ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the belief-adjustment model, and its earlier version, the contrast/surprise model. The discussion of the results of these studies will help in providing a better understanding of belief revision as the model itself is a good representation of behaviour. The chapter presents a review of an auditing literature concerning the process of belief revision using the belief-adjustment model and its earlier version, the contrast/surprise model. The belief-adjustment model is the most recent version of the contrast/surprise model. The belief-adjustment model takes into consideration more factors than the contrast/surprise model. The contrast/surprise model is based on a discounting model for discounting the strength of beliefs on the basis of disconfirming evidence, and an accretion model for confirming evidence. Auditing studies that investigated the validity of the predictions of the contrast/surprise model and the belief-adjustment model focused mainly on the order effect predictions.
