ATTITUDE AND SELECTIVE LEARNING: WHERE ARE THE PHENOMENA OF YESTERYEAR?

Abstract

IN 3 EXPERIMENTS, SS' ATTITUDES ON UNITED STATES INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM WERE NOT FOUND TO AFFECT LEARNING OF RELEVANT PROPAGANDISTIC INFORMATION. THIS WAS TRUE (1) FOR MEASURES OF INCIDENTAL AS WELL AS OF INTENTIONAL LEARNING, AND (2) FOR SS AWARE THAT THEY WERE SELECTED ON THE BASIS OF THEIR PREEXISTING ATTITUDES AS WELL AS FOR THOSE WHO WERE UNAWARE. FURTHER, NO RELIABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JUDGED PRIOR FAMILIARITY WITH INFORMATION AND SUBSEQUENT LEARNING WAS OBTAINED. HOWEVER, STATEMENTS UNSYMPATHETIC TO UNITED STATES INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM, A CATEGORY WITH WHICH SS WERE RELATIVELY UNFAMILIAR, WERE RELIABLY BETTER LEARNED THAN THOSE SUPPORTING INVOLVEMENT. THIS FINDING, TOGETHER WITH SUPPLEMENTARY NOVELTY RATINGS ON THE EXPERIMENTAL INFORMATION, LED TO THE CONCLUSION THAT INFORMATION NOVELTY MAY ENHANCE LEARNING OF PROPAGANDISTIC INFORMATION. (19 REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1967 American Psychological Association.