In the Low Motivation condition, the head researcher will tell the participant that people often have suspicious responses because of the nature of the test; however, since the data are part of a larger study, paid for by grant funding, the head researcher needs to take a statement as a formality. The head researcher in the High Motivation condition will tell participant that the suspicious answers are a big problem; not only would the principal investigator be very upset if something went amiss, but, if any cheating were to be documented as occurring, the lab could face serious repercussions for misuse of grant funding. 

	The Principal Investigator will continue to oversee the project. The PI developed the research materials for the studies, both of which have been approved by the Institutional Review Board. Further duties of the PI include management of the research team, oversight of the data collection, coding, and analysis, and writing of ensuing manuscripts. Data collection for both studies will be executed within a twelve-month period. Each study should take approximately six months to complete data collection and analysis. 
Each of the studies outlined above contribute to the broader realm of applied criminal justice practice in United States courtroom proceedings. The oath has been an integral part of witness testimony since 1215, yet in the past 800 years, only one study has examined whether or not the oath actually influences witness testimony. By not only correcting for weaknesses in this study but also expanding the foundational research, this project analyses a common characteristic of a criminal defendant—motivation to be perceived as innocent—which may influence truthful disclosure. Further, the samples examined and the composition of the research team expose underrepresented ethnic and cultural minority groups to the intricacies of psycholegal research. This is especially important when discussing implications for the criminal justice system in which minority populations (i.e., Black and Hispanic) are overrepresented. 
By examining potential mediators of truthful disclosure, this project may provide guidance in the development of strategies to counter the effects of these variables. This project examines ethical dissonance as a mediating variable that would potentially increase truthful disclosure, thereby presenting a potential strategy to counteract some other influence that may discourage people from telling the truth (e.g., motivation to be perceived as innocent). In other words, capitalizing on the desire to reduce the psychological discomfort caused by ethical dissonance may be a strategy to counteract the incentives for witnesses to lie under oath. 
Take, for instance, Robin in our earlier example who faces the decision of whether or not to steal medicine. He decides to steal the medicine, morally disengaging his actions from a normal theft by saying that the benefits he receives from the medicine outweigh the costs incurred to the individual from whom he is stealing. The moral disengagement relieves the ethical dissonance he experiences immediately after the crime. However, in a matter of days, he is arrested for the theft. Robin is highly motivated to be perceived as innocent, so that he can stay out of jail, an aversive setting. As such, Robin may be more likely to lie when asked about his transgression. However, if swearing to tell the truth reignites the unpleasant state of ethical dissonance, Robin may be less comfortable lying about his transgression and tell the truth. 
