Attitudes

PPT 2

how does gordon allport define attitudes?

relatively enduring organisation of beliefs, feelings, and behavioural tendencies towards socially significant people, objects, events, or symbols

what are observations?

evaluative responses elicited by pleasant/unpleasant stimuli

how can attitudes be inferred?

by interpreting observed physical responses to a stimulus

THREE COMPONENTS MODEL

what are the three components?

cognitive, affective, behavioural

THREE COMPONENTS MODEL

what is the cognitive component?

thoughts and ideas reflecting the perception of the attitude object

THREE COMPONENTS MODEL

what is the behavioural component?

our behavioural intentions and inclinations towards the attitude object

THREE COMPONENTS MODEL

what is the affective component?

our preferences, likes, dislikes, and emotions which allow us to evaluate the attitude object

THREE COMPONENTS MODEL

what does it say about the duration and nature of attitudes? (3)

• they are relatively permanent throughout time and are not fleeting

• they are limited to socially significant objects

• they are generalizable and capable of abstraction (being barked at by one dog is unlikely to result in a negative attitude towards dogs, but if it does, then it’s an attitude)

what are smith et al’s (1956) four functions of attitudes?

• to reduce ENERGY spent on repeatedly evaluating similar situations

• for OBJECT-APPRAISAL: allowing us to evaluate objects as positive or negative

• for SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT: to allow us to associate with likeminded people

• to EXTERNALISE- if we blame outside sources for our shortcomings it prevents inner self conflict (e.g. blame the sport if you’re bad at golf)

what are katz’s (1960) four functions of attitudes?

• KNOWLEDGE: they help us to organise information about attitude objects

• INSTRUMENTALITY: they can help us to advance towards an end goal

• EGO DEFENCE: they protect our self-esteem

• VALUE-EXPRESSIVENESS: they allow us to display behaviours which reflect our inner values

what are the four ways behaviour influences attitudes?

• mere exposure effect

• evaluative conditioning

• instrumental conditioning

• observational learning

how does the mere exposure effect influence attitudes?

repeated exposure to an attitude object strengthens the response to it- whether positive or negative

how does evaluative conditioning influence attitudes?

the degree of liking an attitude object will change if it is consistently paired with other pleasant or unpleasant stimuli

how does instrumental conditioning influence attitudes?

behaviour and attitudes which are consistently followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated

how does observational learning influence attitudes?

if another person displays an attitude which receives a positive response, it is more likely to be acquired by the viewer

“teenagers tend to adopt attitudes which are inconsistent with their parents’ in order to forge a new identity and conform to their peers”

cite the researcher

tarrant, 2002

“children who watched lots of television were twice as likely to believe that sugary cereal and sweets were good for them”

cite the researcher

atkin, 1980

LAPIERE, 1934

briefly describe the method

a white man and his two chinese friends travelled around the usa, and were only refused service once throughout their trip. however, 6 months later, when interviewed, only 1% of establishments stated that they would accept chinese customers

LAPIERE, 1934

state 3 weaknesses of this study

• just over 50% response rate

• attitudes may have changed in 6 months

• presence of a white man may have influenced behaviour

• may not have been the same servers that were asked

state three conditions which can change the strength of the link between attitude and behaviour

• whether the attitude is expressed in public or in private

• how strongly someone identifies with the group for which the attitude is normative

• how accessible the attitude is within memory

how can attitudes be measured explicitly?

by asking people directly about their attitudes through self-report questionnaires

how can attitudes be measured implicitly?

by tracking biological changes in individuals when they are exposed to certain stimuli

which biological features allow attitudes to be tracked? (6)

• cortisol in blood/saliva

• heart rate variability (HRV)

• pupil dilation

• facial expressions

• galvanic skin response (sweat)

• event-related brain potentials (ERPs)