title: Feelings toward the poor and beliefs about the causes of poverty: the role of affective-cognitive consistency in help-giving.
abstract: This study examined how affective-cognitive consistency moderates the strength of the relationship between attitudes toward the poor and help-giving intentions. Participant's (N = 198) overall attitudes toward the poor and the consistency of their affect (feelings toward the poor) and cognition (beliefs about the causes of poverty) were measured. Affective-cognitive consistency moderated the degree to which attitudes predicted welfare allocations and volunteering to help the poor, such that attitudes significantly predicted these decisions among participants whose feelings toward the poor were consistent with their beliefs about the causes of poverty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA. mjtagler@bsu.edu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tagler
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cozzarelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D003469:Culture; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult