Persuasive Impact of a Communicator where Groups Differ in Apparent Co-Orientation

In order to test the hypothesis that the extent of attitude change in the advocated direction would be related to the degree of co-orientation between a communicator and different groups, the chapter president of a college sorority attempted to influence the attitudes toward the admission of mainland China to the United Nations of 94 undergraduate women (chapter pledges, chapter actives, actives of a nearby chapter, and actives of a comparable sorority at a nearby university). Attitudes were measured by asking the undergraduate women to respond to eight, seven-point Likert type items. The pledges manifested significantly greater (p < .01) attitude change in the advocated direction than did each of the remaining three groups. Variables more important than co-orientation between communicator and receiver were operating. The pledges probably experienced greater need for social approval and valued membership in the group more than the actives of the other groups and, therefore, perceived greater reward in changing their attitude in the direction advocated by the sorority president.