The Attitude Research Lab

Mission and Plan

In human society, it is self-evident that the attitudes we hold toward events, decisions, information, individuals, brands, etc. are pivotal in determining our reactions toward information and issues related to the attitudinal objects. Our attitudes toward people, issues, and events not just affect how we perceive information related to these people, issues, and events, they also affect how we selectively use/avoid information that attempts to change our positions. We use attitudes to guide our decision making and to direct our information processing; we also use attitudes to make inferences on things we are not sure about. It is undisputable that attitudes have their irreplaceable power in shaping our thoughts, our emotions, and our behavioral intentions.

How do we form attitudes? How can attitudes, especially those that are embedded in unspeakable ways, be measured and changed? How do people react (and why) when attempts to persuade them occur? How to facilitate/ impede/interfere attitude formation? How will the possession of one attitude affect the other attitudes? These fundamental questions are all of interests not just to academic researchers, but also to decision makers in all areas such as governments, schools, and businesses.The Attitude Research Lab is interested in learning how one’s attitude affects their intention to process information; how persuasion is construed and interpreted; how individual heterogeneity affects attitude formation and change; how attitudes toward one object/event/product/brand spill over to other domains beyond the focal issues; and how the formation of attitudes can be changed effectively. Findings in our research will have tremendous implications for the development of persuasion strategies, framing strategies, management, marketing, and financial strategies.