Some Effects of Salience and Time Upon Interpersonal Hostility and Attraction During Social Isolation

The effects of salience and time upon both positive and negative interpersonal attitudes under conditions of social isolation were investigated. It was predicted that polarization of attitudes would be facilitated by increased salience and time. One hundred twenty Ss interacted with either an insulting or complimenting confederate. Working in isolation, Ss next performed tasks designed to engender high or low salience of the confederate for either 10 seconds, 1 minute, or 4 minutes. Dependent measures reflected affective and cognitive components of attitudes toward the confederate. The results strongly supported the hypothesis that salience positively affects polarization of attitudes in isolation. The effects of time were not as predicted. IN AN EARLY publication Newcomb (1947) suggested that people who acquire a hostile attitude toward another person frequently react by severing or reducing communication with the other person, with the result that the hostile attitude is barricaded against change in a more positive direction. He termed this phenomenon autistic hostility. Some subsequent research tended to support the autistic hostility hypothesis (Kelly, 1950; Thibaut and Coules, 1952).