Differential responsiveness to dissonance manipulations by open- and closed-minded subjects in a forced-compliance situation.

Abstract

Summary A study was reported that examined the effects on attitude change of forced or voluntary participation in a group discussion for open- and closed-minded subjects. Open and closed subjects with favorable attitudes toward student activism were presented with a taped group discussion of student activism which was composed of attitudinal information counter to their own, and then were either given a choice or forced to join the group. Conditions of choice and no-choice but with no exposure to the taped discussion were also included as controls. It was found that closed-minded subjects exposed to the taped discussion reacted in a manner predicted by dissonance theory when confronted with choice and no-choice situations; i.e., under choice they engaged in attitude change toward the group. Open-minded subjects exposed to the tape under choice reacted in the opposite manner, becoming even more strongly proactivist. Under the control conditions, no-tape, both ends of the dogmatism continuum responded alike...