In this study, we conducted two experiments to test whether varying the types of pronouns used in a company's internal whistleblowing policy influences employees' reporting intentions. We focus on two fundamental types of whistleblowing policy content: Reporting Responsibility (i.e., information about how to report through whistleblowing channels) and Anti-retaliation (i.e., information about retaliation protections). Within these types of content, we examine the effect of pronoun congruency, which occurs when vivid pronouns are used in a manner that emphasizes the intended theme of the message. First, we conducted a 2 × 2 experiment where policy content type (Reporting Responsibility or Anti-retaliation) and pronoun type (first-person or third-person) were manipulated between participants. The results indicate a significant interaction where more vivid first-person pronouns are more effective than third-person pronouns in improving employees' reporting intentions when they only receive Reporting Responsibility policy content. However, third-person pronouns are more effective than first-person pronouns when participants only receive Anti-retaliation content. In our second experiment, participants viewed both types of content simultaneously in a 2 × 2 between-participants experiment where pronoun congruency was manipulated. Results indicate that pronoun congruency within Reporting Responsibility content significantly affects reporting intentions, such that congruent first-person pronouns are more effective in increasing reporting intentions than incongruent third-person pronouns. The subsequent manipulation of pronoun congruency in Anti-retaliation policy content has no significant incremental effect on reporting intentions. Implications are discussed in the paper.

在这项研究中，我们进行了两个实验来测试公司内部举报政策中使用的不同类型的代词是否会影响员工的报告意图。我们关注两种基本类型的举报政策内容：举报责任（即有关如何通过举报渠道举报的信息）和反报复（即有关报复保护的信息）。在这些类型的内容中，我们研究了代词一致性的效果，当生动的代词以强调信息预期主题的方式使用时，就会发生这种效果。首先，我们进行了一个 2 × 2 的实验，其中在参与者之间操纵政策内容类型（报告责任或反报复）和代词类型（第一人称或第三人称）。结果表明，当员工只收到报告责任政策内容时，更生动的第一人称代词比第三人称代词更有效地提高员工的报告意图。然而，当参与者只收到反报复内容时，第三人称代词比第一人称代词更有效。在我们的第二个实验中，参与者在 2 × 2 参与者之间的实验中同时查看了两种类型的内容，其中操纵了代词一致性。结果表明，报告责任内容中的代词一致性显着影响报告意图，因此与不一致的第三人称代词相比，一致的第一人称代词在增加报告意图方面更有效。随后在反报复政策内容中对代词一致性的操纵对报告意图没有显着的增量影响。论文中讨论了其含义。