The present study was concerned with the e~erimental investigation of some central and peripheral issues in self-disclosure research. OENTRAL ISSUES 1. Reciprocity - The use of "reciprocity" in selfdisclosure is too global. Four types of reciprocity were suggested. The results of experiment 1 showed: a) negative reciprocity seems to occur at the high disclosure level and b) either positive or balanced reciprocity occurs at the low level. A "regression to the mean" explanation of the results cannot be ruled out. 2. Cue hypothesis - A series of interview-type experiments, designed to test a cue hypothesis of self-disclosure was conducted by varying the explicitness of the demand characteristics inherent in the situation. It was found that only when Ss were given a behavioural expectancy and examples of both the expected and non-expected behaviours that their disclosures were influenced by the demand characteristics. This supported the cue hypothesis. 3. Modelling - The importance of modelling as a determinant of disclosure level has been underestimated. Results of experiment 1 showed that modelling does indeed play a significant part in determining depth of subject disclosure at the high level of confederate disclosure. 4. Interpersonal distance and self-disclosure - Interpersonal distance between S and the confederate/ experimenter was varied. While Argyle and Dean's approach-avoidance model is not applicable in disclosure-type experiments, Jourard' s approach-approach model does explain most of the experimental findings. 5. Sex differences - The results of the experiments suggest that the question: "Do females disclose more than males? is too simplistic. Situational variables appear to be the most important determinants of the sex differences that do occur. PERIPHERAL ISSUES Three such issues were considered: 1) Ss' evaluations of confederate disclosure 2) Ss' reactions to experimental disclosure situations 3) Ss' awareness of their own disclosing behaviour. Their importance in determining disclosure level in an experimental situation was questioned.