Emotional role playing, attitude change, and attraction toward a disabled person.

DOCDMEIT RESU3E CG 006 397 Clore, Gerald L.; Jeffery, Katherine McMillan Emotional Role Playing, Attitude Change, and Attraction Toward a Disabled Person. Illinois Univ., Champaign. May 71 21p.; Paper presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association Convention in Detroit, Michigan, May 6-8, 1971 Gerald Clore, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois 61820 EDRS Price MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 Attitudes, Behavior Change, *Changing Attitudes, *Discriminatory Attitudes (Social), Handicapped, *Interpersonal Problems, Interpersonal Relationship, *Physically dandicapped, Role Perception, *Role Playing, Social Attitudes The effects of emotional role playing on interpersonal attitudes toward the disabled are explored. Three treatment groups (role players, vicarious role players, and controls) were involved. Role playing consisted of traveling about the campus in a wheel chair for an hour. Results indicated that, compared to the control experience, both direct and vicarious emotional role-playing led to more positive responses: (1) to a specific disabled person; (2) to a series of issues concerning disabled students in general; and (3) to a disguised attitudinal measure given by telephone four months later. The concept of empathy appeared more adequate than dissonance for understanding the results. The potential of role playing and vicarious experience for increasing tolerance and social maturity is considered. (Author/TL) teN Cr. PEA EMOTIONAL ROLE PLAYING, ATTITUDE CTIANGE, AND CD Lr ATTRACTION TOWARD A DISABLED PERSON C:3 Gerald L. Clore 2 and Katharine &Millen Jeffery 3 University of Illinois