STRUCTURAL FACTORS IN THE ACCEPTANCE OF IMBALANCE-REDUCING COMMUNICATIONS
Abstract
Some aspects were studied of the sequence in which a person thinks his way through to the achievement of an altered cognition or set of cognitions. The general conclusion seemed to be that imbalance reduction within a structure of attitudinal cognitions will tend to follow a least effortful path. If only a single sign change is required, the receptivity to a communication advocating that change is relatively great. As between those communications implying 2 sign changes vs. those implying 3, there is less difference, though the least-effort principle is still strongly supported. Since the change communications are concerned directly only with the 3 relations between concepts, the subjects may have felt more hesitant at the prospect of changing their direct evaluations of the concepts than would have otherwise been the case. To this line of argument it may be countered that the subjects were specifically instructed to feel free to change both concept evaluations and perceived relations as they thought through the import of the communications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1960
- Accession Number
- AD0255570
Entities
People
- Milton J. Rosenberg
- Robert P. Abelson
Organizations
- Yale University