Resistance to Attitude Change: Applications of the Value Bonding Model to Interpersonal Attitudes
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71-7442 EDWARDS, John David, 1943- RESISTANCE TO ATTITUDE CHANGE: APPLICATIONS OF THE VALUE BONDING MODEL TO INTERPERSONAL ATTITUDES. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1970 Psychology, general University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan RESISTANCE TO ATTITUDE CHANGE: APPLICATIONS OP THE VALUE BONDING MODEL TO INTERPERSONAL ATTITUDES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosohpy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University by John David Edwards, B.S., M.A. * * # # # The Ohio State University 1970 Approved by Adviser Department of Psychology ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There is no doubt that my interests and competence as a psychologist which are partly reflected in this thesis have been formed by five well-spent years of association with my adviser, colleague, and friend, Thomas M. Ostrom, To Dr, Ostrom I give special thanks for his guidance and support throughout my graduate career. His unique combination of scholarship and fraternity has made our association doubly rewarding. I also thank the other members of the dissertation reading committee, Drs. Timothy C. Brock, Milton D. Hakel and Dean H. Owen for the time and interest they invested on behalf of this work and for their sugges tions which improved it. Many people have participated in various stages of the research reported here. David Poor, Lome Rosenblood and Robert Welles lent their computer skills which greatly facilitated data analysis. The clerical assistance of Rebecca Edwards, Susan Rieger and Eileen Timmerman is also gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are due to Joyce Decker for typing the final manuscript. I owe an immeasureable debt to my friends and family ii whose expressions of interest and confidence have been motivating and reinforcing. Most especially, X wish to thank my wife, Carol, for her material help in numerous aspects of this thesis and, more importantly, for her understanding and encouragement which have sustained me through the darkness. In small return for her dedication to me, I dedicate this thesis to her. J • D. E . iii VITA July 1 2 , 1 9 ^ 3 • • * Bom- Columfcus, Ohio 1 9 6 ^ 1 9 6 5 « • « • • Research Technician, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University 1965 • . • • • . • B.S., Ohio State University 1965-1966 • • . Research Assistant, Department of Pharmacy, Ohio State University 1 9 6 6 . • • • • Test Design Specialist, Evaluation Center, Ohio State University 1966-1967 ........ Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University 1967 ............. M.A., Ohio State University 1967-1968 ........ Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University 1969 ........... Lecturer, Department of Psychol ogy, Ohio Northern University 1968-1970 ........ Research Assistant and Associate, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS Cognitive structure of neutral attitudes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. In prestH (with Thomas M* Ostrom) The null effect of value bonding on attitude formation. Proceedings of the 78th Annual Convention. Miami: American Psychological Association, 1970, Pp. k01~k0Z» (with T. M. Ostrom) The effects of value importance and relatedness on resistance to change of value bonded attitudes, Psvchonomic Science. In Press. Value bonded attitudes: changes in attitude formation as a function of value bonding and type of communication discrepancy. Proceedings of the 77th Annual Convention. Washington: American Psychological Association, 19^9# Pp* 4-13-^1^ • (with Thomas M. Ostrom) The pharmacist as perceived by doctors, customers, and other pharmacists. Journal of the American Pharma ceutical Association. 1969. NS9. 80-8^. (with Deanne E. Knapp and David A. Knapp) FIELDS OF STUDY Social Psychology: Professors Timothy C. Brock, Anthony G. Greenwald, Charles A. Kiesler, Bibb Latane and Thomas M. Ostrom Experimental Psychology: Professors Neal F. Johnson and Reed Lawson Measurement and Statistics: Professors James R. Erickson, Reed Lawson, James C. Naylor, Thomas M. Ostrom and Robert J. Wherry v TABLE OP CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i i VITA........................................... iv LIST OF TABLES................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES............................... x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION.......... 1 The Reason for Concern Persuasion Resistance to Persuasion 2. THE EFFECTS OF VALUE CENTRALITY AND RELATEDNESS ON THE RESISTANCE TO CHANGE OF VALUE BONDED ATTITUDES ..... 46 3. THE EFFECTS OF NUMBER OF BONDED VALUES ON RESISTANCE TO ATTITUDECHANGE ............. 85 4. THE EFFECTS OF VALUE BONDING ON THE FUNCTION RELATING COMMUNICATION DISCREPANCY TO ATTITUDE CHANGE............... 114 5. SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS..................... 146 APPENDIX A ........................................... 158 180 220 D ................................. 246 REFERENCES..................................... 262 vi LIST OP TABLES Page Chapter 2 1. Weighted average attitude as a function of value importance and relatedness and task motivation......... 60 2 Mean belief certainty as a function of belief favorability and importance of bonded values............ 65 3. Mean belief certainty as a function of belief favorability and related ness of bonded values...................65 4. Mean belief certainty as a function of belief favorability and value bonding motivation.................... * 66 5. Mean belief certainty as a function of belief favorability, and value importance and relatedness ........ 67 6, Mean belief certainty as a function of belief favorability, value importance {I vs, UX), value related ness (H vs. Ur77 and value bonding motivation..................... 69 Chapter 3 1, Post-bonding, pre-discrepancy favorability self-ratings as a function of number and value importance......... 9^ 2. Weighted average post discrepancy attitude as a function of number and value importance...... *..... 95 vii LIST OP TABLES (continued) 3. Belief certainty as a function of belief favorability and the number and importance of bonded values........................ 98 Chapter 4 1.Mean favorability of initial and discrepant traits for replications 1 and 2....... 122 2.Individual comparisons of I and UI conditions at each discrepancy level ....... 127 3. Belief certainty as a function of belief favorability, value importance, and degree of discrepancy,.............. 133 4. Relative contribution of initial and discrepant information as a function of value importance and discrepancy level.............. 140 Appendix D 1. Cell means and analysis summary of initial attitude as a function of value importance and relatedness, and task motivation. ............. 24? 2. Analysis summary of post discrepancy attitude as a function of value importance and relatedness, and task motivation. .............. 248 3. Analysis summary of post discrepancy attitude as a function of value importance and relatedness in the low motivation condition, reanalysis covarying initial attitude, and adjusted cell-means...... 249 viii LIST OF TABLES (continued) Multivariate analysis of variance summary of belief certainty as a function of favorability groups, value importance and relatedness and task motivation................ Analysis summary of post-discrepancy attitude as a function of value importance and number, reanalysis covarying initial attitude, and adjusted means ........... Multivariate analysis of variance summary of belief certainty as a function of favorability groups, value importance and number........ Cell means and analysis summary of initial attitude as a function of value importance, degree of discrepancy and stimulus replications .................... Analysis summary of post discrepancy attitude as a function of value importance, degree of discrepancy, and stimulus replications, reanalysis covarying initial attitude, and adjusted means....... Multivariate analysis of variance summary of belief certainty as a function of favorability groups, value importance, degree of discrepancy, and stimulus replications .................. LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. Weighted average attitude as a function of value importance and degree of discrepancy................................ 125 2. Belief certainty as a function of "belief favorability and value importance .......... 130 3. Belief certainty as a function of belief favorability and degree of discrepancy ......... 132 x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION The Reason for Concern We have been warned that someday soon the individ ual human mind will be totally under external control. In prophetic novels such as Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984-. the thought and behavior of whole pop ulations are portrayed as the planned products of imper sonal Machiavellian forces. Control is maintained in these envisioned societies through massive and continual propaganda. Other popular writers have not regarded these bizarre and repugnant conditions as fiction, but as present and growing reality. In The Hidden Persuaders. Packard drew attention to "large scale efforts being made, often with impressive success, to channel our unthinking habits. ., our thought processes by the use of insights gleaned from psychiatry and the social sciences • • .. The result is that many of us are being influ enced and manipulated, far more than we realize, in the patterns of our everyday lives." (1957» P* 1) The frightening message in works of this genre is that social scientists, particularly psychologists, have gained and are refining techniques of mass persuasion so subtle and powerful that individuals and whole societies