A Subjective Measure of Attitude Extremity: Validation and Extension
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Authors
Fowlie, Devin
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Attitudes , Persuasion , Social Psychology , Attitude Extremity
Alternative Title
Abstract
Attitudes are individuals’ enduring global evaluations of objects, concepts, or ideas, which may vary in both valence and extremity. There are many important determinants of attitudes and attitude strength, with research suggesting that one important determinant is the extremity of one’s attitude. The present research explored two possible methods of capturing individuals’ attitude extremity through objective and subjective measures. The goal of the current research was therefore to test two propositions: First, that the measures should be largely independent of one another, and second, that each measure would tap into meaningful processes of the functioning of the attitude.
Study one examined the role of objective and subjectively measured attitude extremity on resistance to persuasion attempts. Here, we found that the measures were modestly correlated to one another, and that both exerted independent and opposite effects on persuasion resistance. Study two examined the role of subjective and objectively measured extremity on information processing. We again found modest correlations between the measures, though each measure produced minimal effects on information processing. The exception to this was our finding that individuals’ attitudes affected the favorability of their thoughts, and that this effect was more pronounced for objectively extreme attitudes. We discuss implications for this research in the context of the broader attitude strength literature and future directions for this work.
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States