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This research is a comparison of the differential information-processing abilities of high and low dogmatic subjects. Prior research in information processing lacks systematic inquiry into the underlying personality constructs of the information processor. Dogmatism refers to the extent to which an individual receives, analyzes, and synthesizes information relative to pre-existing beliefs. The present empirical study compares the information-processing behavior of the subjects with the normative model postulated by Bayes Theorem. On the basis of their scores on the Rokeach Form E scale, seventeen subjects were classified as low dogmatics and seventeen subjects were classified as high dogmatics. Utilizing the Phillips and Edwards (1967) experimental procedure, the information-processing abilities of low and high dogmatic subjects were compared over two different experimental sequences. The results of this research indicate that the inclusion of personality variables assists in explaining individual differences in information processing studies. Although both high and low dogmatics were conservative processors of information, dogmatism appears to be related with need for uncertainty reduction and the development of simple strategies for processing information. |
