Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to examine the differences between two modes of information processing : information processing based on affect-ambivalent neutral attitude and an affect-absent neutral attitude. The hypothesis is that facing up to inconsistent information for a target person, subjects with affect-ambivalent neutral attitudes process information both evaluatively and descriptively, while subjects with affect-absent neutral attitudes process information only evaluatively. The results support the hypothesis. First, subjects with affect-ambivalent neutral attitudes perceive differently the meaning of stimuli traits to rating scale presented. Specifically, when an evaluative scale is presented, subjects perceived the evaluative meaning of stimuli traits and when an descriptive scale is presented, subjects perceived the descriptive meaning of stimuli traits. Second, when stimuli traits are evaluatively inconsistent, the stimuli traits were processed based on a descriptive meaning. On the other hand, when given stimuli traits are descriptively inconsistent, the stimuli traits were processed based on a evaluative meaning.