Date of Award
6-20-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Victor Ottati
Abstract
Previous studies show that people high in belief superiority tend to hold higher attitude confidence and certainty, increasing information selection bias. However, it remained unclear why and when such an effect occurred. Two studies were conducted to address these questions. Study 1 aimed to examine the effect of belief superiority on information selection bias and its potential mediator: situation-specific open-minded cognition (SOMC). In line with the logic of earned dogmatism hypothesis, I posit that belief superiority induces a sense of entitlement to be close-minded, consequently leading to information selection bias. In study 2, I examined the role of affect (happy/sad) in facilitating or inhibiting the effect of belief superiority on SOMC and information selection bias. Grounded in the affect-as-cognitive-feedback account, it is theorized the role of affect in cognition is flexible, providing value to the dominant cognition. Accordingly, I predicted that within the happy mood conditions, high belief superiority will lead to lower SOMC than low belief superiority and within the sad mood conditions, high belief superiority will lead to higher SOMC than low belief superiority. In a similar vein, it was predicted that within the happy mood conditions, high belief superiority will lead to higher information selection bias than low belief superiority and within the sad mood conditions, high belief superiority will lead to lower information selection bias than low belief superiority. Furthermore, study 2 was also expected to produce a moderated mediation effect: SOMC will mediate the influence belief superiority's effect on information selection bias, and this mediation effect will be moderated by affect. An online experiment was conducted to test study 1’ hypothesis by employing 246 US student participants. Consistent with the hypothesis, I found that belief superiority increased information selection bias, and SOMC mediated the effect. Study 2 was conducted in the lab with 284 Loyola students as participants. Findings from this study showed that most of hypotheses were supported, except for the hypothesis regarding the moderated mediation effect of SOMC. This research enhances our understanding of how belief superiority contributes to information selection bias, through SOMC as a mediating factor. Importantly, it demonstrates that affect can moderate such effects, extending previous studies on affect and cognition and favoring the idea that the influence of affect on cognition is flexible rather than straightforward.
Recommended Citation
Yustisia, Whinda, "The Role of Affect in Regulating the Influence of Belief Superiority on Open-Minded Cognition and Information Selection Bias" (2024). Dissertations. 4091.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/4091
