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Generalization versus contextualization in automatic evaluation revisited: A meta-analysis of successful and failed
Bertram Gawronski1, Xiaoqing Hu1, Robert J Rydell2
1Department of Psychology.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|May 27, 2015
Summary
Automatic evaluations can reflect initial or later-learned attitudes depending on context. This meta-analysis confirms contextual renewal effects in attitude research, supporting representational theory.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Disparate findings in automatic evaluation literature necessitate a unifying theory.
- Gawronski et al. (2010) proposed a representational theory to explain attitude reflection based on context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analyze studies on automatic evaluation and contextual renewal effects.
- To test predictions of the representational theory regarding attitude reflection in different contexts.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies from the authors' research groups.
- Inclusion of all studies regardless of outcome to avoid publication bias.
Main Results:
- Significant average effect sizes for ABA renewal (d = 0.249) and ABC renewal (d = 0.174).
- Moderators included attention to context, information order, context-valence contingencies, and country.
Conclusions:
- Meta-analytic results support the representational theory's predictions on contextual renewal.
- Some moderator effects suggest the need for theoretical refinements and further research into underlying mechanisms.
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