A Test of a Model for Commitment

Abstract

Presents a theoretical model for the role of commitment, defined as a binding of the individual to behavioral acts, in attitude change. The derivation tested is: the greater the inducement offered S for performing an act consistent with his beliefs, the less committed he is to that act, and the less the resistance to subsequent countercommunications. Ss were differentially paid for performing an act consistent with their prior beliefs: later all Ss received a strong countercommunication on the same topic. The hypothesis was confirmed: Ss receiving the greater payment for performing the consonant act later showed greater attitude change in the direction advocated by the countercommunication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

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A
TEST
OF A
MODEL
FOR
COMMITMENT
CHARLES
A.
KIESLER
1
Yale
University
JOSEPH
SAKUMURA
Ohio
State
University
Commitment
is
defined
as a
binding
of the
individual
to
behavioral acts,
and a
theoretical model
is
presented
for the
role
of
commitment
in
attitude change.
The
derivation tested here
is: the
greater
the
inducement
offered
S for
perform-
ing
an act
consistent
with
his
beliefs,
the
less
committed
he is to
that
act,
and the
less
the
resistance
to
subsequent
countercommunications.
Ss
were
differentially
paid
for
performing
an act
consistent with their prior beliefs.
Later
all Ss
received
a
strong
countercommunication
on the
same
topic.
The
hypothesis
was
confirmed:
Ss
receiving
the
greater payment
for
performing
the
consonant
act
later showed greater attitude change
in the
direction
advocated
by the
countercommunication.
There
is a
rapidly
increasing body
of
evidence
indicating
that
a
thorough understanding
of the
role
of
commitment
is a
necessary
requisite
to an
adequate
theory
of
attitude change. Perhaps
Brehm
and
Cohen (1962),
in
their discussion
of
dissonance
theory
(Festinger,
1957)
have
voiced
the
most explicit interest
in
commitment
as a
variable,
but
other authors (e.g., Hovland, Janis,
&
Kelley,
1953;
Secord
&
Backman,
1964;
Sherif
&
Hovland, 1961) have also been concerned with
the
topic. Although theoretical
interest
has
been
increasing,
there have been
few
efforts
to
deal
directly
with
the
concept experimentally.
Recently,
however,
Kiesler2
proposed
a
pre-
liminary
theoretical model
for the
role
of
com-
mitment
in
attitude
change.
He
defines commit-
ment
as a
pledging
or
binding
of the
individual
1
The
data
were
collected
while
the
senior author
was
at
the
Ohio
State
University.
2
"Psychological
Commitment
in
Attitude
Change,"
proposal submitted
to the
National Institute
of
Men-
tal
Health,
United States Public Health
Service,
1964.
to
behavioral acts,
and
discusses
how
commit-
ment
to
specific
behaviors will relate
to
attitudes
and
their resistance
to
change. Some
of the
basic
assumptions
and
hypotheses
are
presented below.
1.
The
individual attempts
to
resolve incon-
sistencies
between
the
attitudes
he
holds
and be-
havioral acts which
he, for one
reason
or an-
other,
is
induced
to
perform.
This
assumption
is
quite
similar,
if not
identical,
to the
main assump-
tion
of the
"consistency" models proposed
by
Festinger
(19S7),
Heider
(1958),
and
Osgood
(1960),
and
hence
is
supported
by
evidence
re-
lated
to
those theories.
We
assume that
to
resolve
the
inconsistency,
one may
change either
the at-
titude
or the act
(including
the
psychological
im-
plications
of the
act).
2.
The
effect
of
commitment
is to
make
an act
less changeable. Thus,
utilizing
Assumptions
1 and
2,
we may
hypothesize:
(a) if the act is
consistent
with
the
subject's previous belief system then
commitment
to the act
makes
the
subject more
resistant
to
subsequent attack
on his
beliefs;
(b)
if
the act is
inconsistent with
the
subject's previ-