Riverland Community College Psychology Instructor Dr. Barbara J. Houle is the lead author of a research article “A Functional Approach to Volunteerism: Do Volunteer Motives Predict Task Preference?” recently published in the journal Basic and Applied Social Psychology.  Dr. Brad J. Sagarin from Northern Illinois University and Martin F. Kaplan of Osher Institute, California State University – Channel Islands were co-authors of the article.

The purpose of the study discussed in the article was to investigate whether certain volunteer tasks (e.g., reading to the blind, entering data) differently satisfy certain motives (e.g., expression of values, career building) and whether individuals prefer tasks with benefits aligned with their own volunteer motives. Results suggested that people idiosyncratically differentiate tasks based on the motives they satisfy. Furthermore, when given a choice, individuals prefer tasks with benefits that match their personally relevant motives. The article also discusses practical implications for volunteer organizations. For a copy of the study, contact Dr. Houle at bhoule@riverland.edu.

Houle earned her doctorate in psychology from Northern Illinois University and has a master of arts degree in psychology from the University of Northern Iowa. Her undergraduate degree is in natural science and she also has served with the Peace Corps in Lobamba, Swaziland.