Bivalent Evaluative Processes Underlying Attitudes

态度背后的二价评估过程

• 批准号: 9211483
• 负责人: John Cacioppo
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Ohio State University Research Foundation -DO NOT USE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1992
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1992-07-01 至 1995-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9211483&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Bivalent; Evaluative; Processes; Underlying; Attitudes

ABSTRACT Attitude theory and opinion polls have become an important part of the social fabric. They affect the campaign strategy and tactics adopted by political candidates, the marketing strategy and advertising campaigns of Fortunate 500 companies, the programming development and strategy in mass media, and strategic planning and program development in public education. In theory, opinion polls provide a means for the public to feedback and shape institutions that govern their lives. This research is based on the premise that this theory is incomplete and, consequently, decisions based on current attitude theory and surveys can be grossly (although nonobviously) misleading. Specifically, contemporary attitude theory and opinion polls are based on the premise that people know and will report their evaluative dispositions toward attitude objects (e.g., candidates, products, educational options). However, there is now evidence from various disciplines that evaluative dispositions are represented and activated in more complex ways than accommodated by current theory and measures, and that contemporary bipolar (e.g., favor/oppose, like/dislike) self-report scales can potentially mask important differences in people's evaluative dispositions. A quantitative theory is proposed that subsumes existing attitude theory and research while calling attention to specific areas in which prior work can be quite misleading. A systematic program of research will contrast the predictions made by contemporary theory of attitudes and the proposed theory of "evaluative space." For instance, individuals who have no attitude toward or feel neutrally about a topic are indistinguishable using traditional opinion questions from individuals who are strongly conflicted about (e.i., who possess ambivalent attitudes toward) the topic. Attitudinal ambivalence results when both positive and negative evaluative processes are coactivated and, as such, reflects a special case of behavioral conflict. Research will investigate the determinants, mediation, and behavioral consequences of attitude ambivalence and conflict, and will integrate this and traditional attitude theory and research within the more general theoretical framework of evaluative space. In view of the ubiguity of evaluative processes in behavior, illumination of their dynamics and the underlying evaluative mechanisms should have important ramifications for attitude theory and research, and broad significance for basic theory in psychology generally.

摘要 态度理论和民意调查已成为社会结构的重要组成部分。 它们影响政治候选人所采取的竞选策略和策略、财富500强公司的营销策略和广告活动、大众媒体的节目开发和策略、以及公共教育的战略规划和项目开发。 从理论上讲，民意调查为公众提供了一种反馈和塑造管理其生活的机构的手段。 这项研究的前提是该理论不完整，因此，基于当前态度理论和调查的决策可能会产生严重（尽管不明显）误导。 具体来说，当代态度理论和民意调查的前提是人们知道并会报告他们对态度对象（例如候选人、产品、教育选择）的评价倾向。 然而，现在有来自各个学科的证据表明，评价性倾向的表现和激活方式比当前理论和测量所适应的方式更为复杂，并且当代两极（例如，赞成/反对、喜欢/不喜欢）自我报告量表可能会掩盖人们评价性倾向中的重要差异。 提出了一种定量理论，该理论包含了现有的态度理论和研究，同时引起人们对先前工作可能具有相当误导性的特定领域的关注。 系统的研究计划将对比当代态度理论和所提出的“评价空间”理论所做的预测。 例如，使用传统意见问题时，对某个主题没有态度或感觉中立的个人与对该主题有强烈冲突（即，对该主题持有矛盾态度）的个人是无法区分的。 当积极和消极的评价过程共同激活时，就会产生态度矛盾，因此反映了行为冲突的特殊情况。 研究将调查态度矛盾和冲突的决定因素、中介和行为后果，并将这种态度理论和研究整合到更一般的评估空间理论框架内。 鉴于行为评价过程的普遍性，对其动态和潜在评价机制的阐明应该对态度理论和研究产生重要的影响，并且对心理学的基础理论具有广泛的意义。