Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Crano, W. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Crano, W. D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 4, 597-608 (1983)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167283094009
© 1983 Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Assumed Consensus of Attitudes

The Effect of Vested Interest

William D. Crano

Michigan State University

People tend to overestimate the extent of existing support for their attitudes. This study sought to determine whether this assumption of consensus would be influenced by the hedonic relevance of the attitude in question. Accordingly, 144 undergraduates equally divided with respect to class status (freshmen and sophomores versus juniors and seniors) were told that their university administrators were studying a tuition surcharge plan that would affect either underclassmen, upperclassmen, or all students. Respondents were asked to evaluate the plan and to estimate the proportion of other students who shared their attitude. Subjects who thought they would be affected by the plan estimated that considerably more students (of all classes) would share their attitude than did respondents who would not be affected. This vested interest-assumed consensus relationship was independent of attitudinal extremity. Implications of these results for the further study of attitude-behavior consistency and judgmental bias were discussed.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Communication ResearchHome page
L. M. van Swol
The Effects of Nonverbal Mirroring on Perceived Persuasiveness, Agreement with an Imitator, and Reciprocity in a Group Discussion
Communication Research, August 1, 2003; 30(4): 461 - 480.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Science CommunicationHome page
C. W. TRUMBO, S. DUNWOODY, and R. J. GRIFFIN
Journalists, Cognition, and the Presentation of an Epidemiologic Study
Science Communication, March 1, 1998; 19(3): 238 - 265.
[Abstract]

Home page
 Pers Soc Psychol RevHome page
J. Krueger and R. W. Clement
Estimates of Social Consensus by Majorities and Minorities: The Case for Social Projection
Personality and Social Psychology Review, November 1, 1997; 1(4): 299 - 313.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Pers Soc Psychol BullHome page
L. R. Fabrigar and J. A. Krosnick
Attitude Importance and the False Consensus Effect
Pers Soc Psychol Bull, May 1, 1995; 21(5): 468 - 479.
[Abstract]

Home page
 Pers Soc Psychol BullHome page
C. T. Miller
Majority and Minority Perceptions of Consensus and Recommendations for Resolving Conflicts about Land Use Regulation
Pers Soc Psychol Bull, August 1, 1993; 19(4): 389 - 398.
[Abstract]