EFFECTS OF TRANSMITTER TUNING ON ATTITUDE CHANGE PERSISTENCE:

Abstract— assiter, Petto, and Apple (this issue) replicated the effect of transmitter tuning on attitude change persistence (Boninger, Brock, Cook, Cruder, & Romer, 1990) and included an additional condition as the basis for an alternative explanation. Although their independent replication is an important contribution that provides significant empirical corroboration, a superficial rendering of the interrupted-task literature (Zeigarnik, 1927/1938) and ambiguity in the operationalization of the additional condition appear to weaken their proposed interruption-perseveration explanation. We also summarize ancillary data from our earlier work (Boninger et al., 1990) that shed further doubt on this alternative explanation.     

A SIMPLE AND RELIABLE METHOD OF SCORING THE THURSTONE ATTITUDE SCALES

A simple method of scoring the Thurstone Attitude Scales is presented, which does not involve the use of a judging group and yet is found in several samples to be consistently more reliable than the original method of scoring. The scores obtained by the two methods correlate highly (median r = .88), indicating that they are measuring essentially the same thing.     

老虎保护公众意识态度变化研究

本研究以问卷调查的方式对上海市中学生,中医药大学生、和普通公众的老虎保护意识进行了对比调查和纵向调查,以评估国际野生生物保护协会亚洲保护交流项目的“拯救虎虎”公众意识宣传教育活动的效果。     

印象整饰对强迫服从后态度改变的影响

以194名大学生为被试,采用实验室实验法和利克特型态度量表,对Festinger和Carlsmith“强迫服从的认知性后果”实验进行了验证研究,并对个体印象整饰水平—自我监控力的差异对强迫服从后的态度中庸现象的影响作用进行了实验研究。结果表明：（1）自我监控性高低极端组在强迫服从后的态度得分不支持Festinger等实验的结果;（2）个体的印象整饰水平的差异对强迫服从中出现的态度中庸现象有显著影响作用。仅从个体内在的心理因素来解释复杂的社会行为是不够的,我们既要考虑个体自身的因素也要考虑外在环境的作用     

CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATION AND ATTITUDE CHANGE: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS1

The processes by which political attitude changes occur have been examined extensively from a variety of methodological and theoretical perspectives. In this study, the authors attempt to extend the traditional balance formulation to a continuously-scaled least-squares paradigm in which change occurs as a function of accumulated information. A longitudinal tracking of the changes in attitude toward parties, candidates, and issues is used to make predictions about subsequent attitudes and consequent voting behavior. Possible communicative influences from a political campaign are explored with regard to their impact on changes in concept relations. Analysis of political changes hypotheses and a critical examination of the methodology are used as the basis for suggesting improvements in campaign communication research.     

BASIC PREMISES OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL ATTITUDE CHANGE THEORY: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS

Multidimensional attitude change models propose that (1) stimuli defining the domain of attitudes may consist of a multidimensional rather than unidimensional pattern; (2) stimuli associated with each other in the persuasion process will converge with each other in the multidimensional attitude domain. These two propositions receive clear support from three of the hypotheses tested in four-panel cohort data, which analyses show to be multidimensional. The sources of a persuasive message converge on the position they advocate. Multiple sources converge on each other. The findings provided partial support for two other hypotheses on the convergence of self-concept with advocated position and with sources of a persuasive message. A final, somewhat tangential hypothesis also receives clear support: existential associations of concepts are more effective than hortatory associations. These results support further development of multidimensional attitude change models.     

INERTIA IN COGNITIVE PROCESSES: THE ROLE OF ACCUMULATED INFORMATION IN ATTITUDE CHANGE

Research evidence is presented to support a new and simple theory of attitude formation and change. This theory posits that the attitude of any individual converges over time on the arithmetic mean of the attitude-pertinent information received by the individual. Consequently, the stability of an attitude is dependent on the number of messages out of which that attitude was formed. This formulation also implies that the emotional state or feelings of an individual and the degree of heterogeneity of influences to which he or she was exposed are unrelated to attitude change. Using a multi-stage, multi-time procedure, and instruments designed to detect and measure interpersonal influence, data provided by 135 high school students over a six-month interval support these hypotheses.     

CHANGES IN THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF MICE RESULTING FROM SELECTIVE BREEDING, LEARNING AND SOCIAL ISOLATION

LAGERSPETZ, K. M. J. & LAGERSPETZ, K. Y. H. Changes in the aggressiveness of mice resulting from selective breeding, learning and social isolation. Scand. J. Psychol. 1971, 12, 241–248.–Selective breeding for aggressiveness and non-aggressiveness in mice has now been going on for 19 generations. The aggressiveness score distributions of the males have not changed since the 7th generation. Socially naive male mice which had been living in isolation, had five encounters with submissive males, and five with receptive females. Learning of aggressive and sexual behaviour occurred in males of both the aggressive and the non-aggessive strain. When living in groups, the males of both strains show no aggressiveness towards a submissive opponent. Social isolation for 1–2 weeks greatly increases the aggressiveness level of the animals of the aggressive strain. The effects of grouping is interpreted as social learning of non-aggressive behaviour, the effect of isolation as return of the inter-individually variable aggressiveness level, determined by genetic variation and early experience. Some neurochemical findings are in agreement with the observed behavioural effects.     

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL OF BEHAVIOR-BASED COMPETENCIES: A RELIABLE AND VALID PROCEDURE

A new performance appraisal system, developed for promotions in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police non-commissioned officer ranks, fairly differentiated among candidates. Members ( N = 6,571) illustrated their performance on core competencies with behavioral examples. Supervisors and then review boards used a BARS procedure to reliably rate performance. Both candidates and supervisors supported the system. The performance appraisal scores predicted career advancement in the organization.     

PERSISTENCE OF MEN'S MISPERCEPTIONS OF FRIENDLY CUES ACROSS A VARIETY OF INTERPERSONAL ENCOUNTERS

This study examined whether gender differences in sexually based perceptions of social interactions persist when traditional male–female power roles are reversed, when the interaction becomes progressively more sexually harassing, and when the response to the harassment is accepting or rejecting. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which 187 female and 165 male undergraduate students viewed a 5-minute videotape. Twelve versions of a scenario depicting a professor interacting with a cross-sex student were created which manipulated the sex of the powerholder, level of harassment, and response to harassment. Results indicated that men perceived the female target as behaving in a "sexier" manner regardless of her status, the level of harassment, or the victim's response. Women's sexually based perceptions of the most harassing male professor were greater than men's, however. Incorporating these gender differences in perceptions into a much-needed comprehensive model of sexual harassment (Zedeck & Cascio, 1984) appears to be warranted.     

A CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY OF ATTITUDE CONTENT IN READING PRIMERS1

Les AA. présentent les premiers résultats d'une étude interculturelle en cours sur le contenu des abécédaires. Le contenu des abécédaires peut être étudié sous deux angles : (1) dans sa fonction pédagogique (comment il influe sur L'apprentissage de la lecture); (2) dans sa fonction sociale (comment il communique et fait comprendre les valeurs et attitudes propres à un pays). Dans cette seconde perspective, on compare les abécédaires de cinq pays (Angleterre, Allemagne de L'Ouest, Etats-Unis, Russie, Corée du Sud) en utilisant des échelles d'attitude qui ont été appliquées à la fois aux images et aux textes dans leur traduction anglaise. On constate que sur 38 types d'attitudes, 17 présentent des différences importantes quant à la fréquence d'évocation dans les livres des cinq pays étudiés. On établit pour chaque pays un profil d'attitude, ce qui permet de mettre en évidence les différences et les ressemblances d'un pays à L'autre. Les conclusions ont été comparées aux résultats d'autres recherches interculturelles. Les AA. expriment le souhait que L'étude des attitudes et valeurs sociales donne lieu, avec ce type de méthode, à une vaste coopération internationale.     

TOLERANCE OF RAPE: A SEXIST OR ANTISOCIAL ATTITUDE?

A prison sample and a community control group were used to develop a scale of Rape Attitudes (tolerance of rape) and to validate a modified version of the Gough Socialization Scale. A university student sample and an adolescent sample completed the Rape Attitudes scale and a scale of attitudes toward heterosexual relationships. Males in the adolescent sample also completed the modified Gough Socialization Scale. For both university students and adolescents, and for both males and females, tolerance of rape was associated with sexist attitudes toward heterosexual relationships. For the male adolescents, tolerance of rape and sexist attitudes were associated with antisocial, delinquent