Lateral attitude change: displacement effects as a reaction to blatant social influence

According to the lateral attitude change (LAC) model, lateral (i.e., indirect) attitude change may occur in the absence of focal (i.e., direct) attitude change. To examine such displacement effects, we asked 124 participants to assume a teacher’s role and grade two moderately good essays. They graded the first essay once before and once after they learned the (very good vs. very poor) grade the essay had allegedly received by a professor. Given that the professor’s grade represented a blatant, disproportionate influence attempt, we hypothesized focal resistance (i.e., no attitude change toward the first essay) but a displacement effect (i.e., attitude change toward the second essay). Instead of displacement, results indicated generalization (focal and lateral effects). However, among participants who had resisted the influence attempt (n = 65), a displacement pattern was observed. Implications for the LAC model are discussed.