The Effects of Counterattitudinal Communication Behavior on Latitude of Acceptance

Summary

The effects of counterattitudinal communication behavior on latitudes of acceptance have not been empirically demonstrated. Moreover, previous research has only compared latitude of acceptance scores of highly polarized people to people holding moderate views on a controversial social issue. There were 106 college subjects used in this study. Highly polarized people were compared to others whose attitudes had moderated as a result of experimental manipulations. Although there were dramatic shifts in prime attitudes among the experimental groups, there were no differences on latitude of acceptance scores as people's attitudes moderated.