Questions and Answers
Which theory suggests that people's judgments are influenced by their prior attitudes, leading to biased perceptions?
According to adaptation level theory, what happens to a stimulus that is experienced repeatedly?
Why do people's judgments about a stimulus depend on their adaptation level?
What is the critical point on the continuum of attitudes in social judgment theory?
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What happens when people encounter arguments that are very far away from their anchor point?
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What is the range of arguments that seem reasonable but do not exactly reflect a person's position?
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When is attitude change most likely to occur according to social judgment theory?
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Why might a person continue to experience attitude change even when a message falls in their latitude of rejection?
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What happens to the persuasion curve for a person who is highly ego-involved in an issue?
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What do researchers mean by 'latitude of rejection'?
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Study Notes
Social Judgement Theory
- Prior attitudes can distort our perceptions of positions advocated by others, meaning our attitudes bias us.
- People tend to perceive information differently based on their pre-existing attitudes.
Adaptation Level Theory
- Judgements we make about a stimulus are not absolute, but are made in reference to an adaptation level.
- Repeated exposure to a stimulus can lead to adaptation, making it feel neutral.
- Examples:
- 10°C can feel cold in winter but warm in summer due to differing adaptation levels.
- Lottery winners initially feeling excited, but eventually becoming neutral about their win.
Adaptation in Social Circumstances
- Evaluating attractiveness is influenced by adaptation level, as seen in a study where male students rated pictures of women as more attractive after watching Charlie's Angels.
Adaptation vs. Social Judgement
- Attitudes vary on a continuum, similar to stimuli.
- A person's position serves as an anchor (reference point) for judgements about arguments towards attitude objects.
Discrepant Arguments
- When people hear arguments far away from their own position (anchor), they:
- See these arguments as even farther away from their anchors than they really are (contrast effect).
- Discredit arguments that fall within their latitudes of rejection.
- Arguments that are closer to their anchors fall into their latitudes of noncommitment.
Predictions
- When there is little discrepancy between a message and a person's position:
- There will be assimilation but little attitude change.
- When there is too much discrepancy:
- The arguments will fall in the person's latitude of rejection and be discredited, resulting in no attitude change.
- When there is a moderate discrepancy:
- The argument falls in the person's latitude of non-commitment, resulting in the most attitude change.
Credibility and Ego-Involvement
- Communication credibility can affect persuasion, as credible communicators can be harder to discredit.
- Ego-involvement in an issue can narrow the persuasion curve, as seen in pro-life activists.
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Description
Learn how prior attitudes influence our perceptions and how our judgements are relative to our adaptation level. Explore social judgement theory and adaptation level theory in this quiz.
