example: You’ll notice on forms or websites for sponsored charity activities (I’m thinking Race For Life, for example) that the amount people give is normally public. It’s likely then that people decide how much to give at least partly on the basis of how much other people have decided to give. So if you are seeking sponsorship for something, you can maximise the amount your sponsors give if you make sure the first few people you approach are generous sponsors. This will set a baseline around which other people can set themselves. (Beware of course of asking family members, who might be perceived to be giving above the baseline because of their special connection to you. Complicated, isn’t it?) On the other hand, if you are asked to sponsor someone for something then the most honest decision you can make is likely prior to knowing how much others are giving.

And how much did I give, knowing how much everyone else gave and having seen such a powerful example of social norming? Well, that would be telling. Anyway, aren’t you glad that I’ve never asked you to sponsor me for anything?

Hour 1

Clifford Gilberto
The 10th Victim (excerpt)
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Christian McBride
Summer Soft
A Family Affair (Verve) 1998

Heavy Shift
90° In the Shade
Unchain Your Mind (China) 1994

Rachel Z
Room of One’s Own
Room of One’s Own (NYC) 1996

Vertú
Anoché
Vertú (Sony) 1999

Tania Maria
Gotcha
No Comment (TKM) 1995

Jimpster
Solar Plexus
Messages From The Hub (Kudos) 1999

Erik Truffaz
Miss Kaba
Arkhangelsk (Blue Note) 2007

Rachel Z Trio
On The Milky Way Express
On The Milky Way Express (Tone Center) 2000

Take 6
4 Miles
Join The Band (Reprise) 1994

Hour 2

Larry Coryell
Good Citizen Swallow
Tricycles (In+Out) 2003

Brad Mehldau Trio
August Ending
House on Hill (Nonesuch) 2006

Rachel Z Trio
Chinese Cafe
Moon At The Window: Piano Impressions of Joni (Tone Center) 2002

Ian Shaw
A Case Of You
Drawn To All Things: Songs of Joni Mitchell (Linn) 2006

Mint Condition
U Send Me Swinging
From The Mint Factory (Perspective) 1993

Brecker Brothers
On the Backside (excerpt)
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Acoustic Alchemy
Take Five
Reference Point (GRP) 1990

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Take Five
Jazziza (Columbia) 1997

Michael Brecker
Five Months From Midnight
Pilgrimage (Wa) 2007

Hour 1

Clifford Gilberto
The 10th Victim (excerpt)
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Brecker Brothers
Above and Below
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Incognito
Always There
Inside Life (Talkin Loud) 1991

Natalie Cole
Straighten Up and Fly Right
Unforgettable With Love (Elektra) 1991

Sarah Vaughan
Your Smile
Brazilian Romance (MK) 1987

Gary Burton
Chairs and Children
Reunion (GRP) 1989

Incognito
Sunburn
Jazz Funk (Ensign) 1981

Tom Browne, Ron Carter, Billy Childs, Bennie Maupin, and Lenny White
Freedom Jazz Dance
Essence of Funk (Hip Bop Essence) 1995

Mark Ledford
Freedom Jazz Dance
Miles 2 Go (Verve Forecast) 1998

The Bad Plus
Iron Man
Give (Columbia) 2004

The Irresistable Force
Nepalese Bliss [Jimpster Mix]
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Hour 2

Incognito
Everyday
100° And Rising (Talkin Loud) 1995

Julian Joseph
All Through The Night
In Concert at the Wigmore Hall (EastWest) 1994

Frank Harrison Trio
Falling
First Light (Basho) 2006

John Surman & Howard Moody
I’m Troubled in Mind
Rain on the Window (ECM) 2008

Jan Garbarek & the Hilliard Ensemble
O Lord in Thee is All My Trust
Mnemosyne (ECM) 1999

John Surman & Howard Moody
O Waly Waly
Rain on the Window (ECM) 2008

Cassandra Wilson
Last Train to Clarksville
New Moon Daughter (Blue Note) 1995

Brecker Brothers
On the Backside (excerpt)
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Incognito
Colibri
Tribes, Vibes and Scribes (Talkin Loud) 1992

Neon
Sweets
Here To There (Basho) 2008

Paul McCandless
Robin Reprise
Premonition (Windham Hill Jazz) 1992

Hour 1

Clifford Gilberto
The 10th Victim (excerpt)
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer, and John Patitucci
Runferyerlife
The Hudson Project (Stretch) 2000

Joshua Redman Elastic Band
Sweet Nasty
Momentum (Nonesuch) 2005

Michael Franks
Pospsicle Toes
The Art of Tea (Reprise) 1975

Paul Booth
Andorra
No Looking Back (Basho) 2007

Stanley Jordan
Plato’s Blues
Bolero (Arista) 1994

Vertú
Toys
Vertú (Sony) 1999

Colour Club
Consumption
Colour Club (JVC) 1994

Stanley Jordan
Eleanor Rigby
Magic Touch (Blue Note) 1985

Hour 2

Joe Sample
No One But Myself To Blame
The Pecan Tree (Verve) 2002

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Angel Eyes
Live at Bubba’s (Retro) 1980

Rodney Kendrick
Led Astray
Last Chance for Common Sense (Verve) 1996

Al Di Meola
Cry For You
Consequence of Chaos (Telarc) 2006

Brecker Brothers
On the Backside (excerpt)
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Ronny Jordan
So What
The Antidote (Island) 1992

Miles Davis
So What
Kind of Blue (Columbia) 1959

Stanley Jordan
Georgia on My Mind
Standards Vol. 1 (Blue Note) 1986

Anna Maria Jopek
Upojenie
Upojenie (Warner Poland) 2002

Hour 1

Clifford Gilberto
The 10th Victim (excerpt)
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Tim Lapthorn
The Bark and the Bite
Seventh Sense (Basho) 2007

Pat Metheny
(Go) Get It
Trio 99 > 00 (Warner) 2000

Stanley Clarke
School Days
School Days (Columbia) 1976

Diana Krall
Pick Yourself Up
When I Look In Your Eyes (Verve) 1999

Carleen Anderson
Mama Said
True Spirit (Circa) 1994

Jhelisa
Friendly Pressure [Radio Mix]
Friendly Pressure (Dorado) 1995

The Quiet Boys
Inner Sense
Bosh! (Hollywood) 1996

Naoyuki Honzawa
La Lune (mOOn)
Brownswood Workshop Multidirection 2 (Talkin’ Loud) 1995

Azymuth
Onde Anda Meu Amor? (Where Is My Love?)
Pieces of Ipanema (Far Out Recordings) 1999

Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons
Sahara
Sahara (GRP) 1994

Hour 2

Weather Report
Birdland
Heavy Weather (Columbia) 1977

Quincy Jones
Birdland
Back on the Block (Qwest) 1989

Diana Krall
The Look of Love
The Look of Love (Verve) 2001

Diana Krall
And I Love Her
(I Got No Kick Against) Modern Jazz (GRP) 1995

June Tabor
I Wonder What’s Keeping My True Love Tonight?
Aleyn (Topic) 1997

Brecker Brothers
On the Backside (excerpt)
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Nils Petter Molvær
Tabula Rasa
NP3 (Universal) 2002

Jan Garbarek
Knot of Place and Time [edit]
In Praise of Dreams (ECM) 2004

John Scofield
Bedside Manner
Quiet (Verve) 1996

Diana Krall
Gentle Rain
Love Scenes (Impulse!) 1997

Hour 1

Clifford Gilberto
The 10th Victim (excerpt)
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Empirical
Blessings
Empirical (2007) Creative People Music

Dave Grusin
C-Jam Blues
Homage to Duke (GRP) 1993

Pat Coil
On the Edge (Latin Blues)
Schemes and Dreams (Sheffield Lab) 1994

e.s.t.
Goldwrap
Tuesday Wonderland (ACT) 2006

e.s.t.
When God Created the Coffeebreak
Strange Place for Snow (Superstudio GUL) 2002

Gerry Mulligan with Jane Duboc
Paraiso
Paraiso (Telarc) 2005

David Sanborn
Theme from “Love is Not Enough”
Heart to Heart (Warner) 1976

My Life’s in These Bottles
Loka
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Tony Rémy
“Tro”
“Boof” (GRP) 1994

Hour 2

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Shadow
Dance of Fire (Sony) 1995

Houston Person
Here’s That Rainy Day
Soft Lights (HighNote) 1999

Diane Reeves
Both Sides Now
Quiet After the Storm (Blue Note) 1994

e.s.t.
Reminiscence of a Soul
Good Morning Susie Soho (Superstudio GUL) 2000

Peter White
Lullaby
Caravan of Dreams (Columbia) 1996

Brecker Brothers
On the Backside (excerpt)
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Gary Thomas
You Don’t Know What Love Is
Till We Have Faces (Polydor) 1992

Charlie Haden and Kenny Barron
You Don’t Know What Love Is
Night and the City (Verve) 1998

e.s.t.
The Goldhearted Miner
E.S.T. Live in Hamburg (ACT) 2007

Hour 1

Clifford Gilberto
The 10th Victim (excerpt)
Xen Cuts (Ninja Tune) 2000

Jaco Pastorius
Come On, Come Over
Jaco Pastorius (Epic) 1976

Pete Escovedo
Este Noche
Flying South (Concord Picante) 1997

Dave Weckl
In The Pocket
Hard-Wired (GRP) 1994

Elvis Stani? Group
Waking the Spring
Mantaña (Croatia Records) 2001

Michael Franks
Coming to Life
Dragonfly Summer (Reprise) 1993

Eliane Elias
Life Goes On
A Long Story (Manhattan) 1991

Eliane Elias
Jazz ‘n’ Samba
Eliane Elias Sings Jobim (Blue Note) 1998

Sergio Mendes
Rio de Janeiro
Oceano (Verve Forecast) 1996

Arturo Sandoval
Blackbird
(I Got No Kick Against) Modern Jazz (GRP) 1995

Bobby McFerrin
Blackbird
The Voice (Elektra/Asylum) 1984

Yellowjackets
Les is Mo
Mint Jam (Yellowjackets) 2001

Hour 2

Rachel Z Trio
On the Milky Way Express
On the Milky Way Express (Tone Center) 2000

Neon
Sweets
Here to There (Basho) 2008

Sam Yahel
Spring is Here
In the Blink of an Eye (Naxos Jazz) 1999

Eliane Elias
Just Enough
Solos and Duets with Herbie Hancock (Blue Note) 1995

Brecker Brothers
On the Backside (excerpt)
Return of the Brecker Brothers (GRP) 1992

Phil Robson
Jealous Guy
Screenwash (Babel) 2004

George Duke
Look What We Started Now
Illusions (Warner) 1995

Eliane Elias
Moments
Illusions (Columbia) 1987

Matthew Bourne
Kate
The Molde Concert (Foghorn) 2007

Heat oven to 180°C/350°F. Beat together til creamy:

• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened [~10 oz]
• 2 cups sugar

Add and beat:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together and add gradually to butter mixture, beating thoroughly til well mixed:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Stir (or beat lightly) into dough til evenly distributed:

• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 2/3 cup plain/dark chocolate chips

Drop in rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, allowing room for them to spread to about 4″ diameter; should make about 30. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake or you will end up with crunchy cookies, and frankly what’s the point in that? They will seem soft and uncooked in the middle but they are done, really! Allow to cool for a few minutes until flattened then transfer with metal spatula onto greaseproof paper or a wire cooling rack to cool completely. (If they are falling apart instead of transfering whole you’ve not waited long enough; if they are sticking to the baking sheet you’ve waited too long, get out the chisel and enjoy the washing up.)