选择扩散效应研究的回顾与前瞻

The Retrospect and Prospect of Spreading of Alternatives Effect

由失调导致的态度改变一直受到社会心理学的关注,选择扩散效应是态度改变的结果之一。多个理论模型对此做出各种解释,近年来对失调的脑机制研究为行为模型提供了新的证据。文化心理学也涉足了这方面的研究,并多以自我模型为基础,发现东西方人在对失调的体验及随后的态度变化上存在文化差异。总结了选择扩散效应的研究意义后,文章从该效应的研究范式、心理机制和脑机制、文化影响三方面对相关研究进行回顾,在此基础上提出研究范式的区分、模型的整合、脑机制的进一步研究、减缓失调的积极作用是未来的研究趋势,并指出跨文化研究中应注意的问题。

The spreading-of-alternatives effect is the consequence that attitude change followed dissonance. When people have to make a choice between two alternatives, they often evaluate the chosen alternative substantially more positively than the rejected alternative after they have made their decision. Many models of dissonance proposed their own explanations of the spreading-of-alternatives effect, such as self-related models and action-based model. Currently, researches on this topic focusing on brain mechanism have supported the action-based model as indexed by left frontal cortical activation. However, on the other hand, some studies on cultural differences have provided evidences for self-related models. This article reviewed the main researches on the following aspects, including research paradigms, psychological and physiological mechanism and cultural effect. It is hoped that it will improve researches on dissonance theory and assist in connecting the large body of dissonance theory. Moreover, attention should be paid to the relation between dissonance reduction and mental healthy in the future.