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- Title
The role of arousal and cognitive complexity in susceptibility to social influence.
- Authors
Corfleld, Vera K.
- Abstract
The article focuses on the role of arousal and cognitive complexity in susceptibility to social influence. A number of authors are in agreement that a person experiencing increased arousal finds the condition aversive and seeks to reduce his discomfort. It has been demonstrated that there are wide individual differences in the amount of arousal experienced by subjects under similar conditions, and that consistent individual differences are related to both arousal and attitude change. Subjects whose net attitude change scores were in the direction of verbal reinforcement were significantly higher in initial baseline heart rate and degree of heart rate increase than anticonformers. The authors concluded that the effectiveness of the social influence procedures used was a function of arousal level. It appears that the propensity of an individual to become aroused, and his reactions to his feelings of arousal, have a bearing on his mode of response to the presentation of a communication. Persons who are physiologically reactive have the additional factor of arousal with which to contend under social influence attempts.
- Publication
Journal of Personality, 1969, Vol 37, Issue 4, p554
- ISSN
0022-3506
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.1111/j.1467-6494.1969.tb01764.x