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Perceptions of entitativity and attitude change
Robert J Rydell1, Allen R McConnell
1Miami University, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|December 3, 2004
Summary
Groups perceived as more unified (entitative) are more persuasive, especially when presenting strong arguments. This enhanced persuasion is linked to deeper processing of the information, influencing attitudes effectively.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Group Dynamics
- Persuasion and Social Influence
Background:
- Groups often aim to persuade others, but the factors influencing their persuasive success are complex.
- Group entitativity, the perception of a group as a unified entity, is hypothesized to influence information processing and persuasion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how group entitativity influences persuasion and information processing.
- To examine the mediating role of argument elaboration in the relationship between entitativity, argument strength, and attitude change.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted, manipulating group entitativity and argument strength.
- Experiment 1 examined perceptions of entitativity and argument strength effects on attitude change and elaboration.
- Experiment 2 experimentally manipulated entitativity and argument strength to establish causal relationships.
Main Results:
- Higher group entitativity led to increased persuasion, particularly with strong arguments.
- Groups with greater entitativity also induced more thorough argument elaboration.
- These findings held across both experiments, supporting the proposed mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Group entitativity enhances persuasion by promoting deeper information processing and argument elaboration.
- The study clarifies the psychological processes underlying persuasion in social groups.
- Findings have implications for understanding group influence and intergroup communication.