"An analogue study examining Attitude Change Theory and its implications for dissemination and implementation of empirically supported treatments"

Abstract

Despite the promise of research-based treatments, dissemination into community settings has been problematic. Attitudes toward these treatments may be partially responsible for the slow uptake. Building on the functional theory of attitudes, it was hypothesized that presenting emotion-focused rather than cognitively-focused information about a treatment would produce more positive attitudes toward the treatment in individuals interested in clinical practice. To test this hypothesis, 144 students (116 women; M age = 22.46 years) completed a measure of vocational interest and evaluated a treatment after reading either an emotional or cognitive passage about the treatment. Consistent with the hypothesis, participants’ interests in clinical activities were related to more favorable reactions to the emotional passage but not the cognitive passage. This effect was partially mediated by message elaboration. Findings suggest that presenting clinicians with emotionally rich information on treatment options may help bridge the gap between research and practice. compared to a no passages were matched approximate reading and