Motivations for a source to resist an interrogation: Consequences to the self versus consequences to an other

The current research investigated the effect of situational and dispositional factors on a source's decision to confess guilty knowledge of another's actions to an interrogator. The extant literature suggests that potential consequences to the self are a major motivator for decisions to confess or resist an interrogation. Previous research also suggests that the potential consequences to the other person may also influence a source's motivations to confess guilty knowledge. Additionally, personality measures related to interdependence versus personal independence (collectivism and individualism) and individual loyalty may also influence a source's motivations to cooperate with or resist an interrogation. However, few experiments have investigated how these factors may combine to affect a source's decision-making in an interrogative context. Therefore, the proposed experiments will model how characteristics of the "other" (entitativity and dissimilarity) as well as individual personality differences (collectivism, individualism, and loyalty) affect a source's decision to confess guilty knowledge to an interrogator.