The Effects of Perceived Intimacy and Valence on Self-Disclosure Reciprocity

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Abstract
This study tested the intimacy equilibrium and valence explanations of disclosure reciprocity and liking; 60 female college students were randomly assigned to one of two experimental treatments involving intimacy and valence. Half the subjects in the intimacy condition were assigned for high intimacy treatment; the other half received a low intimacy treatment. These treatments were crosscut by a positive and negative valence manipulation. Subjects were presented with written scenarios that ostensibly described a past event in the life of their partners. The scenarios were manipulated by experimental instruction to affect the following disclosure styles across the four experimental cells: (1) high intimate-positive valence, (2) high intimate-negative valence, (3) low intimate-positive valence, and (4) low intimate-negative valence. An analysis of covariance of disclosure revealed a significant main effect for intimacy, a main effect for valence, and an interaction of these effects. Higher levels of disclosure intimacy occurred in the high intimacy condition than in the low intimacy condition. Positive valence elicited higher levels of disclosure intimacy than negative valence. Finally, these main effect findings were further explained by an interaction in which valence of disclosure altered disclosure reciprocation. There were no significant effects of measures of liking.

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