When Reported Intentions Don't Match Behavior: Demand Characteristics in Information-Seeking Persuasion Research

Self-reported risk information seeking intentions are widely used indicators of risk information seeking in persuasion studies, yet their validity may be compromised when participants infer the persuasive purpose of a study. This study examined how cues about persuasive intent inflate reported seeking intention in the context of prediabetes risk messaging. Using a 3 (disclosure of study purpose: true, no disclosure, false disclosure) × 2 (persuasion statement: absent vs. present) design (N = 531), I tested whether revealing a study's persuasive purpose affects information-seeking responses. Disclosing the true study's persuasive purpose significantly increased self-reported intention to seek prediabetes information but did not increase actual information-seeking behavior. To explain this divergence, I assessed participants' perceived awareness of the research hypothesis (PARH) after the experiment. PARH (a) fully mediated the effect of disclosure of persuasive purpose on inflated intention and (b) weakened the relationship between seeking intention and seeking decision. These findings indicate that perceived persuasive intent can artificially elevate self-reported information-seeking measures without producing corresponding changes in actual information-seeking behavior. The study highlights how contextual cues can shape participants' responses in risk information-seeking studies, offering implications for both theory and practice in persuasive message testing.