The Effect of Anticipatory Apology and Appreciation in Online Support-Seeking Messages on Support Provision in the US and Korea

This experiment examined how online support-seeking messages containing anticipatory apology and/or appreciation influence support provision in the U.S. and Korea. The mediating role of regard for face was also assessed. A total of 983 participants (568 in the U.S. sample, 415 in the Korean sample) read and responded to support-seeking messages posted on an interactive online platform. Results showed that support-seeking messages with anticipatory apology and/or appreciation elicited higher quality (in terms of person-centeredness) supportive messages than support-seeking messages without anticipatory apology or appreciation. Participants' perceptions of support-seeker's regard for face mediated the effect of anticipatory apology in support-seeking messages on level of person-centeredness in received support messages. This pattern of findings was observed in both the American and Korean samples.