VALUES AS TRUISMS - EVIDENCE AND IMPLICATIONS

Three experiments tested the general hypothesis that values are cultur al truisms-that is, beliefs that are widely shared and rarely question ed. Experiment 1 examined specifically whether people lack cognitive s upport for their values. It was predicted and found that analyzing one 's reasons for particular values caused the values to change, a findin g that would be expected only if individuals lack cognitive support fo r their values. Experiment 2 verified that analyzing reasons caused va lue change only when participants were not provided with cognitive sup port for their values. Experiment 3 found that the effect of analyzing reasons generalized across a range of individual-differences variable s. Experiment 3 also showed that analyzing reasons resulted in value r atings that were less predictive of relevant attitudes than pre-reason s-analysis value ratings, but only for high self-monitors.