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What doesn't kill me makes me stronger: a metacognitive analysis of resistance and attitude certainty

Tormala, Zakary Lochel
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1058192879

Abstract Details

2003, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
In past research it has been assumed that when someone resists persuasion, the impact of the persuasive message on the target attitude is essentially nil. The present research questions this assumption and proposes a metacognitive framework for understanding resistance to persuasion. It is suggested that when people resist persuasion, they can perceive this resistance and become more certain of their initial attitudes. Several experiments are reported which demonstrate this basic effect. Consistent with the proposed metacognitive framework, however, certainty is only increased when individuals actually perceive that they have resisted and believe their resistance is diagnostic with respect to the validity of the initial attitude (e.g., the persuasive attack was strong or its source was high in credibility). When resistance is perceived as nondiagnostic in this respect (e.g., the message was weak or its source was low in credibility), attitude certainty is unchanged. Importantly, the attitude certainty effects are shown to have implications for both resistance to subsequent persuasive attacks and the correspondence between attitudes and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, consistent with prior work on the role of metacognition in resistance and persuasion, it is shown that the present effects are most likely to emerge under relatively extensive information processing conditions. In summary, the findings suggest that when people resist persuasion, they can perceive this resistance and form specifiable inferences about their own attitudes that adjust for situational factors. These inferences are moderated by message recipients’ motivation to think and attend to their own cognitive states and processes.
Richard Petty (Advisor)
139 p.
Psychology, Social
attitudes; persuasion; resistance; metacognition; attitude strength; confidence; certainty

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Tormala, Z. L. (2003). What doesn't kill me makes me stronger: a metacognitive analysis of resistance and attitude certainty [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1058192879

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Tormala, Zakary. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger: a metacognitive analysis of resistance and attitude certainty. 2003. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1058192879.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Tormala, Zakary. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger: a metacognitive analysis of resistance and attitude certainty." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1058192879

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1058192879
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© 2003, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.