When reactance effects persist despite restoration of freedom: Investigations of time delay and vicarious control

Two studies are reported indicating that changes in attractiveness induced by psychological reactance are eliminated by a restoration of freedom only if the restoration occurs immediately following the threat. When the restoration was delayed, changes in attractiveness were attenuated but were still significant, no matter whether the restoration occurred by chance or was under subjects' vicarious control. A threat immediately followed by a restoration, however, may be perceived as one event, and thus may not be very threatening. Therefore, the absence of reactance effects after immediate restoration may be due to a weak induction of reactance rather than to a reduction of reactance. To this extent, the incomplete reduction of reactance effects found after delayed restoration, on the other hand, calls into question earlier conclusions (based on immediate restoration) that reactance is completely reduced by restoration of freedom and that reactance effects will no longer be obtained. On rapporte deux etudes qui montrent que des changements d'attraction induits par une reactance psychologique ne sont elimines par une restauration de la liberte que si celle-ci se produit immediatement apres la menace. Lorsque la restauration se faisait apres un delai, par chance ou sous le contrǒle vicariant des sujets, les changements d'attraction Ctaient attenues mais ils etaient encore significatifs. Une menace suivie immediatement d'une restauration peut ětre percue comme un seul evenement et ne peut pas ětre des lors tres menacante. En consequence, l'absence d'effets de reactance apres une restauration immediate peut ětre due a une faible induction de reactance plutǒt qu'a une reduction de la reactance. Dans cette perspective, less effets de reduction partielle de reactance que l'on obtient apres une restauration differee mettent en question les conclusions de recherches anterieures. Selon celles-ci, basees sur une restauration immediate, la reactance est completement reduite par une restauration de liberte et les effets de reactance ne s'obtiendraient plus.