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Social Judgment Theory is based on the concept that the effect a persuasive message has depends on how the receiver evaluates the message. A judgment occurs when a person evaluates incoming information. People have categories of judgment which they use to assess that incoming information and as they process it, the information is sorted into the appropriate category. The limits of the position the receiver could take on a particular issue are relative to the bounds of possible alternatives in terms of latitudes of acceptance, non-commitment and rejection. Sherif et al. (1965) defined attitudes as "the stands the individual upholds and cherishes about objects, issues, persons, groups, or institutions." Social Judgment Theory seeks to explain how these attitudes are expressed, evaluated and changed.

Researchers must infer attitudes from behavior. The behavior can be in response to arranged or naturally occurring stimuli. True attitudes are fundamental to self-identity and are complex, and thus can be difficult to change.One of the ways in which the SJT developers observed attitudes was through the "Own Categories Questionnaire". This method requires research participants to place statements into piles of most acceptable, most offensive, neutral, and so on, in order for researchers to infer their attitudes. This categorization, an observable judgment process, was seen by Sherif and Hovland (1961) as a major component of attitude formation. As a judgment process, categorization and attitude formation are a product of recurring instances, so that past experiences influence decisions regarding aspects of the current situation. Therefore, attitudes are acquired.