Message discrepancy and the persistence of attitude change: Implications of an information integration model

Abstract

A mathematical model of long-term attitude change is presented. The model integrates various processes (forgetting, cognitive responses, and external messages), which occur subsequent to initial attitude change, into an information integration model. There is also a discussion as to how message discrepancy might affect these processes, and it is shown that the discrepancy which produces the greater initial change need not produce the greater long-term change. This model was then used to analyze the data from an experiment in which subjects ( N = 442) were given one or two messages which were either moderately or extremely discrepant from their own views and in which attitude change was measured both immediately after the message(s) and several days later. Initially, more attitude change was associated with greater discrepancy and with two (vs one) experimental messages. Later, the position advocated in the first message explains all significant group differences. Moreover, those who had received the less discrepant message showed more long-term attitude change. The data analysis demonstrates the estimation of parameters in the model and the values of these parameters provide some information as to the relationship between discrepancy and subsequent message processing.