Innocent suspects’ willingness to disclose critical information: Examining the impact of awareness of possible evidence and type of crime-unrelated act

Abstract

This imaginary mock-crime study examined how awareness of possible evidence influences innocent suspects' (N = 160) willingness to disclose critical information. Specifically, we tested the impact of (a) type of crime-unrelated act participants imagined having executed at the crime scene (lawful vs. unlawful) and (b) information about the possibility that surveillance camera evidence was available from the crime scene (informed vs. not informed). Unlawful (vs. lawful) act suspects were significantly less willing to disclose critical information about their actions and true intentions. As predicted, the awareness of possible evidence did not significantly impact lawful act suspects’ disclosure willingness. Contradicting the predictions, no significant differences occurred between informed and uninformed unlawful act suspects. The level of stress informed unlawful act suspects experienced in conjunction with the possibility of existing evidence was positively correlated to their willingness to disclose critical information about their true intentions.