A previous study reported that the correlation between attitude scores on Thurstone and semantic differential scales was greater when issue saliency was low than when issue saliency was high. The present study yielded the opposite results on two different issues using two different sets of attitude scales. A more detailed analysis, however, indicated that the low correlations in both studies were probably produced by a restricted range of scores on one or both scales. Contrary to the previous study's warning, the present results indicate that the semantic differential scale is no more vulnerable to changes in issue saliency than are other widely used measures of attitude.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
FreedmanJ. L.Involvement, discrepancy, and change. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1964, 69, 290–295.
2.
McGinniesE.Studies in persuasion: IV. Source credibility and involvement as factors in persuasion with students in Taiwan. Journal of Social Psychology, 1968, 74, 171–180.
3.
McNemarQ.Psychological statistics. (2nd ed.) New York: Wiley, 1955.
4.
MillerN.Involvement and dogmatism as inhibitors of attitude change. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1965, 1, 121–132.
5.
NickolsS. A.ShawM. E.Saliency and two measures of attitude. Psychological Reports, 1964, 14, 273–274.
6.
OsgoodC. E.SuciG. J.TannenbaumP. H.The measurement of meaning. Urbana: Univer. of Illinois Press, 1957.
7.
OstromT. M.BrockT. C.A cognitive model of attitudinal involvement. In AbelsonR. P. (Eds.), Theories of cognitive consistency: A sourcebook. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1968. Pp. 373–383.
8.
ShawM. E.WrightJ. M.Scales for the measurement of attitudes. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
9.
SherifC. W.SherifM. (Eds.) Attitude, ego-involvement, and change. New York: Wiley, 1967.
10.
ThurstoneL. L.Motion pictures and attitudes of children. Chicago: Univer. of Chicago Press, 1932.
11.
ThurstoneL. L.ChaveE. J.The measurement of attitude. Chicago: Univer. of Chicago Press, 1929.
12.
WardC. D.Attitude and involvement in the absolute judgment of attitude statements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1966, 4, 465–476.
