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Exploring the Relation Between Generality and Attitude Strength

Khaligh, Nicholas Kian
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5170-6885
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713532696036372

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
A principle central to the modern study of attitudes is that our evaluations can vary in strength, or the extent to which they have impact and durability. The present work began with the question of whether or not the generality (versus specificity) of an attitude object was related to the strength of attitudes towards it. Through correlational methods, Studies 1 and 2 found significant positive relations between the generality of a concept (both individually rated and measured normatively/in aggregate) and a handful of features commonly related to strong attitudes. Study 3 employed an experimental procedure wherein participants who were prompted to list increasingly general (versus specific) categories tended to list categories that their attitudes towards were (a) more impactful, important, and self-defining, (b) more mixed, and (c) more positive. Study 4, while successfully manipulating perceived generality, failed to find corresponding shifts in most of the strength-related features that were related to generality in the prior studies, suggesting that actual differences in categorical inclusiveness (rather than contemporaneous appraisals of generality) might be the operant variable related to strength-related features. Study 5 expanded the range of attitude objects to include those at the highest level of generality in order to test whether relations with strength-related features were monotonic or not. Results suggested that the linear patterns documented in the prior studies might actually be curvilinear when a fuller range of generality is considered. Study 5 also introduced measures assessing perceived utility of attitudes and found evidence of such utility mediating the effects of generality on some strength-related features. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Duane Wegener (Advisor)
Brad Bushman (Committee Member)
Baldwin Way (Committee Member)
Richard Petty (Committee Member)
139 p.
Psychology; Social Psychology
attitudes; categories; categorization; concepts; abstraction; generality; strength; attitude strength

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Khaligh, N. K. (2024). Exploring the Relation Between Generality and Attitude Strength [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713532696036372

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Khaligh, Nicholas. Exploring the Relation Between Generality and Attitude Strength. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713532696036372.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Khaligh, Nicholas. "Exploring the Relation Between Generality and Attitude Strength." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713532696036372

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1713532696036372
72
© 2024, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Exploring the Relation Between Generality and Attitude Strength by Nicholas Kian Khaligh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.