Bivalent Evaluative Processes Underlying Attitudes

摘要 态度理论和民意调查已经成为一个重要的组成部分 社会结构。 他们影响了竞选策略， 政治候选人采用的策略，营销策略 和广告活动的500强公司， 大众媒体的节目制作和战略， 公共教育的规划和项目开发。 从理论上讲， 民意调查为公众提供了一个反馈的途径， 塑造管理他们生活的制度。 本研究是 基于这个理论是不完整的前提， 因此，基于当前态度理论的决定， 调查可能是严重的（虽然不明显）误导。 具体来说，当代态度理论和民意调查是 基于人们知道并会报告他们的 对态度对象的评价倾向（例如， 候选人、产品、教育选项）。 不过有 现在来自不同学科的证据表明， 倾向是以更复杂的方式表现和激活的 比目前的理论和措施所适应的， 当代双极（例如，赞成/反对，喜欢/不喜欢） 自我报告量表可能会掩盖 人们的评价倾向。 定量理论是 提出将现有的态度理论和研究 同时提请注意先前的工作可以 可能会误导你 一个系统的研究计划将 对比当代态度理论的预测， 以及“评价空间”理论的提出。“例如， 那些对一个人没有态度或中立的人， 使用传统的观点问题， 从强烈冲突的个人（即，谁 拥有矛盾的态度对）这个话题。 态度 当积极和消极的评价 过程是共同激活的，因此，反映了一个特殊的情况 行为冲突。 研究将调查 态度的决定因素、中介和行为后果 矛盾和冲突，并将整合这一点和传统 态度理论和更一般理论范围内的研究 评价空间的框架。 鉴于普遍存在的 行为中的评价过程，其动态的照明 和基本的评估机制应该有重要的 态度理论和研究的分支，以及广泛的 对心理学基本理论的意义。

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.