Teaching of Psychology, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundInformation disclosed by professors in class could have potentially positive or negative effects on instructor–student rapport, student perceptions of the professor, student engagement in the class, and student learning.ObjectiveThis study measured both perceptions of professor self-disclosure and the relationship between self-disclosure and students’ recall of information.MethodPsychology students viewed a short video lecture in which a professor used different examples to illustrate an operant conditioning concept, including a personal self-disclosure of gambling addiction. This between-groups design used four videos featuring one of four examples: (a) personal gambling addiction, (b) cousin with gambling addition, (c) dog training, and (d) control with no self-disclosure. Participants rated the professor and answered questions about the content of the lecture.ResultsStudents rated the self-disclosing professor significantly higher on the Generalized Anxiety Stigma Scale, demonstrating more stigma towards the professor who self-disclosed her gambling addiction. Student recall of lecture content was not significantly different between conditions.ConclusionThese data suggest that self-disclosure of addiction may negatively impact how students perceive a professor but does not influence memory for lecture content.Teaching ImplicationsInstructors may want to consider student perceptions before self-disclosing information about personal conditions such as addition.