Matt Degollado
Comm. 3083
Professor: Charles Wright
April 1, 2015
Social Judgment Theory
A lot of things happen simultaneously while communicating and interacting with people
and media. We do not just simply view, listen, and respond to stimuli, we actually pay attention
to the message, process it, store it, react, and figure out how we would like to respond all within
a split second. This all happens very quickly, and we do not realize how much these split second
decisions shape our lives.
Social Judgment theory is where our attitude and judging of messages comes together.
Social judgment theory happens when we “weigh every new idea by comparing it with our
present point of view” (Griffin 195). This happens on “a continuum of evaluations – a range of
acceptable and unacceptable positions as well as positions of no commitment” (Hahn). There are
three “zones” in which we classify our attitude toward something. The first being the zone of
latitude of acceptance. This particular zone is where we classify things we automatically accept.
Latitude of rejection is where you classify items that are unacceptable. The third zone is known
as the latitude of non commitment. This zone includes items that may need a little more
processing time because you could not accept or reject them automatically (Griffin 195).
Another factor in Social Judgment Theory involves the importance of the message topic.
This is what we call the ego involvement. How important is the message is crucial to our reaction
and what are attitude will be toward it. If we have a lot of “high ego-involvement” then it is
something that we value and care about. If someone has high ego- involvement, then they have a
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narrow latitude of acceptance or rejection. If you have low ego-involvement then you may have a
wide latitude of non commitment because you do not feel strongly about the topic either way
(Griffin 196). Whether you have high or low ego-involvement, it can cloud your judgment. If
you have high ego-involvement you may not be receptive to other people’s ideas or suggestions.
If you have low ego-involvement you may not pay attention to the message and you may make
an uninformed decision because you are not paying attention to the message in its entirety. High
ego-involvement often includes subjects we are passionate about including money, politics and
religion. The more passionate we are about Low ego-involvement includes topics that may not
necessarily involve us or topics we deem unnecessary. (Gass)
What happens when we come across a message that does not align to our belief systems?
Researchers believe that the higher our ego-involvement the less likely we are to accept
contrasting beliefs. Even If the statement or message could fall into a “grey” area, we will view it
as complete opposite on the spectrum and not even consider it. This is called “contrast” the
“perceptual distortion that leads to polarization of ideas” (Griffin 198). Contrast happens when a
message falls in our latitude of rejection. The rubber band effect or “assimilation” is the opposite
of contrast. Assimilation happens when we share the same opinion as the message; this is when
the message falls within our latitude of acceptance. If a message falls in our latitude of non
commitment, we will hear it as the speaker intended because we do not have a bias one way or
the other (Gass).
Social judgment theory plays a huge role in our lives and we do not even know it.
Everything we come into contact with falls somewhere on the latitude range. If we are aware of
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how Social Judgement Theory works, we can understand why we react to messages when we
receive them. People in marketing and politics have to be masterminds of social judgment theory
and how it works. They only have a split second to gain access and approval by the receiver.
Marketers want their message to fall into the latitude of acceptance, however there is still a
chance the message may be heard even if it falls in the latitude of non-commitment (Smith).
They have to be intentional when planning their campaigns because if it falls in the latitude of
rejection, the message will not be heard and or attended to. This same instantaneous reaction
happens, not only when we see advertisements, but also when we encounter new beliefs and
ideas, as well as people.
Social Judgment theory is probably one the biggest influences in our lives. Everything we
know to be true about ourselves and our surroundings becomes our anchor (Gass). Our anchor is
what we hold to be true in our perception of things, and when we encounter messages, we place
them on a spectrum ranging from, the latitude of rejection, latitude of non-commitment, and
latitude of acceptance, or in my opinion what someone won’t do, might do, or will do. It is the
reason we compare our personal positions to other people’s positions, and the reason why we
avoid topics that involve deep rooted beliefs or our anchors (Mallard).
Growing up my parents always taught me not to talk about religion, politics, or money.
They told me nothing good ever came out of conversations involving these topics, and now I
know. There is such a wide spectrum of opinions and beliefs that people’s anchors could be on
opposite ends of the latitude, and since these are high ego topics, the likely hood that a good
natured productive conversation could happen is unlikely. Social Judgment theory not only plays
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a part in why we get along with some people, it is also the reason why some of us are more
attracted to certain goods and services. Advertisements and marketing is a science, and social
scientist know how to use Social Judgment theory to get us to buy goods and services. They want
to make sure their message comes across in such a way that the message is attended to, but not
placed on the altitude of rejection. Marketing becomes a science of words and images put
together to initiate a reaction.
If we are aware of Social Justice theory we may be able to counteract it before that split
second decision is made. When we encounter a message the message is heard and placed on the
latitude spectrum; however, being aware of how the brain works gives us a second chance to
consider the message. I know my initital reaction is my “gut” talking, and my “gut is made up of
everything I have been taught and experienced, but that doesn’t mean my gut is always right.
Knowing about Social Justice theory allows someone to investigate a message further and make
an educated decision. The world might be a different place if they understood how the brain
worked sometimes.
References
Gass, Robert H & Seiter, John. Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining . Boston: Allyn &
Bacon, 2011. Print.
Griffin, E. A First Look at Communication Theory . New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
Hahn, Jeff. "Persuasion Super Model #9 - Social Judgment Theory." 04 December 2014. Hahn Public
Communications. Web. 28 March 2015.
Mallard, Jennifer. "Engaging Students in Social Judgment Theory." Communication Teacher (2010): 197202. web.
Smith, Sandi, Atkin, Charles, Martell, Denis, Allen, Rebecca & Hembroff, Larry. "A Social Judgment
Theory Approach to Conducting Formative Research in a Social Norms Campaign."
Ommunication Theory (2006): 144-152. web.