University of Twente Student Theses
Rebuilding Bridges : The Effect of Accepting and Apologizing on the Investigator-Suspect Relationship in the Aftermath of a Misjudgment
Schröder, M. (2023) Rebuilding Bridges : The Effect of Accepting and Apologizing on the Investigator-Suspect Relationship in the Aftermath of a Misjudgment.
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| Abstract: | The study examined whether a combination of accepting and apologizing after a judgment communication error in investigative interviews is more effective than a single response strategy in repairing rapport, (affective and cognitive) trust, and willingness to provide information. Students were asked to imagine being accused of exam fraud and were interviewed online by a fictional Board of Examiners member (N = 133). Participants were misled about the study's purpose and randomly assigned to one of four conditions. In one condition, the board member did not make a judgment error, but in the other three, she did and reacted with either an accept response, an apology response, or a combination of both. The findings showed that the judgment error decreased rapport and cognitive trust. However, no effect of the error was shown on affective trust or willingness to provide information. Further, by just accepting or apologizing after a judgment error, rapport still decreased. Accepting compared to apologizing maintained cognitive trust better than as if no error had been made. The combination of both, accepting and apologizing, showed no difference compared to the single response strategies. However, additional analysis showed that the combined response strategy was effective in maintaining the level of rapport and trust compared to when no judgment error happened, suggesting it may still be the most effective response. This study was the first to evaluate a combined response strategy after an error and found that errors adversely affected rapport. Possible subsequent research might be necessary to investigate the effect of a judgment error without an immediate response strategy and validate these findings. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/95179 |
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