This project has two principal goals. First, it will develop and test a neofunctional theory of attitudes, establish the viability of such a theory, and lay the foundation for a long-term program of research guided by it. Based on the assumption that people hold particular attitudes because they derive psychological benefit from doing so, this theory generates two hypotheses that will be tested: a) persuasive messages will be most effective when they are resonant with the primary need being met by the attitude, and b) situational influences can make salient specific needs and thereby affect the efficacy of persuasive messages. Second, the proposed study will use the neofunctional theory to analyze the psychological needs met by attitudes toward two stigmatized groups, and will assess the efficacy of different messages in changing them. The two groups are mentally ill individuals and persons with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Examining these two attitude domains will provide an understanding of the stability of attitude functions, and will yield insights into public perceptions of the two stigmatized groups. The results of the study will have policy implications for effective implementation of mental-health and AIDS-prevention/-education programs, and will contribute to construction of a theory that explains individual differences and situational variation in attitudes. The research conducted during the period of this award will form the basis for extensive subsequent study of the functions of attitudes and the uses of persuasion.
