TY - JOUR
T1 - International awareness, information processing, and attitude change
T2 - A cross-cultural experimental study
AU - Wolfsfeld, Gadi
PY - 1983/1/1
Y1 - 1983/1/1
N2 - The study examines the effects of international awareness on attitude change. A theoretical model of information processing was developed which suggests that in general individuals of middle‐level awareness are the most likely to be influenced by propaganda. However, an additional variable of cultural salience illustrates the importance of considering the interaction of individual and social level variables. It is hypothesized that in cultures where a given political object is highly salient, attempts to change attitudes about such an object will fail. To test the theory a cross‐cultural experiment was conducted in New England, Israel, and Hawaii. A promotional film about Japan was shown to high school students in all three cultures. As predicted, a curvilinear relationship was found between international awareness and attitude change in both New England and Israel. The hypothesis that no such relationship would be found in Hawaii, where Japan is relatively salient, was also confirmed.
AB - The study examines the effects of international awareness on attitude change. A theoretical model of information processing was developed which suggests that in general individuals of middle‐level awareness are the most likely to be influenced by propaganda. However, an additional variable of cultural salience illustrates the importance of considering the interaction of individual and social level variables. It is hypothesized that in cultures where a given political object is highly salient, attempts to change attitudes about such an object will fail. To test the theory a cross‐cultural experiment was conducted in New England, Israel, and Hawaii. A promotional film about Japan was shown to high school students in all three cultures. As predicted, a curvilinear relationship was found between international awareness and attitude change in both New England and Israel. The hypothesis that no such relationship would be found in Hawaii, where Japan is relatively salient, was also confirmed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0013465477&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10584609.1983.9962754
DO - 10.1080/10584609.1983.9962754
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AN - SCOPUS:0013465477
SN - 1058-4609
VL - 2
SP - 127
EP - 145
JO - Political Communication
JF - Political Communication
IS - 2
ER -