Social Psychology: Chapter 6

What is an Attitude?

A positive, negative, or mixed reaction to a person, object, or idea expressed at some level of intensity

How Attitudes Are Measured: Self-Report Measures

Self-report measures are direct and straightforward, but sometimes attitudes are too complex for a single question

What is an Attitude Scale?

A multiple-item questionnaire designed to measure a person’s attitude toward some object

Example: Likert Scale

What is Bogus Pipeline?

A phony lie-detector device that is sometimes used to get respondents to give truthful answers to sensitive questions

How Attitudes Are Measured: Covert Measures

Observable Behavior

Facial Electromyograph (EMG)

• Neuroscience research going

  • Appears attitudes may be measurable by electrical brain activity

Facial Electromyograph (EMG) Definition

An electronic instrument that records facial muscle activity associated with emotions and attitudes

How Attitudes Are Measured: The Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Based on the notion that we have implicit attitudes

• Attitudes that one is not aware of having

Implicit Association Test (IAT) Definition

Measures the speed with which one responds to pairings of concepts

How are Attitudes Formed?

• Attitude objects

• History of rewards and punishments

• Attitudes of family, friends, and enemies

• Personal Experiences

Attitudes are formed through basic processes of learning

LaPiere’s: Link Between Attitudes and Behavior (1934)

Provocative but flawed study

Wicker’s: Link Between Attitudes and Behavior (1969)

Conclusion that attitudes and behavior are only weakly correlated

Kraus’s: Link Between Attitudes and Behavior (1995)

Attitudes significantly and substantially predict future behavior

The Link Between Attitudes and Behavior

The assumption that attitudes influences behavior

Theory of Planned Behavior

Attitudes toward a specific behavior combine with subjective norms and perceived control to influence a person’s actions

Why do some attitudes have more influence on behavior?

Depends on the attitude’s importance or strength

Why are some attitudes stronger than others?

Because of our genetic make-up?

Psychological Factors Influencing Attitude Strength Questions

Does it directly affect one’s own outcomes and self-interests?

Is it related to deeply held philosophical, political, and religious values?

Is it of concern to one’s close friends, family, and social ingroups

Ways Factors that Indicate the Strength of an Attitude?

• the more well-informed one is on a topic, the more consistent behavior is with attitude

• Not only the amount of information, but also how that information was acquired

• Strong attitudes are highly accessible to awareness; how quickly and easily they are brought to mind

• An attack can be strengthened by an attack against it from a persuasive message

What are the two routes to Persuasion

Central & Peripheral

Central Route Defintion

Person think carefully about a message

• Influenced by the strength and quality of the message

Peripheral Route Definition

Person does not think critically about the contents of a message

• Influenced by superficial cues

Hovland’s Central Route

Persuaded when we attend to, comprehend, and retain in memory an argument

McGurie’s Central Route

Distinguished between the reception of a message and its later acceptance

Greenwald’s Central Route

Elaboration is an important, intermediate step

Assumptions that the recipients are

attentive, active, critical, and thoughtful

Assumption is correct only some of the time but?

When it is correct, the persuasiveness of the message depends on the strength of the message’s content

The central route is a thoughtful process

But not necessarily an objective one

The Peripheral Route

People are persuaded on the basis of superficial, peripheral cues

• The message is evaluated through the use of simple-minded heuristics

• People are also influenced by attitude-irrelevant factors

What Makes a Effective Source?

Believable sources must be credible sources

• Competence or expertise

• Trustworthiness

How is likable is the communicator?

To be Seen as credible, the source must have what two characteristics?

• Competence or expertise

• Trustworthiness

What two factors influence a source’s likability?

• The similarity between the source and the audience

• The physical attractiveness of the source

What Makes an Effective Message? questions

How should the argument be presented to maximize its strength?

Are longer messages better?

How discrepant should the message be to have the greatest impact?

Should the message use fear appeals or scare tactics?

Are appeals to positive emotions effective?

Are Longer Messages Better? (Effective Message)

If peripheral: The longer the message, the more valid it must be( Length means Strength)

If central: Message length is a two-edged sword (Longer, but is has to be filled with information)

How discrepant should the message be to have the greatest impact? (Effective Message)

The most change is produced at moderate amounts of discrepancy

An “upside-down U” relationship between discrepancy and persuasion

Should the message use fear appeals or scare tactics? (Effective Message)

How strong is the argument?

Does the message contain reassuring advice?

Are appeals to positive emotions effective? (Effective Message)

People are “soft touches” when they are in a good mood

Why Might Positive Feelings Activate the Peripheral Route?

A positive emotional state is cognitively distracting, impairing the ability to think critically

When in a good mood, we assume all is well and become lazy processors of information

When happy, we become motivated not to spoil the mood by thinking critically about new information

Subliminal Messages

Can subliminal messages influence behavior?

We do perceive subliminal cues

• But the cues will not persuade one to take action unless one is already motivated to do so

Audience Factors

Very few people are consistently easy or difficult to persuade

People differ in the extent to which they become involved and take the central route

• Need for Cognition

Need for Cognition Definition

How much does one enjoy effortful cognitive activites?

Regulatory Fit

To what extent does the message meet the psychological needs of the audience?

Does the message fit the frame of mind of the audience and “feel right”?

• Promotion-oriented vs. Prevention-oriented