The impact of students’ prior attitude on the processing of conflicting videos: a comparison between middle-school and undergraduate students

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of students’ prior attitude on the processing of conflicting information regarding a controversial issue (is eating organic better for health and the environment?). In study 1, 314 seventh graders watched a set of videos that provided conflicting arguments on the issue. Students were then asked to recall and evaluate the strength of each argument of the videos. Students’ attitude on the issue was measured 1 week prior to the viewing, immediately after and 1 week later to account for a possible evolution. Results indicate that although students evaluated the arguments of the videos that were consistent with their attitude as more convincing that the arguments that were inconsistent, they better recalled the arguments that were inconsistent and reported a moderation of their attitude following the viewing of the videos. The study was replicated with a sample of undergraduate students (study 2) to investigate a possible age effect. Results proved partly different from the one observed on seventh graders, as undergraduate students did not recall better the arguments that were inconsistent with their attitude and did not report an evolution of their attitude following the viewing of the videos. These results suggest an age difference in the processing of the conflicting arguments provided.