The Liberating Effects of Interpersonal Influence: An Empirical Investigation of Disinhibitory Contagion

Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the dynamics underlying disinhibitory contagion, a particular case of social contagion in which a recipient who is in an approach-avoidance conflict experiences a reduction in restraints as a consequence of observing an initiator perform the desired behavior. Naive subjects (American undergraduates) and an experimental confederate completed a series of questionnaires for a study that was purported to be an investigation of attitudes and perceptions. During the testing session, the experimenter requested subjects to volunteer for tedious tasks during the subsequent week. The confederate either refused (disinhibitory contagion condition) or complied (conformity condition) with the request. Results showed that subjects in the disinhibitory contagion condition volunteered for less time and experienced less conflict than did subjects in the conformity condition.