RECEPTIVITY TO SUPPORTIVE VERSUS NONSUPPORTIVE COMMUNICATIONS.

The article presents notes from the authors of two studies about receptivity to supportive over nonsupportive communications. In a study analyzing the relative tendencies of subjects who received two different experimental treatments, the authors concluded that individuals whose confidence in a belief has been agitated by exposure to propaganda choose to only hear arguments that support their new point of view. In another study, the authors found a tendency for subjects to choose only articles which demonstrated advantageous information for the subject's argument. It is asserted that both studies do not support the claim that people are more receptive to supportive information than to adverse information.