Flipbook

CHAPTER 4 102 package with five questionnaires (the CCS, OCI-R, OBQ-44 RT, BAI, and Checklist) and filled these out. Then the manipulation followed. Participants in the experimental group were given a plasticized list with all the checking items of the Checklist in present tense (e.g., “Before leaving the house: Check if the door is locked”). Participants were told that the researcher was interested in to what extent people can engage in more checking behavior of everyday objects than they normally do on a daily basis, for one week. They were instructed to perform all the checking behavior on the list at every possible opportunity during the upcoming week. They were asked to check every item once more than they would usually do. For instance, if the participant would usually check whether the door was locked when leaving the house once, they were now asked to check this twice. If the participant usually never checked whether the door was locked, they were now asked to check this once. The experimenter went over the list together with the participant to ensure he/she understood when and how they could check each item (e.g., checking the gas stove could involve carefully looking whether the burners were off or physically touching or turning the knobs). Next, participants were given one Checklist for each day during the week between the first and second laboratory session. They were asked to complete a Checklist at the end of each day before going to bed, and indicate for each item whether they had checked it in the past 24 hours. To increase compliance, participants were asked to set a daily alarm on their phone as a reminder. The monitor group was told that the researcher was interested in to what extent people usually check everyday objects on a daily basis, for one week. They were also handed a Checklist for each day during the week between the first and second laboratory session, and asked to complete one at the end of each day before going to bed. Participants were instructed not to change their behavior in any way, and to “just do what you would normally do and record it on this form every day”. The experimenter went over the Checklist together with each participant and asked them