THE ROLE OF BIASED SCANNING IN COUNTERATTITUDINAL ADVOCACY

In: Social behavior and personality: an international journal, Band 5, Heft 2, S. 263-271

Abstract

Two experiments tested the biased-scanning hypothesis that high financial inducement leads to greater cognitive contact with counterattitudinal arguments and thus to greater attitude change. In Experiment I, given time to listen to only half of the pro- and counterattitudinal material,
role-players attended primarily to counterattitudinal arguments. In Experiment II, given sufficient time to listen to all material, role-players sought out pro-attitudinal material first, regardless of inducement. No differences in biased scanning or attitude change were observed as a function
of financial inducement. Contrary to the "open-mindedness" formulation, results were interpreted in the framework of reactance and of self-immunization to persuasion.