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Definition of attitude 1
people’s evaluation of almost any aspect of the social world
Definition of attitude 2
associations between an attitude object and evaluations of those objects
what is an attitude object?
an aspect of the social world
Attitude as defined by Penrod 1986
predispositions to respond in a positive or negative way to a particular object or issue
what are explicit attitudes?
consciously accessible attitudes that are controllable and easy to report
what are implicit attitudes?
unconscious associations between objects and evaluative responses
How are attitudes formed?
Classical conditioning, instrumental learning, observational learning, social comparison and genetics
What is classical conditioning?
it is based on association, one stimulus becomes a signal for a second one
What is an example of classical conditioning?
Pavlov’s dogs: the bell became a signal for food and produced salivating
What is subliminal conditioning?
conditioning that occurs unconsciously.
How many times must the initial conditioning behaviour occur for it to be successful?
several times
What is another term for instrumental learning?
Operant conditioning
What are rewards in instrumental learning?
a stimulus that increases the chances of the behaviour
what is punishment in instrumental learning?
a stimulus that decreases the chances of the behaviour occuring
What leads to positive outcomes in instrumental learning?
Strengthening of responses
What is positive reinforcement?
adding a rewarding stimulus
What is negative reinforcement?
removal of aversive stimulus
what does instrumental conditioning explain?
Why children may have attitudes about topics they do not fully understand because of their parents rewarding the attitude.
what is observational learning?
learning by example and observing the behaviour in reproducing what was observed.
Where is observational learning evident?
in trends and attitudes toward popular things like clothes
what is social comparison according to Festinger 1954
when we compare ourselves to others in order to determine whether our view of social reality is correct
what does the research by Robinson, Thomas, Aveyard & Higgs 2014 suggest about Social Comparison?
that when eating with others we tend to mimic their eating behaviour
What does social comparison suggest about our attitudes?
if our attitudes match those of others then we must be correct
How is genetics related to attitudes?
thoughts occur in the brain and the brain structure is genetically influenced
What have studies demonstrated about genetics and attitudes?
that there is a small genetic component in attitudes
What do the Twin Studies state?
the attitudes of identical twins are more common than those of non identical twins or unrelated people
What attitudes are heritable?
attitudes involving basic topics like music
How does personality relate to attitudes and values? Roccas et al. (2002)
Personality traits can be correlated with some values
what does agreeableness correlate with?
Benevolence, tradition
what does extraversion correlate with?
achievement, stimulation
what does conscientiousness correlate with?
achievement, conformity
what does openness to experience correlate with?
self-direction, universalism
What are the components of attitudes?
affective, behavioural, cognitive
what does Allport 1935 state about the ABC model
an attitude is an interplay between cognitions, emotional evaluations and the action tendencies associated with objects or situations
what is the affective component of attitudes?
the feelings and emotions associated with perception
what is the cognitive component of attitudes?
the perceptions, thoughts and beliefs about the qualities of an object or event
what is the behavioural component of attitudes?
the intentions and actions in relation to objects and events.
What does the behaviour component of attitudes relate to?
intentions or predispositions rather than only actual behaviour
what are the functions of attitudes?
knowledge, affective, behavioural, value expressive, social adjustment, instrumental, self-esteem, ego-defensive, and impression motivation
what is attitude formation?
a basic cognitive process that can be viewed as almost automatic
what do attitudes aid in?
the interpretation of new stimuli and enable rapid responding to attitude relevant information
what is the knowledge function of attitudes?
to give adequate structure to one’s universe by organising information about the social world
how does the knowledge function of attitudes help an individual?
by simplifying complex stimuli and make sense of their environment to make judgements and decisions.
what is the affective function of attitudes?
it influences our emotional response to objects, people or situations
what is the behavioural function of attitudes?
it guides behaviour by influencing intentions and actions by providing a basis for decision making
what is the value expressive function of attitudes?
it is a means to express one’s values, beliefs and identity because the individual derives satisfaction from expressing attitudes
what is the social adjustment function of attitudes?
helps to allow individuals to fit into social groups because it signals shared values and improves social cohesion
We are most likely to adopt the attitude position of someone who…..?
shares an important identity with us
what is the instrumental function of attitudes?
we hold attitudes that we think will bring rewards or help avoid punishment
what is the self esteem function of attitudes?
we hold attitudes that maintain or enhance feelings of self worth.
What attitude is a good predictor of behaviour?
Attitudes based on moral convictions
what is the ego defensive function of attitudes?
when a person protects themselves from acknowledging truths about themselves or the external world
what is an example of ego-defensive function?
Negative attitude to criticism is a defense mechanism
what is the impression motivation function of attitudes?
when attitudes are used to lead others to have a positive view of the individual
what can attitudes that serve an impression motivation function do?
lead people to formulate arguments that support their views
How does social context influence attitudes?
social context directly influences the extent to which attitudes determine behaviour
What can be better predictors of behaviour than actual attitudes?
People’s assumptions about the attitudes of others and what they think of them
People can be wrong about what attitudes they think others hold because of what concept?
Pluralistic ignorance
what is a better predictor of behaviour than weak attitudes?
strong attitudes
which type of attitude is more accessible? Strong or weak?
Strong attitudes
what affects the strength of an attitude?
vested interest, role of personal experience, attitude certainty and attitude specificity
what is vested interest?
when people are affected by an object or issue
what is personal experience?
direct experience with an attitude object or result
what are important factors of attitude certainty?
attitude clarity and attitude correctness
what is attitude certainty
the extent to which an individual is confident in their beliefs,
what increases attitude certainty?
when a person learns that other’s share their attitudes
what can increase resistance to a persuasive message?
when both components of attitude certainty are high
what is attitude specificity?
the extent to which attitudes are focused on specific objects rather than general ones
what do research findings indicate about the attitude-behaviour link?
it is stronger when attitudes and behaviours are measured on the same level of specificity
what factors account for the discrepancy between attitudes and behaviour?
availability, relevance and situation
what does the theory of planned behaviour state?
the decision to engage in a particular behavior is the result of a rational process.
What is the rational process in the theory of planned behaviour?
behavioural options are considered, consequences evaluated and the ability to perform the behaviour is considered
When is the intention-behaviour relationship stronger?
when there is a plan for how intentions will result in behaviour
What is an implementation plan?
a plan for how to implement our intentions
What does an implementation plan consider?
our attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control
what does the attitude to behaviour process model try to explain?
instances when we don’t have time to consider relevant factors
what happens when we don’t have time to consider factors before behaving?
an automatic process
what happens during the automatic process?
the situation activates an attitude and the formation of a habit
Are attitudes resistant to change?
Yes
Do attitudes change?
Yes
How does attitude change occur?
as a result of internal and external forces
what industries are interested in attitude change?
commercial advertisements and social policies
How can attitudes be changed?
through learning, persuasion and brain washing
What is a means of attitude change?
social influence like conformity, obedience and compliance
what is persuasion?
efforts to change attitudes through the use of messages
what is persuasion focused on?
the characteristics of the communicator and the audience
what are the Factors involved in the Yale Model of Persuasion
Source, Message and Audience
what are some factors included in the source (who)?
credibility, expertise, similarity, intentions/motives
What are some factors included in the message (what)?
speech style, communication discrepancy and appeals to fear
what are some factors included in the audience (to whom)?
intelligence, personality, gender and age
what is the sleeper effect?
the persuasive impact of a message can increase over time
who is credited for the Elaboration likelihood model?
Petty & Cacioppo 1986
Who is credited for the heuristic-systematic model?
Chaiken et al 1989
What are the two ways that we process persuasive messages?
Systematic and heuristic processing
What is systematic processing?
careful consideration of message content and ideas
When are we more likely to use systematic processing?
when our motivation is high, we have knowledge on topic and more time to engage in careful thought
what is the central route to persuasion?
attitude change resulting from systematic processing of information
what is heuristic processing?
involves the use of simple rules or mental shortcuts
what is the peripheral route to persuasion?
attitude change in response to peripheral persuasion cues like expertise or status
when are we more likely to use heuristic processing?
when we lack capacity to process carefully, the issue is unimportant and we have little knowledge
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Flashcard (53)