Attitude Change, Dogmatism, and Ascription of Responsibility: The Case of the State Commission of Inquiry on the Massacres at Sabra and Shatila

Abstract

This article examines the impact that publication of the Report of the State Commission of Inquiry on the massacres at Sabra and Shatila had on the beliefs of people holding conflicting political views. Differences among individuals regarding evaluation of responsibility falling on Israeli leaders for the massacres, before and after the findings were published, were found to be related to dogmatism as measured by the D Scale. While political beliefs and commitments were the most important factors shaping the views of individuals about the massacres, dogmatism proved to be of significant importance in the determination of the level and direction of attitude change generated by the availability of new authoritative information.