Motivations for a source to resist an interrogation: Consequences to the self versus consequences to an other

Julia Rose LaBianca, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

The current research investigated the effect of situational and dispositional factors on a source's decision to confess guilty knowledge of another's actions to an interrogator. The extant literature suggests that potential consequences to the self are a major motivator for decisions to confess or resist an interrogation. Previous research also suggests that the potential consequences to the other person may also influence a source's motivations to confess guilty knowledge. Additionally, personality measures related to interdependence versus personal independence (collectivism and individualism) and individual loyalty may also influence a source's motivations to cooperate with or resist an interrogation. However, few experiments have investigated how these factors may combine to affect a source's decision-making in an interrogative context. Therefore, the proposed experiments will model how characteristics of the "other" (entitativity and dissimilarity) as well as individual personality differences (collectivism, individualism, and loyalty) affect a source's decision to confess guilty knowledge to an interrogator.

Subject Area

Law|Social psychology

Recommended Citation

LaBianca, Julia Rose, "Motivations for a source to resist an interrogation: Consequences to the self versus consequences to an other" (2013). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1545173.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1545173

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