Effects of Characteristic Definition on Changes in Self-Perception
Male and female undergraduate students received discrepantly high scores on hostility on a contrived group “personality” test that they scored themselves. Three definitions of hostility were used that differed in specificity and strength of overt aggression. Subsequent hostility self-ratings, using an after-only design, showed acceptance of the discrepant communication, thus confirming earlier findings, and a sex × definition interaction, for male Ss showed greatest acceptance under the specific and strong hostility definition and least acceptance with the vague definition; the reverse acceptance order obtained for females. The findings lend support to Asch's hypothesis that change in the opinion object is a significant factor in opinion change.