ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a conceptualization of attitude strength that links strength to a basic understanding of attitude itself. We therefore begin by giving a definition of attitude, which leads directly to an interpretation of attitude strength as a structural variable. The consequence of attitude strength that we emphasize is resistance to change: Strong attitudes do not readily change. This principle may appear simple, but it camouflages an underlying psychology of some complexity—specifically, a set of mechanisms by which people resist change. We argue that the likelihood that particular mechanisms appear depends not merely on attitude strength, but on the particular structural configuration that underlies an attitude’s strength. However, resistance to change is not the only important consequence of attitude strength. Strong attitudes are also relatively persistent over time and predictive of overt behavior, and they exert selective effects on information processing. According to our analysis, these additional consequences are manifestations of strong attitudes’ resistance to change rather than independent consequences of strength.
