Elsevier

Learning and Motivation

Volume 51, August 2015, Pages 43-49
Learning and Motivation

An application of Heider's P–O–X balance model to change evaluative conditioning effects

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2015.04.001Get rights and content

Abstract

This study employed the P–O–X balance model within an evaluative conditioning (EC) paradigm as a strategy to change EC effects. First, participants viewed other people (CSs) paired with sentences describing valenced behaviors (USs) intermixed with products (CSs) paired with affective pictures (USs). Second, we created triadic relationships by informing the participants that each CSPerson (dis)liked a particular CSProduct; half the participants experienced either balanced or unbalanced relationships. Results showed that CSs were rated more positively after being paired with pleasant USs than unpleasant USs; more importantly, CSsProduct evaluations were reversed after the establishment of unbalanced triadic relationships (i.e., CSsProduct paired with pleasant USs were evaluated less positively and CSsProduct paired with unpleasant USs were evaluated more positively). This finding suggested that participants restored a position of balance when the conditioned evaluative responses were conflicted.

Section snippets

Participants and design

Thirty-two undergraduate students (ages 18–23 years; sixteen of each gender) from the University of Lille were recruited. A 2 (CS type: Person, Product) × 2 (US valence: Negative, Positive) × 2 (Phase: Conditioning, Treatment) × 2 (Triadic relation: Balanced, Unbalanced) mixed design analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed, with the first three factors as within-S variables and the third factor being a between-S variable. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Balanced or

Results

In order to simplify the data presentation, we averaged the evaluative ratings for both CSsPerson+, and we proceeded similarly for the CSsPerson−, the CSsProduct+, and the CSsProduct− at both time points: Conditioning and Treatment for each group. The mean evaluative ratings of the CSs as a function of the CS type (Person, Product) and the US valence (Negative, Positive) and the Phase (Conditioning, Treatment) and the Triadic relation (Balanced, Unbalanced) are depicted in Fig. 2. For ANOVAS,

Discussion

Using an EC preparation, half of the participants were exposed to four sets of relationships in triads that were balanced (Panel 1 of Fig. 1) while the remaining participants were exposed to the parallel unbalanced states (Panel 2 of Fig. 1). We found that the participants in the balanced group maintained their CS evaluations, whereas the participants in the unbalanced group reversed their CSProduct evaluations. This finding reveals that at least some EC effects can be modified by procedures

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