Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
11:51
Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
Published on: March 2, 2011
When Reported Intentions Don't Match Behavior: Demand Characteristics in Information-Seeking Persuasion Research
1Department of Communication Studies, Western Washington University.
Health Communication
|July 22, 2026
Summary
Participants inferring a study's persuasive intent can inflate self-reported risk information seeking intentions, not actual behavior. Perceived awareness of the research hypothesis explains this discrepancy in persuasion studies.
Area of Science:
- Health Communication
- Psychology
- Persuasion Studies
Background:
- Self-reported risk information seeking intentions are common in persuasion studies.
- Their validity is questioned when participants detect the study's persuasive aim.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if cues about persuasive intent inflate reported risk information seeking intentions.
- To examine the effect of disclosing a study's persuasive purpose on information-seeking responses.
- To understand the divergence between intention and behavior in risk information seeking.
Main Methods:
- A 3x2 experimental design tested disclosure of study purpose (true, none, false) and persuasion statement presence.
- 531 participants were recruited for the study.
- Perceived awareness of the research hypothesis (PARH) was assessed post-experiment.
Main Results:
- Disclosing the study's persuasive purpose significantly increased self-reported intention to seek prediabetes information.
- Actual information-seeking behavior did not increase.
- PARH fully mediated the effect of disclosure on intention and weakened the intention-behavior relationship.
Conclusions:
- Perceived persuasive intent can artificially inflate self-reported information-seeking measures.
- This inflation does not correlate with actual information-seeking behavior.
- Contextual cues significantly influence participant responses in risk information-seeking research, impacting theory and practice.
Related Concept Videos
01:52Persuasion Strategies
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
02:20Routes of Persuasion
Persuasion is the process of changing our attitude toward something based on some kind of communication. Much of the persuasion we experience comes from outside forces. How do people convince others to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors? What communications do you receive that attempt to persuade you to change your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors?
01:31Confirmation Biases
The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
00:52Social Proof
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
01:17Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification
Self-verification is a fundamental psychological drive wherein individuals seek affirmation of their self-concept from others, striving for consistency between their internal self-view and external perceptions. This drive operates even when the self-concept is negative, influencing interpersonal behavior and feedback preferences in complex and often counterintuitive ways. Unlike the self-enhancement motive, which seeks positive evaluations, self-verification prioritizes coherence and...
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.