On Attitude Change: Issue-Involvement and Demand Characteristics

The present investigation examined the effects of level of involvement, demand characteristics (via a bogus pipeline procedure) and a persuasive communication on attitude change toward the issue of comprehensive exams for graduating seniors. 107 student participants were randomly assigned to one of eight (2 × 2 × 2) experimental conditions and attitudes were assessed prior to the experimental manipulation and afterwards. Over-all, participants who received a persuasive communication were more agreeable toward the issue than those who received no communication; however, the participants who were highly involved and tested under a bogus pipeline showed minimal change. The same conclusion was reached from an analysis of change scores between attitudes pre- and post-manipulation. The results suggested that demand characteristics may exert a more powerful influence on change in attitude than the level of involvement in the issue.