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Categorization, cognitive consistency and the concept of dimensional salience
Author(s) -
Eiser J. Richard
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2420010404
Subject(s) - salient , salience (neuroscience) , categorization , psychology , consistency (knowledge bases) , cognition , cognitive psychology , social psychology , set (abstract data type) , frame of reference , value (mathematics) , artificial intelligence , mathematics , computer science , statistics , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , programming language
Cognitive consistency theories predict changes in evaluation within an existing frame of reference. This frame of reference must be defined in terms of those dimensions or aspects of the situation that appear most salient to the individual concerned. The same siuation may appear balanced or unbalanced, depending on which dimensions are seen as salient. The tendency to maintain balance may therefore reveal itself in a tendency to see as salient those dimensions in terms of which a given situation will appear most balanced. This is consistent with evidence from the judgment of attitude statements, which suggests that individuals will regard as most salient those dimensions along which their own evaluations of a set of statements will be most congruent with the value connotations of the terms by which the judgment scale is labelled.