scholarly journals Individual attitude change and societal dynamics: Computational experiments with psychological theories

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Lorenz ◽  
Martin Neumann ◽  
Tobia Schröder
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Persuasive Communication ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Motivated Cognition ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Societal Dynamics

We present an agent-based model for studying the societal implications of theories of attitude change in psychological theory. For experimenting with theories, various psychological theories of persuasive communication are implemented. The model allows for investigating the effects of contagion and assimilation, motivated cognition, polarity, source credibility, and idiosyncratic attitude formation. The simulations show that different theories produce different characteristic macro-level patterns. Central mechanisms for generating consensus can be contagion and assimilation. However, the former generates a radicalized consensus. Motivated cognition tends to cause societal polarization of attitudes. Polarity and source credibility have comparatively little effect on the societal distribution of attitudes. We discuss how the simulations provide a bridge between micro-level psychological theories and the aggregated macro level studied by sociology. This, in turn, enables complementing experimental studies by new types of evidence for evaluating social psychological theory.

Using Power as a Negative Cue: How Conspiracy Mentality Affects Epistemic Trust in Sources of Historical Knowledge

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1364-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Imhoff ◽  
Pia Lamberty ◽  
Olivier Klein
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
Positive Effect

Classical theories of attitude change point to the positive effect of source expertise on perceived source credibility persuasion, but there is an ongoing societal debate on the increase in anti-elitist sentiments and conspiracy theories regarding the allegedly untrustworthy power elite. In one correlational ( N = 275) and three experimental studies ( N = 195, N = 464, N = 225), we tested the novel idea that people who endorse a conspiratorial mind-set (conspiracy mentality) indeed exhibit markedly different reactions to cues of epistemic authoritativeness than those who do not: Whereas the perceived credibility of powerful sources decreased with the recipients’ conspiracy mentality, that of powerless sources increased independent of and incremental to other biases, such as the need to see the ingroup in particularly positive light. The discussion raises the question whether a certain extent of source-based bias is necessary for the social fabric of a highly complex society.

scholarly journals Anatomy of a Psychological Theory: Integrating Construct-Validation and Computational-Modeling Methods to Advance Theorizing

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162096679
Author(s):  
Ivan Grahek ◽  
Mark Schaller ◽  
Jennifer L. Tackett
Keyword(s):  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Construct Validation ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Modeling Methods ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Convergence And Divergence

Discussions about the replicability of psychological studies have primarily focused on improving research methods and practices, with less attention paid to the role of well-specified theories in facilitating the production of reliable empirical results. The field is currently in need of clearly articulated steps to theory specification and development, particularly regarding frameworks that may generalize across different fields of psychology. Here we focus on two approaches to theory specification and development that are typically associated with distinct research traditions: computational modeling and construct validation. We outline the points of convergence and divergence between them to illuminate the anatomy of a scientific theory in psychology—what a well-specified theory should contain and how it should be interrogated and revised through iterative theory-development processes. We propose how these two approaches can be used in complementary ways to increase the quality of explanations and the precision of predictions offered by psychological theories.

scholarly journals How Can Psychological Science Help Counter the Spread of Fake News?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander van der Linden ◽  
Jon Roozenbeek ◽  
Rakoen Maertens ◽  
Melisa Basol ◽  
Ondřej Kácha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Intervention Effectiveness ◽  
Motivated Cognition ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
The Individual

Abstract In recent years, interest in the psychology of fake news has rapidly increased. We outline the various interventions within psychological science aimed at countering the spread of fake news and misinformation online, focusing primarily on corrective (debunking) and pre-emptive (prebunking) approaches. We also offer a research agenda of open questions within the field of psychological science that relate to how and why fake news spreads and how best to counter it: the longevity of intervention effectiveness; the role of sources and source credibility; whether the sharing of fake news is best explained by the motivated cognition or the inattention accounts; and the complexities of developing psychometrically validated instruments to measure how interventions affect susceptibility to fake news at the individual level.

scholarly journals So Useful as a Good Theory? The Practicality Crisis in (Social) Psychological Theory

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162096965
Author(s):  
Elliot T. Berkman ◽  
Sylas M. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Social Issues ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Health Domains ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
Social Psychological Theory

Practicality was a valued attribute of academic psychological theory during its initial decades, but usefulness has since faded in importance to the field. Theories are now evaluated mainly on their ability to account for decontextualized laboratory data and not their ability to help solve societal problems. With laudable exceptions in the clinical, intergroup, and health domains, most psychological theories have little relevance to people’s everyday lives, poor accessibility to policymakers, or even applicability to the work of other academics who are better positioned to translate the theories to the practical realm. We refer to the lack of relevance, accessibility, and applicability of psychological theory to the rest of society as the practicality crisis. The practicality crisis harms the field in its ability to attract the next generation of scholars and maintain viability at the national level. We describe practical theory and illustrate its use in the field of self-regulation. Psychological theory is historically and scientifically well positioned to become useful should scholars in the field decide to value practicality. We offer a set of incentives to encourage the return of social psychology to the Lewinian vision of a useful science that speaks to pressing social issues.

scholarly journals Faktor-Faktor Komunikasi Persuasif Dinas Pariwisata Dan Kebudayaan Provinsi DKI Jakarta Dalam Jakarta Museum On Social Media Competition

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-84
Author(s):  
Elvio Tamara ◽  
Dini Safitri
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Persuasive Communication ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Message Content ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Descriptive Research

DKI Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office utilizes social media to invite millennial generations to love museums. This was done, because of the lack of interest of the young generation to visit Mueseum. In addition, the Office of Tourism and Culture (Disparbud) of DKI Jakarta Province makes the Jakarta Museum On Social Media Competition. The purpose of this study was to determine the Persuasive Communication Factors of DKI Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office in inviting millennial love museums through the Jakarta Museum On Social Media Competition. Research uses variable factors - persuasive communication, which has four dimensions, namely source credibility, environmental influences, messages, and continuity of understanding of a message. The approach in this study is a quantitative approach, with a type of descriptive research. The population and sample were 38 people, who were participants in the vlog category competition. The results of the study show that there are some things that are lacking in the factors of persuasive communication carried out by the Department of Tourism and Culture of DKI Jakarta Province. This can be seen in the lowest mean, namely the influence of the environment with time setting indicators and message content settings. Respondent Mayortias considered the DKI Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office to be less than optimal in utilizing the time in the Jakarta Museum On Social Media Competition, which resulted in a minimal number of participants.

Religious Elites and Public Opinion: The Impact of the Bishops' Peace Pastoral

1992 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Wald
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Military Spending ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Persuasive Communication ◽  
War And Peace ◽  
Pastoral Letter ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Catholic Bishops

In their 1983 pastoral letter on war and peace, the Catholic bishops attempted to sway American public opinion against the arms race. Polling data suggest that The Challenge of Peace stimulated a sharp but short-lived reaction against military spending among American Catholics. The message was best received by Catholics strongly tied to their church, reversing a historical correlation between religiosity and nationalism. The pastoral must be judged relatively successful in its mission, particularly in light of the many barriers to attitude change. Greater sensitivity to those obstacles could enhance the success of future efforts at persuasive communication by church authorities.

Credibility of Sources of Communication on Products' Safety Hazards

1986 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 707-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney I. Lirtzman ◽  
Avichai Shuv-Ami
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Government Agency ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Safety Hazards ◽  
Message Source ◽  
Potential Safety ◽  
Risk Research ◽  
The Government ◽  
Industrial Buying

Fear-inducing communications about actual or potential safety hazards of products, are increasingly encountered. These emanate mainly from government agencies and reflect the belief that rational consumers will act to minimize potential risk. Research has shown that credibility of a message source is directly related to effectiveness and persuasion of one message. Although observers have assumed that use of government sources would maximize source credibility in the case of communications about products' safety hazards, recent analyses suggest that this may not be the case. The present research tests two hypotheses with respect to communications of hazard, that government agencies will not necessarily achieve the source with highest credibility among consumers, and that attitude change will be greater among consumers perceiving a source other than the government to be the most credible. Findings are repotted for three studies of different samples of consumers. One involved an experiment in which consumers were exposed to safety warnings supposedly issued by a government agency about a common product. Two involved surveys, the first in the wake of the Tylenol poisonings and the second in the context of industrial buying practices in industrial settings. Results support the hypotheses. Theoretical bases for such findings are offered, and implications for public policy ate discussed.

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