Transgression-Compliance: Guilt, Negative Affect, or Impression Management?

Abstract

Summary Two experiments were carried out with female undergraduates to test the hypothesis that increased willingness of Ss to engage in prosocial behavior following transgression is an impression management tactic and not a function of guilt or negative affect. In the first study 40 Ss were either illegitimately preinformed about how to perform well on the task and then induced to lie about having the information or they were not preinformed. Subsequent to task performance Ss were asked for a favor either by the original E or by a second one. Contrary to expectations of all the theories, the lie manipulation had no effect on prosocial behavior; however, consistent with impression management predictions compliance was greater to the request of the original E. In the second study (n = 53) a stronger lie manipulation was carried out, and Ss either did or did not receive suspicious feedback regarding task performance. Ss who did not trangress but received suspicious feedback displayed the greatest compliance. Secondary data also tended to support an impression management interpretation of this result and cast doubt on the guilt and negative affect hypotheses.