A sample of 110 male and 89 female under-graduates was used to test some derivations from a functional model of the cognitive basis of attitude change. The results for the males offered strong confirmation of the major hypotheses regarding attitude change. Immediate attitude change was found to involve a significant interaction between the level of cognitive need, differences in information storing style, and the variations in the ambiguity of a persuasive communication. A significant interaction effect of need clarity and the information storing variable occurred on a delayed measure of attitude change. These effects were assumed to be mediated by differences in emotional tension generated by imbalances between cognitive needs, cognitive capacity, and the demands of the stimulus situation. This assumption was supported by a significant triple interaction among all 3 independent variables on a measure of perceived frustration. The results for the females offered no reliable evidence in support of the above hypotheses. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)