The Likelihood of Revealing Secrets Based on Severity and ConsequencePast ResearchHypothesisVariablesMethod: ParticipantsMethod: MaterialsMethod: ProcedureResultsSlide 9Slide 10Slide 11Slide 12Manipulation CheckDiscussionSlide 15Future DirectionsSlide 17Slide 18The Likelihood of Revealing Secrets Based on Severity and ConsequenceBy Katy d’Ambly, Nicole Mazzeo, Elysha Ertas, Deni TilkidjievaPast Research•Lane and Wegner (1995)•Free association test•Secret suppression and cognitive energy•Kelly (2002)•Secrets kept from counselors by patients•Secrets’ consequencesHypothesisParticipants who are exposed to a more severe secret with greater consequences will be more likely to reveal the secret than participants in any of the other experimental conditions.Variables•IV 1: Secret (more severe or less severe)•IV 2: Consequence (lesser or greater)•DV: The likelihood to reveal the secretMethod: Participants•98 participants randomly assigned to conditions•21 (less severe secret, lesser consequence)•26 (less, greater)•26 (more, lesser)•25 (more, greater)•Mostly traditionally aged Mount Holyoke womenMethod: Materials• 1 questionnaire per condition, each with 3 secret scenarios:–Suicide / Depression–Car accident –Cheating on boyfriend•Two questions following each scenario:–How likely are you to tell this secret? (DV)–How believable is this scenario? (manipulation check)Method: Procedure•Questionnaires were randomized•Participants filled out questionnaires•Questionnaires were collected and participants debriefed•Results were sent to participantsResults•Dependent Variable – Likelihood to Disclose the Secret•Hypothesis – Participants exposed to a more severe secret with greater consequences would be more likely to reveal the secret than participants in any of the other experimental conditions.Results•Analysis:2 (secret: more severe vs. less severe) X2 (consequence: greater vs. lesser)independent groups ANOVAResultsMain Effect of Secret’s Severity3691215More Severe Less SevereDegree of SeverityLikelihood to DiscloseResultsMain Effect of Consequence3691215greater consequences lesser consequencesDegree of ConsequenceLikelihood to DiscloseResultsInteraction between Secret & Consequence3691215more lessDegree of SeverityLikelihood to DiscloseGreater ConsequencesLesser ConsequencesManipulation Check•One-way ANOVA•No significant difference between believability; all scenarios had a high score of realismDiscussion•Significant main effect for secret’s severity•No main effect for consequence•No interaction•Hypothesis not supportedDiscussion•Results not consistent with what we inferred from other studies•Interpretation on effect of secret severity from Lane and Wegner (1995) study consistent with findings•Indication that consequence as a variable has effect was not consistent with resultsFuture Directions•Consequences left to interpretation–describe consequence for participant•Clarify consequences –distinguish between greater and lesserResultsMain Effect of Consequence3691215greater consequences lesser consequencesDegree of ConsequenceLikelihood to