Effects of positive and negative requests on compliance following transgression

aversive stimulus (e.g.. electric shock) and withholding a rewarding stimulus (e.g., nonreward of a lever press during the Strial) are both punishment procedures. Since amphetamine drugs reduce shock-punished responding, one might predict that amphetamine drugs also would reduce nonrewarded responding. Thus, one explanation of how methamphetamine affects SDR acquisition is that is reduces the probability of nonrewarded responses (S- responses), thus reducing the number of errors to criterion. Regarding duration of the drug effect in SDR, any conclusion is tentative. With 0.5 mg/kg of methamphetamine, the drug group performed better than its control group for several reversals after the drug injection (i.e., long-term effect). Yet, in Experiment II, with reversals spaced by 48 h, the drug effect did not persist beyond R. (i.e., short-term). Since a "long-term" effect was present with 24-h spacing of reversals, but not with 48-h spacing of reversals, the results suggest that the drug had a residual effect on the performance of the animal which dissipated with time, and when reversals were spaced by 48 h, the drug effect had vanished by R, . REFERENCES Bauer. R. H .• & Duncan. N. C. Twenty·four proactive facilitation of avoidance and discrimination learning in rats by d-amphetamine. Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology. 1971, 77. 521-527. Cole, S. O. Experimental effects of amphetamine. A review. Psychological Bulletin, 1967,68,81-90. Geller, L., & Seifter. L. The effects of meprobamate, barbiturates, d'amphetamine, and promazine on experimentally induced conflict in the rat. Psycho pharmacologia. 1960, 1, 482-492. Grossman, S. P., & Sclafani, A. Sympathomimetic amines. In E. Furchtgott (Ed.), Pharmacological and biophysical agents an'd behavior. New York: Academic Press, 1971. Pp. 269-344. Kelleher, R. T., & Morse, W. H. Determinants of the specificity of behavioral effects of drugs. Ergebnisse der Physiologie Biologischen Chemie und Experimentalen Pharmakologie, 1968, 60, 1-56. Kulig, B. M., &. Calhoun, W. H. Methamphetamine enhancement of successive discrimination reversal learning. Psycho pharmacologia. 1972,27,233-240. (Received for publication October 23,1973.) Effects of positive and negative requests on compliance following transgression* DAVID L. McMILLENt, JERRY A. JACKSON and JAMES B. AUSTIN Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss. 39762 Fifty Ss were assigned randomly to four cells of a 2 by 2 factorial design. Half the Ss were induced to transgress by cheating on a multiple-choice psychology test, while half the Ss did not transgress. Following the transgression manipulation, 28 of the Ss from each of the above conditions were asked to circulate a petition *This research was partially supported by a National Science Foundation Institutional Allowance to Mississippi State University. This paper is sponsored by Jeff S. Topping, who takes editorial responsibility for its contents. tReprints may be obtained from David L. McMillen, Drawer Pfi', Mississippi State. Miss. 39762. 80 on an issue which was socially desirable while 22 Ss from each condition were requested to circulate a petition on an issue which was not socially desirable. The findings were: (a) the greatest degree of compliance was found in the transgress-socially desirable request group; (b) Ss who had transgressed would not comply to a negative request more than Ss who had not transgressed. Results indicate that greater compliance occurs following transgression if compliance functions to raise self-esteem. Numerous studies have indicated that transgression leads to an increase in compliant behavior. Transgression has been made operational in a variety of ways, including destroying a machine (Wallace & Sadalla, Bull. Psychon. Soc., 1974, Vol. 3 (IB) 1966). upsetting the order of a graduate student\ index cards (Freedman, Wallington, & Bless. 1967). costing another person green stamps (Berscheid & Walster. 1967). lying (Freedman, Wallington. & Bless. 1967), and administration of electric shocks (Carlsmith & Gross, 1969). and the results have been essentially the same-transgression tends to increase compliance. Several studies (e .g., Carlsmith & Gross, 1969: \ldlillen, 1971: McMillen & Austin, 1971) have indicated that self-esteem is an important factor in the transgression-compliance relationship. It is probable that the act of transgression is inconsistent with the individual"s self-concept. The compliance request gives the individual an opportunity to restore self-esteem, thus reducing the inconsistency. Tllis interpretation is derived from a revision of dissonance theory by Aronson (1969). According to Aronson, cognitive dissonance is aroused when a cognition about a behavior is inconsistent with a cognition about the self. In most transgression-compliance studies S is probably faced with this type of inconsistency. S has a negative cognition concerning his behavior (e.g .. "I damaged a machine:', "I lied."', "I cheated."') and a positive cognition of himself (e .g., "I am a good, honest person."). This situation should arouse dissonance. The self-esteem interpretation implies that persons will comply following transgression only when the act of compliance can function to restore self-esteem. If tllis is true. a factor such as the social desirability of the request may be important in detennining if compliance occurs. Previewed briefly, the present experiment consisted of a .2 by .2 factorial design in wllich Ss were either given or not given infonnation conducive to transgressing (cheating on a test) and subsequently asked to comply with a request of positive or negative social desirability. The greatest degree of compliance was predicted in the transgression-positive request group. since the nature of the request should afford these Ss an opportunity to restore self-esteem. Also, no significant differences were predicted between the transgression and no-transgression groups in the negative request condition since compliance to a negative request should not restore self-esteem. METHOD Subjects The Ss were 50 female undemraduate students enrolled in a general psychology course at ~Iississippi State L·niversity.l Ss volunteered to participate in the experinlent in order to partially fulfill a course requirement. :\0 Ss were in classes with either of the Es or the confederate. Procedure Ss \\ere run individually. As each S arrived for the experiment. she \\'as met by E 1. seated in a waiting room. and told that the previous S had not yet completed the experiment. E1 then left S alone to \\ait. One minute later. a confederate posin~ as the pre\'ious S entered the \\'aiting room on the pretext that she had Bull. Psychon. Soc., 1974. Vol. 3 (IB) kit her beoks there. The confederate engaged S in a briei informal discussion. Durin>! the course of this discussion. the confederate provided half the Ss with the following information: "1 was just in "n experinlent wh (...truncated)