Publication Type

Conference Paper

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

6-2010

Abstract

Groups often have members who hold opposing opinions on specific issues. The presence of undecided people within a group may promote cooperation among group members who hold opposing views on an issue under consideration. The study examined the joint effects of group attitude diversity (i.e. mixed attitude diversity vs. polarized attitude diversity) and one’s strength of attitude on the cooperation. In groups considering a controversial issue with no undecided group members (i.e. polarized attitude diversity), people with strong attitudes were less likely than those with weak attitudes to cooperate with group members who held opposing views. However, the above differences became non-significant when participants were placed in groups with some undecided group members (i.e. mixed attitude diversity). The results from the study suggested that the presence of undecided group members mitigates the negative impact of attitude strength on subsequent cooperation.

Discipline

Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

International Association of Conflict Management Conference, IACM 2010

Identifier

10.2139/ssrn.1615209

City or Country

Boston, MA

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1615209

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