The Role of Psychological Discrepancy in Belief Change: Testing Four Models With a Single Message

• In Event: HIGH-DENSITY: Narrative Processing and Effects

Abstract

The complexity of the process of social influence can be explained by simple rules in communication (Fink, 1996; Latané, 1996). In the study of how belief change occurs, some rules are expressed in mathematical forms (Hunter, Danes, & Cohen, 1984). This article examines four mathematical models regarding the role of psychological discrepancy in belief change based on two theoretical frameworks: the discrepancy model (Fink & Cai, 2012; Kaplowitz & Fink, 1997) and information integration theory (Anderson, 1981, 2008). In this article, the rationale and the empirical support for the original psychological-discrepancy-discounting model (Fink, Kaplowitz, & Bauer, 1983) are discussed first. This article proposes three alternative assumptions regarding the role of psychological discrepancy. Then, the significance of this article is discussed. Also, the results of nonlinear regression analyses comparing the four models based on Fink et al.’s (1983) data are presented. The results indicate the alternative assumptions are indeed plausible. Finally, this article briefly presents two directions for future studies.

Authors

• Luling Huang, Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple U

• Edward L. Fink, Temple U