Notes On the Contamination Method

The contamination method of obtaining confidential information was compared to more standard methods of interviewing, with the criterion being the degree to which the methods elicited candid responses. Two experiments were conducted in which college students were asked whether or not they had engaged in a variety of behaviors which were illegal, immoral, and/or embarrassing to admit. The results of both studies showed no differences between the interviewing methods in affirmation rates. A plausible explanation for the contamination method's failure to produce more candid responses than standard interviewing methods was provided in Study II, where it was found that the use of contamination method caused subjects to perceive the questions as significantly more sensitive. Implications and qualifications of these results were discussed.