Menstrual cycle symptomatology: the role of social expectancy and experimental demand characteristics

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of experimental demand characteristics and social expectancies on the report and experience of presumed menstrual cycle-related moods and symptoms. Participating in the study were 18 healthy women with regular menstrual cycles who were randomly assigned to either a group told that menstrual cycle symptomatology was the focus of the study or a group to which no interest in menstrual cycle symptoms was communicated. Nine males were also included as a control group. Results indicated that women who were informed of the interest in menstrual cycle symptomatology reported significantly more negative psychologic and somatic symptoms at the premenstrual and menstrual phases than did the women and men not so informed. It appears, therefore, that the report of stereotypic menstrual cycle symptomatology is influenced by social expectancy and experimental demand characteristics.