| Most people (perhaps you too) believe they | | | | back and forth. The third group was the |
| have rational opinions. You may change your | | | | control group, and these students were told |
| mind once you read about some of the research | | | | to just keep their heads still. |
| that has been done. | | | | |
| | | | After the test, the students were questioned. |
| Most of us think that we have rational | | | | They were asked about the quality of the |
| opinions about the things we take a stand on. | | | | songs, and how well the headphones |
| We like to think that it is just evidence and | | | | functioned. At the end of the other |
| logic that rules us. We feel that we are | | | | questions, the experimenters slipped in the |
| immune to the persuasion techniques of | | | | question that they really wanted the answer |
| politicians and others. | | | | to: "What do you feel would be an appropriate |
| | | | dollar amount for undergraduate tuition per |
| The truth is that most of our opinions are | | | | year." |
| created from a variety of unidentified | | | | |
| forces. We then defend them after the fact, | | | | Those whose heads were kept still were not |
| with "reasoning," which is really just | | | | affected by the editorial. The average |
| rationalization. The following example shows | | | | tuition that they thought was appropriate was |
| how unaware we are of the influences that | | | | $582. Notice that this was within $5 of where |
| shape our "thinking." | | | | the tuition already was. |
| | | | |
| A Look At "Rational Opinions" | | | | Now it gets interesting. Those who shook |
| | | | their heads from side to side were found to |
| Gary Wells and Richard E. Petty coauthored a | | | | strongly disagree with the tuition hike. In |
| little known paper in the journal "Basic And | | | | fact, their average "appropriate" tuition was |
| Applied Social Psychology" back in 1980. It | | | | $467 per year. That's almost 20% lower than |
| was titled "The Effects Of Overt Head | | | | the first group. Even though they thought |
| Movement On Persuasion," and it reported on a | | | | they were simply testing the headphones, the |
| study done with a large group of university | | | | process of shaking their heads from side to |
| students. | | | | side - as though saying "no" - affected their |
| | | | opinion dramatically. |
| The students were told they were | | | | |
| participating in a study to test the quality | | | | What about those who were nodding their heads |
| of headphones for an electronics | | | | up and down, as though saying "yes?" They |
| manufacturer. Specifically, the company | | | | were very persuaded by the editorial. Even |
| wanted (they were told) to test how well the | | | | though it would cost them personally, they |
| headphones worked when the body was in | | | | thought, on average, that the tuition should |
| motion. All of the students who participated | | | | be raised to $646. |
| listened to the same set of songs, followed | | | | |
| by a radio editorial which argued that the | | | | If the simple act of moving one's head up and |
| basic tuition at the college should be raised | | | | down or from side to side can be so |
| from $587 to $750. | | | | influential in the opinions we have, what |
| | | | else is affecting our thinking? Many things - |
| The students were in three groups. The first | | | | all good subjects for future research. But |
| was told to keep nodding their heads up and | | | | even from this simple example, you can start |
| down during the entire time of the test. The | | | | to see that completely rational opinions may |
| second was instructed to shake their heads | | | | be less of a reality and more of a myth. |