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Psychological reactance theory assumes that a threat or loss of valued behaviors elicits anger and negative cognitions, motivating actions to regain the limited freedom (Brehm, 1966; Dillard & Shen, 2005). Reactance can manifest in multiple ways. Individuals may be triggered to engage in constrained behavior (boomerang effect), to take action against the restriction, or to preserve other freedoms (Miron & Brehm, 2006). For instance, recent research showed that limiting the COVID-19 vaccination decision by announcing mandatory vaccination triggered reactance among participants with low support for a mandate. Reactance in turn was found to elicit activism (e.g., increased intention to sign a petition or join a demonstration against the mandate), to promote avoidance of the new vaccination, to reduce protective behaviors (e.g., intention to wear a mask and avoid close contacts), and to skip voluntary flu shots (Sprengholz, Felgendreff, Böhm, & Betsch, 2021). Yet, little is known about the cognitive processes underlying such reactance effects. How does reactance influence information processing and attention? How and when is reactance memorized and remembered? How long does it persist? In this course, we will first select and elaborate a research question based on existing research. We will then design an experiment employing implicit paradigms. You will learn how to implement the experiment using open tools such as jsPsych and analyze the data using R. |
