Attitudes, Behavior, and Rationalization

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on Social Psychology, focusing on attitudes, behaviors, measurement methods, and related theories.

Attitude

Evaluation of an object or behavior in a positive or negative way.

Affect

Emotional reactions to an attitude object.

Cognition

Thoughts about the attitude object.

Behavior

Knowledge about interactions with an attitude object.

ABC of Attitudes

A framework consisting of Affect, Cognition, and Behavior.

Explicit Methods

Self-report surveys used to directly measure attitudes.

Implicit Methods

Indirect measures of attitudes that do not involve self-report.

Likert Scale

A numerical scale used to assess people's attitudes.

Response Latency

The amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, used to assess attitude accessibility.

Centrality of Attitudes

Measures the consistency of attitudes within a domain.

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Measures the strength of associations between concepts and evaluations.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

A theory proposing that inconsistency between thoughts, feelings, and actions creates dissonance.

Self-Perception Theory

The theory that we infer our own attitudes by observing our behavior.

Induced Compliance

A situation where individuals are forced to engage in behavior inconsistent with their attitudes.

Effort Justification

The tendency to rationalize the effort expended on an activity that ultimately turns out to be unpleasant.

System Justification Theory

A theory proposing that people are motivated to view political and social systems as fair and legitimate.

Terror Management Theory

A theory suggesting that people manage the anxiety of mortality by striving for symbolic immortality.