Javier Horcajo

Need for Cognition Can Magnify or Attenuate Priming Effects in Social Judgment

This article hypothesizes that the individual-difference variable, need for cognition (NFC), can have opposite implications for priming effects, depending on prime blatancy. Subtle primes are argued to be more effective for high- versus low-NFC individuals. This is because for high-NFC individuals, (a) constructs are generally easier to activate, (b) their higher amount of thought offers more opportunity for an activated construct to bias judgment, and (c) their thoughtfully formed judgments are more likely to affect behavior. However, because high-NFC individuals are adept at identifying and correcting for bias, with blatant primes the activated construct should be less likely to exert its default influence. Furthermore, with blatant primes, low-NFC individuals may achieve sufficient activation for primes to affect judgment. Across three studies, it is shown that as NFC increases, the magnitude of priming effects increases with a subtle prime but decreases with a blatant prime.

The effects of majority versus minority source status on persuasion: A self-validation analysis.

The present research proposes that sources in the numerical majority (vs. minority) can affect persuasion by influencing the confidence with which people hold their thoughts in response to the persuasive message. Participants received a persuasive message composed of either strong or weak arguments that was presented by a majority or a minority source. Consistent with the self-validation hypothesis, we predicted and found that the majority (vs. minority) status of the source increased the confidence with which recipients held their thoughts. As a consequence, majority (vs. minority) sources increased argument quality effects in persuasion when source status information followed message processing (Experiment 1). In contrast, when the information regarding source status preceded (rather than followed) the persuasive message, it validated the perception of the position advocated, reducing message processing. As a consequence of having more confidence in the position advocated before receiving the message, majority (vs. minority) sources reduced argument quality effects in persuasion (Experiment 2). Finally, Experiment 3 isolated the timing of the source status manipulation, revealing that sources in the numerical majority (vs. minority) can increase or decrease persuasion to strong arguments depending on whether source status is introduced before or after processing the message.

Treating Thoughts as Material Objects Can Increase or Decrease Their Impact on Evaluation

In Western dualistic culture, it is assumed that thoughts cannot be treated as material objects; however, language is replete with metaphorical analogies suggesting otherwise. In the research reported here, we examined whether objectifying thoughts can influence whether the thoughts are used in subsequent evaluations. In Experiment 1, participants wrote about what they either liked or disliked about their bodies. Then, the paper on which they wrote their thoughts was either ripped up and tossed in the trash or kept and checked for errors. When participants physically discarded a representation of their thoughts, they mentally discarded them as well, using them less in forming judgments than did participants who retained a representation of their thoughts. Experiment 2 replicated this finding and also showed that people relied on their thoughts more when they physically kept them in a safe place—putting their thoughts in their pockets—than when they discarded them. A final study revealed that these effects were stronger when the action was performed physically rather than merely imagined.

Emoción y meta-cognición: implicaciones para el cambio de actitud

Resumen En el presente trabajo se describen los principales procesos psicológicos a través de los cuales las emociones influyen sobre el cambio de actitudes. La primera parte de la presente revisión se ocupa de la relación entre emoción y cognición, en ella se describen cómo las emociones influyen sobre la forma en que se procesa la información persuasiva (e.g., afectando a la cantidad y dirección de pensamientos generados ante una propuesta). A continuación, se examina cómo las emociones pueden cambiar no sólo los pensamientos que vienen a la mente, sino también lo que pensamos sobre dichos pensamientos (meta-cognición). La investigación meta-cognitiva revisada demuestra que las emociones pueden hacer que las personas confíen o desconfíen tanto de lo que piensan como de lo que sienten. En concreto, varios paradigmas experimentales sugieren que las emociones pueden validar o invalidar a otras emociones (e.g., sentirse triste de sentir alegría) y pensamientos (e.g., sentir ira de pensar algo). Por otra parte, no sólo las emociones, sino también los pensamientos pueden validar o invalidar lo que se piensa y lo que se siente (e.g., en función de la facilidad con la que los pensamientos y emociones vienen a la mente).

The effect of need for cognition on the stability of prejudiced attitudes toward south american immigrants

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine the role of thinking in reducing prejudice toward stigmatized groups. METHOD Participants received a persuasive message composed of strong arguments in favor of South American immigrants or a control message. In order to distinguish high- from low-elaboration individuals, participants were asked to complete the Need for Cognition Scale (NC). RESULTS As expected, attitude change was equivalent for individuals with relatively high and low NC. Importantly, although both high- and low-NC participants showed a reduction in the extremity of prejudiced attitudes, the stability of these changes was different. Two days later, the changes produced in participants with high NC were found to be more persistent than equivalent changes produced in participants with low NC. CONCLUSIONS An understanding of the processes through which prejudiced attitudes are modified can provide information about the long-term stability of such changes.

El efecto del estrés sobre el procesamiento de mensajes persuasivos

Resumen En el presente trabajo se aborda el estudio del estrés organizational desde el Modelo de Demandas—Control (MDC), sus efectos sobre el procesamiento de la información y las consecuencias derivadas del mismo para el cambio de actitudes. Se llevó a cabo un experimento en el que se simularon las condiciones que dan lugar a estrés positivo o negativo de acuerdo con el MDC. En concreto, los participantes dispusieron de mucho (estrés positivo) o poco (estrés negativo) control para afrontar las exigentes demandas de su organización. Tras recibir esta manipulación, los participantes fueron expuestos a una propuesta de cambio organizacional compuesta por argumentos fuertes o débiles y se evaluaron sus actitudes hacia la propuesta de cambio. El estrés negativo (alta demanda y bajo control) influyó sobre el impacto persuasivo de la propuesta reduciendo el procesamiento de la información y, por tanto, la posibilidad de discriminar entre argumentos fuertes y débiles. Por su parte, el estrés positivo (alta demanda y alto control) potenció el efecto de la calidad de los argumentos induciendo actitudes más favorables cuando la propuesta se componía de argumentos fuertes que cuando contenía argumentos débiles. Se discuten las implicaciones para proyectos de cambio organizacional.

Multiple roles for majority versus minority source status on persuasion when source status follows the message

This research shows that numerical majority (vs minority) status of the source can affect persuasion by different processes when induced after message processing. Specifically, we argue that source status affects persuasion by serving as a simple peripheral validity cue under low-elaboration conditions, and by validating thoughts—a metacognitive process—under high-elaboration conditions. In the present study the extent of elaboration was manipulated (high vs low), and then participants received a persuasive message composed of either strong or weak arguments that were presented by a source in the numerical majority or minority. This source status information was introduced following the message. We predicted and found that, under high-elaboration conditions the majority source increased the argument quality effect on attitudes in response to the message compared to the minority source. In contrast, under low-elaboration conditions the information regarding source status served as a simple cue, with the majority source leading to more persuasion compared to the minority source regardless of argument quality. Thus the present results provide the first evidence for moderation of different effects for majority/minority influence when the numerical status of the source follows message processing.

Using the Implicit Association Test to Assess Risk Propensity Self-concept: Analysis of its Predictive Validity on a Risk-taking Behaviour in a Natural Setting

The present work analyses the predictive validity of measures provided by several available self–report and indirect measurement instruments to assess risk propensity (RP) and proposes a measurement instrument using the Implicit Association Test: the IAT of Risk Propensity Self–Concept (IAT–RPSC), an adaptation of the prior IAT–RP of Dislich et al. Study 1 analysed the relationship between IAT–RPSC scores and several RP self–report measures. Participants’ risk–taking behaviour in a natural setting was also assessed, analyzing the predictive validity of the IAT–RPSC scores on risk–taking behaviour compared with the self–report measures. Study 2 analysed the predictive validity of the IAT–RPSC scores in comparison with other indirect measures. Results of these studies showed that the IAT–RPSC scores exhibited good reliability and were positively correlated to several self–report and indirect measures, providing evidence for convergent validity. Most importantly, the IAT–RPSC scores predicted risk–taking behaviour in a natural setting with real consequences above and beyond all other self–report and indirect measures analysed. Copyright

Development of an Implicit Overall Well-Being Measure Using the Implicit Association Test

Usually, well-being has been measured by means of questionnaires or scales. Although most of these methods have a high level of reliability and validity, they present some limitations. In order to try to improve well-being assessment, in the present work, the authors propose a new complementary instrument: The Implicit Overall Well-Being Measure (IOWBM). The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was adapted to measure wellbeing by assessing associations of the self with well-being-related words. In the first study, the IOWBM showed good internal consistency and adequate temporal reliability. In the second study, it presented weak correlations with explicit well-being measures. The third study examined the validity of the measure, analyzing the effect of traumatic memories on implicit well-being. The results showed that people who remember a traumatic event presented low levels of implicit well-being compared with people in the control condition.