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Attitude change in women's studies students has been a central goal of the women's studies movement since its inception. Attitude change theory stresses the crucial roles of prior attitudes and attitude importance in the effectiveness of a persuasive message. Attitude change dynamics were studied in 548 women's studies students drawn from 32 U.S. college campuses with established women's studies programs. The results provide partial support for the hypothesis that students with attitudes highly discrepant from the women's studies message will demonstrate less attitude change when they deem these attitudes as highly relevant. Contrary to the hypotheses, these students were not more likely to report negative effects of the course. The results were consistent with those of previous researchers who found that attitude change in women's studies courses were greatest for students who had the least feminist attitudes at the outset. Future directions for research should include investigating the effect of specifically preparing students to hear multiple perspectives that may differ from their own, as well as further investigation of the factors that may increase or decrease the likelihood of attitude change in students. (Contains 1 figure and 25 references.) (JDM)

Each of the 2 studies included in this report concerns a different aspect of utilizing volunteers as mental health workers. The first used a behavioral assessment technique (the Group Assessment of Interpersonal Traits [GAIT]) to measure the qualities of understanding, openness and accepting-warmth in college students. Subsequently, these students served as group leaders with chronic patients in a state mental hospital. Results indicate: (1) that the behavioral assessment technique is reliable; and (2) that there are significant relationships between these therapeutic qualities as measured and independent measures of patient ward improvement. The 2nd study used a control group design to examine the impact, on student attitudes, of their participation as companions or group leaders in state mental hospitals. The results show that, while the groups were initially quite similar on the attitude measures, following participation only the experimental group significantly increased in favorable attitudes toward mental patients. It is suggested that such programs may serve to promote constructive social change to improve the state mental hospitals. (TL)

The Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) project is developing a Speakers Bureau in order to educate and increase awareness of occupational stress injuries (OSIs) Specifically, the Speakers Bureau will be a cadre of respected CF members, trained to speak to small groups of CF personnel about their own experience of OSIs. By combining scientific information and data with personal accounts of their own OSIs, it is hoped that these speakers will put a more human or personal face on operational stress injuries, thus reducing the stigma of these occupationally-related mental health problems. The ultimate goal of the OSISS Speakers Bureau is to provide education in the larger CF community in order to foster understanding and acceptance of operational stress injuries (OSIs). In order to assist OSISS in this endeavor, this report reviews the main theories and key research findings from the attitude and attitude change literature. We provide applications of key concepts to OSIs, and OSI-related attitude change, thereby linking theory and research to this important area. We also discuss the attitude-behavior relation, as well as major factors that can facilitate or obstruct sustained attitude change in general, and with respect to mental health issues more specifically. We then place attitudes and attitude change within the larger cultural context of the CF. We conclude by summarizing key findings and providing recommendations to guide the OSISS program's development of a Speakers Bureau.

The Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) project is developing a Speakers Bureau in order to educate and increase awareness of occupational stress injuries (OSIs) Specifically, the Speakers Bureau will be a cadre of respected CF members, trained to speak to small groups of CF personnel about their own experience of OSIs. By combining scientific information and data with personal accounts of their own OSIs, it is hoped that these speakers will put a more human or personal face on operational stress injuries, thus reducing the stigma of these occupationally-related mental health problems. The ultimate goal of the OSISS Speakers Bureau is to provide education in the larger CF community in order to foster understanding and acceptance of operational stress injuries (OSIs). In order to assist OSISS in this endeavor, this report reviews the main theories and key research findings from the attitude and attitude change literature. We provide applications of key concepts to OSIs, and OSI-related attitude change, thereby linking theory and research to this important area. We also discuss the attitude-behavior relation, as well as major factors that can facilitate or obstruct sustained attitude change in general, and with respect to mental health issues more specifically. We then place attitudes and attitude change within the larger cultural context of the CF. We conclude by summarizing key findings and providing recommendations to guide the OSISS program's development of a Speakers Bureau.

We examine how learning that about the political position of a politician, about whom one has formed an initial opinion, leads to desired attitudes, metacognitive biases, and actual attitude change.

We examine how learning that about the political position of a politician, about whom one has formed an initial opinion, leads to desired attitudes, metacognitive biases, and actual attitude change.

This volume was prepared for the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of a Research Issues Series, and summarizes the major research findings in the area of drugs and attitude change which have been published in the last 15 years. The booklet is organized to provide the reader with the purpose, methodology, findings, and conclusions of previous studies done in this area. Topics include: (1) information about drugs--sources of information, the media, drug education; (2) attitudes toward drugs--users vs. nonusers, attitude change; and (3) communication processes. (Author/PC)

This volume was prepared for the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of a Research Issues Series, and summarizes the major research findings in the area of drugs and attitude change which have been published in the last 15 years. The booklet is organized to provide the reader with the purpose, methodology, findings, and conclusions of previous studies done in this area. Topics include: (1) information about drugs--sources of information, the media, drug education; (2) attitudes toward drugs--users vs. nonusers, attitude change; and (3) communication processes. (Author/PC)

Thirty-four four man teams participated in an experimental simulation of an internation conflict. Each team was subdivided into two decision makers (central roles) and two information handlers (peripheral roles). In keeping with a number of attitude change theories, especially a recent one by Collins and Hoyt (1971), it was predicted that this task allocation, with a possible additional factor of physical separation between subteams, would be a determinant of the players' emergent attitudes toward an opponent team. The results were consistent with the prediction.

Thirty-four four man teams participated in an experimental simulation of an internation conflict. Each team was subdivided into two decision makers (central roles) and two information handlers (peripheral roles). In keeping with a number of attitude change theories, especially a recent one by Collins and Hoyt (1971), it was predicted that this task allocation, with a possible additional factor of physical separation between subteams, would be a determinant of the players' emergent attitudes toward an opponent team. The results were consistent with the prediction.

A study was undertaken to determine the effect of role playing behavior as a variable in persuasive communication. Subjects were 52 male college students who were divided into two groups: those who held favorable attitudes toward the speech topic were assigned the role of speakers, and those who responded negatively toward the topics were assigned the role of listeners. Experimental conditions were operationalized through three assigned tasks: (1) the speaker predicted the listener's role attitudes toward the speech which he would later deliver; (2) the speaker compared responses indicative of complete agreement for each attitude item with those of the listener; and (3) the speaker constructed the speech. It was concluded from the tables that role taking may be a significant factor in persuasive communication. Further studies to identify variables that contribute to role playing activity are suggested. (TS)

This investigation attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of the simulation game, Ghetto, in changing attitudes, and to determine whether effectiveness is associated with the personal characteristics of the players. There are two purposes: to teach factual information about the conditions faced by the urban poor in the inner city and to produce a more favorable attitude towards poverty. The entire homogeneous senior class in an all-boy catholic high school in Baltimore participated in the role playing. This simple one-group pretest and posttest questionnaire study was conducted as a part of a unit on poverty in eight social studies classes for four 55 minute periods. No other activities were allowed between pre and post-tests. A pretest self report item measured personal and vicarious experience with poverty. The greatest practical and statistically significant finding was that student attitudes were more favorable after the game than before. However, no increase in factual information and a small decline in interest were measured. Attitude change was positively correlated with vicarious experience with poverty, supporting Jerry L. Fletcher (1968). (There were no measures of long-term attitude change or teacher attitudes). (SBE)

This five-part report comprises a synthesis and distillation of research findings on teacher attitudes and the conditions under which they may be expected to change. The purpose of the study is to provide guidelines for practitioners interested in effecting changes in those teacher attitudes which may interfere with effective schooling efforts. Part 1 presents a brief overview of issues related to the whole field of attitude change, and the role of the teacher as a change agent. Part 2 discusses the problems which relate to teacher attitudes toward subject matter content and the introduction of new content in existing and new subject-matter courses. Three main curriculum areas are also defined in this section: a) academic subject matter, b) career (or vocational) education, and c) nontraditional curricula. Part 3 examines the ways that characteristics of students affect their teachers' attitudes toward them, and subsequently predispose differential treatment and sets of expectations on the part of the teachers. Part 4 deals with teacher attitudes toward organizational and instructional innovations. Topics included in this section are a) open education, b) staffing, c) scheduling, d) motivational procedures, e) individualization, f) behavior objectives, g) behavior modification, and h) education technology. Part 5 provides a brief summary statement. (Author/JS)

Twelve papers address issues of attitudes towards handicapped persons. The authors were invited to summarize and critically evaluate the literature in their area of expertise, including their own research. Contributions touch on measurement and methodological issues as well as other topics. The following papers are included: "Attitudes and Attitude Change in Special Education" (R. Jones and S. Guskin); "Perspectives and Issues in the Study of Attitudes" (H. Triandis, J. Adamopoulos, D. Watts); "Approaches to the Measurement of Attitude" (R. Dawes); "Sociometric Research in Special Education" (D. MacMillan and G. Morrison); "Classroom Learning Structure and Attitudes toward Handicapped Students in Mainstream Settings: A Theoretical Model and Research Evidence" (D. Johnson and R. Johnson); "Attitudes toward Mentally Retarded Children" (J. Gottlieb, L. Corman, R. Curci); "Attitudes toward the Learning Disabled in School and Home" (B. Reid); "Children's Attitudes toward Emotionally Disturbed Peers" (C. Chiba); "Attitudes toward the Physically Disabled" (J. Siller); "Attitudes of Educators toward the Handicapped" (J. Jamieson); and "Modifying Attitudes toward the Handicapped: A Review of the Literature and Methodology" (A. Towner). (CL)

This bibliography is the third of three volumes which report on a study of recent research on teacher attitudes and attitude change. This volume lists, alphabetically by author, all the references cited in volumes one and two. Abstract literature and research reviews were used extensively in this study, and much material was obtained from "Research in Education." Titles from this publication are accompanied by ED numbers. Other sources used were the following: "Dissertation Abstracts,""Psychological Abstracts,""Education Index,""Social Science Citation Index," a number of annotated bibliographies, and research compilations. (PB)

This bibliography is the third of three volumes which report on a study of recent research on teacher attitudes and attitude change. This volume lists, alphabetically by author, all the references cited in volumes one and two. Abstract literature and research reviews were used extensively in this study, and much material was obtained from "Research in Education." Titles from this publication are accompanied by ED numbers. Other sources used were the following: "Dissertation Abstracts,""Psychological Abstracts,""Education Index,""Social Science Citation Index," a number of annotated bibliographies, and research compilations. (PB)

A product of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children

This report presents a wide variety of findings about what teachers think and believe about the practices, people, and issues in U.S. schools. It is the second of three volumes, the first of which is a handbook for educational practitioners. The third volume is a bibliography for the first two volumes. This report contains 10 chapters, each of which reviews research for the following topics: a) the nature of attitudes and attitude measurement; b) teacher attitudes toward specific curriculum areas; c) teacher attitudes toward minority populations; d) student attributes and how they become the bases of discriminatory teacher behavior; e) teacher attitudes toward innovation; f) professional orientation; g) relationships with staff, parents, and community; h) work milieu; i) evaluation; and j) training programs to effect attitude change. (PB)

A cognitively-oriented course of economics instruction will affect student attitudes toward economic issues. This was the finding of a study designed to ascertain economic attitudes in adolescents. Economic attitudes were measured by an instrument which used eight moderately reliable multi-item scales. The measure was applied in a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design to two groups of ninth-graders. One group had previous economics instruction and the other had not. This research design measured the affective impact of a cognitively-oriented economics curriculum. The research was based on two hypotheses: (1) that economics instruction would have an impact on student attitudes toward economic issues; and (2) that the observed attitudinal changes would be in the same direction as affective changes associated with developmental trends. At the pretest, there were no systematic or statistically significant differences between the two groups. Analysis of covariance at the posttest showed modest but statistically significant differences between the groups on five scales. The results also gave qualified support to the hypothesis that these instructional effects may be interpreted as an acceleration of developmental trends in economic and related social attitudes. (SM)

The bibliography is an annotated collection of 798 references dealing with the physiological correlates of attitudes and attitude change. The major portion of the items are from the period extending from 1949 to 1970. The items are arranged in alphabetical order by author.

The bibliography is an annotated collection of 798 references dealing with the physiological correlates of attitudes and attitude change. The major portion of the items are from the period extending from 1949 to 1970. The items are arranged in alphabetical order by author.