1. The Likelihood of Revealing Secrets Based on Severity and Consequence
By Katy d’Ambly, Nicole Mazzeo, Elysha Ertas, Deni Tilkidjieva

2. Past Research Lane and Wegner (1995) Kelly (2002)
Free association test
Secret suppression and cognitive energy
Kelly (2002)
Secrets kept from counselors by patients
Secrets’ consequences

3. Hypothesis
Participants 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.

4. Variables IV 1: Secret (more severe or less severe)
IV 2: Consequence (lesser or greater)
DV: The likelihood to reveal the secret

5. Method: 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 women

6. Method: 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)

7. Method: Procedure Questionnaires were randomized
Participants filled out questionnaires
Questionnaires were collected and participants debriefed
Results were sent to participants

8. Results 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.

9. Results
Analysis: 2 (secret: more severe vs. less severe) X 2 (consequence: greater vs. lesser) independent groups ANOVA

10. Main Effect of Secret’s Severity
Results
Main Effect of Secret’s Severity

11. Main Effect of Consequence
Results
Main Effect of Consequence

12. Interaction between Secret & Consequence
Results
Interaction between Secret & Consequence

13. Manipulation Check One-way ANOVA
No significant difference between believability; all scenarios had a high score of realism

14. Discussion Significant main effect for secret’s severity
No main effect for consequence
No interaction
Hypothesis not supported

15. Discussion
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 results

16. Future Directions Consequences left to interpretation
describe consequence for participant
Clarify consequences
distinguish between greater and lesser

17. Main Effect of Consequence
Results
Main Effect of Consequence

18. THE END!