NCJ Number
18911
Date Published
1968
Length
137 pages
Annotation
COMPARED THE INFLUENCIBILITY OF TWO GROUPS OF DELINQUENT BOYS, ONE REPRESENTING AN ESSENTIALLY AUTHORITARIAN ORIENTATION NAD THE OTHER AN ANTI-AUTHORITY ORIENTATION.
Abstract
THE PRESENT INVESTIGATION WAS CONCERNED WITH TWO ASPECTS OF OPINION CHANGE WITHIN A DICHOTOMIZED DELINQUENT POPULATION - (1) SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SOCIAL INFLUENCE: AND (2) RETENTION OF OPION CHANGE. THE FOLLOWING HYPOTHESES WERE PROPOSED - (1) SYSTEM 1 BOYS WOULD BE MORE PERSUASIBLE THAN SYSTEM 2 BOYS UNDER CONDITIONS OF HIGH SOURCE PRESTIGE; (2) BOTH GROUPS OF BOYS WOULD EXHIBIT THE SLEEPER EFFECT UNDER CONDITIONS OF LOW EXPERTISE AND LOW CONGRUENCE BETWEEN THE SOURCE AND THE STAND; AND (3) NEITHER GROUP OF BOYS WOULD EXHIBIT THE SLEEPER EFFECT UNDER CONDITIONS OF HIGH EXPERTISE AND HIGH CONGRUENCE BETWEEN THE SOURCE AND THE STAND. FIFTY-SIX BOYS FROM THE UTAH STATE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL WERE CLASSIFIED ON THE BASIS OF THE CONCEPTUAL SYSTEMS TEST AS PREDOMINANTLY SYSTEM 1 OR SYSTEM 2. BOYS WERE THEN ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO ONE OF FOUR EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS VARYING IN PRESTIGE AND EXPERTISE-CONGRUENCE. SUBSEQUENT TO RESPONDING TO A QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURING ATTITUDES TOWARD LEGAL AGENCIES, BOYS WERE EXPOSED TO ONE OF FOUR COMMUNICATORS, VARYING IN BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO PRESTIGE AND EXPERTISE-CONGRUENCE, WHO ADVOCATED A FAVORABLE POSITION TOWARD THESE AGENCIES. IMMEDIATELY AFTER HEARING THE SOURCES, BOYS COMPLETED THE OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE AGAIN. FINALLY, BOYS RESPONDED TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE THREE WEEKS AFTER HEARING THE COMMUNICATORS. IN ADDITION, BOYS RESPONDED TO ITEMS MEASURING CREDIBILITY CHARACTERISTICS AND RECALL OF THE SOURCES. DISCREPANCY SCORES COMPRISED THE PRIMARY DATA AND WERE EVALUATED BY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE. CREDIBILITY RATINGS WERE ASSESSED IN TERMS OF CHI SQUARE. THE CREDIBILITY RATINGS INDICATED THAT THE SOURCES EFFECTIVELY REPRESENTED THE EXPERIMENTAL SELECTION OFTHE PRESTIGE VARIABLE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)