Stimulus Ambiguity,Discrepant Information,and Task Importance in Opinion Structure and Change

Abstract

Ss given initial instructions intended to either maximize or minimize the perceived importance of the experiment subsequently made anonymous written estimates of the mean as well as the highest and lowest values the mean could assume for a critical list of numbers having a mean of 88 but one of four standard deviations. In addition, Ss were exposed to either high or low discrepant information from confederates of E. The main results were that the estimate of mean varied as a function of the size of the confederates' discrepant estimates but not as a function of stimulus ambiguity. Moreover, the range of estimated possible means (highest minus lowest possible mean) varied directly as a function of both stimulus ambiguity and the magnitude of the discrepant information.

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