EFFECT OF PUBLIC COMMITMENT UPON OPINIONS

In two separate experiments college students were induced to pledge themselves to make tape recordings which would be played publicly of their position on certain issues. They were not asked to make such recordings for certain other issues. Opinions toward the issues were measured before the recordings actually were to be made. In both experiments it was found that the subjects' private opinions became more extreme when they committed themselves to state their position publicly on the issues, that is, opinions were more extreme for those issues than for the other issues. © 1969.