Modes of Thinking and Classroom Adjustments

Abstract

A shift in preference of issues used in resolving moral dilemmas was considered to be a specific instance of the choice shift phenomenon. The present study tested a hypothesis formulated from persuasive arguments theory—that shifts in preference for the use of issues in resolving a moral dilemma would be influenced by the persuasiveness of arguments made available between ratings. To test this hypothesis, two conditions were devised: The first allowed 20 undergraduates to consider available arguments before the first of two preference ratings, and the second prevented 20 other undergraduates from giving initial, careful consideration. As predicted, persuasiveness of intervening arguments was found to correlate with the direction and degree of shift in the second condition but not the first.