Attitudes in Sport

A collection of flashcards summarizing key concepts related to attitudes in sport, including definitions, components, and theories.

Attitude

An attitude is a learned behavioral predisposition, meaning an individual's consistent inclination to respond positively or negatively towards a specific object, person, idea, or situation. It is not an innate trait but is developed over time through experience, and often reflects an underlying aspect of their personality, influencing how they perceive and interact with the world.

Formation of Attitudes

Attitudes are primarily formed through a combination of direct and indirect experiences. Key mechanisms include: socialisation (learning from family, peers, and cultural norms); observation (watching others' behaviors and their consequences); classical conditioning (associating an object with a particular feeling or event); operant conditioning (learning through rewards and punishments for certain behaviors); and exposure to various cultural and personal influences (media, education, personal insights) over time. These experiences shape our perceptions and emotional responses, solidifying our attitudes.

Cognitive Component

The cognitive component of an attitude refers to the intellectual and factual aspects. It encompasses all the knowledge, beliefs, opinions, and thoughts an individual holds about an attitude object. This includes facts they've learned, assumptions they've made, and judgments they've formed, all based on information they have received or acquired through direct experience or external sources. For example, knowing that 'exercise is good for health' is a cognitive belief.

Affective Component

The affective component concerns the emotional dimension of an attitude. It encompasses the feelings, emotions, and sentiments associated with an attitude object, ranging from strong positive emotions (like love, joy, admiration, or excitement) to strong negative ones (like anger, fear, disgust, annoyance, or sadness). This component highlights the emotional reaction one has, irrespective of logical facts. For example, feeling 'happy when exercising' is an affective response.

Behavioral Component

The behavioral component represents an individual's intended actions, inclinations, or predispositions to behave in a particular way towards an attitude object. It describes the likelihood or readiness to perform a specific action. It's important to note that this is often the intention or plan, and actual behavior can sometimes differ due to situational factors, social pressure, or other conflicting attitudes. For example, 'intending to exercise regularly' is a behavioral intention.

Triadic Model of Attitude

Also known as the ABC Model (Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive), the Triadic Model of Attitude posits that an attitude is composed of three interconnected and interdependent components: the Cognitive (thoughts/beliefs/knowledge), Affective (feelings/emotions/sentiments), and Behavioral (intended actions/predispositions to act) aspects. These three components combine to form a person's overall evaluation of an object, and a change in one component can often lead to changes in the others.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Developed by Leon Festinger, Cognitive Dissonance Theory describes the psychological discomfort or tension experienced when an individual simultaneously holds two or more conflicting beliefs, ideas, or values, or when their behavior contradicts their beliefs (e.g., knowing smoking is bad but continuing to smoke). To reduce this unpleasant sensation (dissonance), individuals are motivated to change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to achieve consistency, or they may rationalize, deny, or minimize the inconsistency.

Direct Measurement of Attitudes

Direct measurement of attitudes involves explicitly asking individuals to openly report their beliefs, feelings, or intended behaviors towards an attitude object. This is typically achieved through self-report methods such as structured surveys, questionnaires, or interviews. These methods often use clear, direct questions or statements that respondents rate or answer, providing a straightforward indication of their attitudes.

Likert Scale

A Likert Scale is a widely used psychometric scaling method in surveys for measuring attitudes, opinions, or perceptions. Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements, usually on a 5-point or 7-point ordinal scale ranging from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree'. Each response option is assigned a numerical value, allowing for quantitative analysis of attitudes (e.g., sum scores across multiple items).

Semantic Differential Scale

A Semantic Differential Scale is a type of rating scale designed to measure the connotative meaning (emotional association) of an attitude object. Respondents are asked to rate the object on a multi-point scale between two bipolar (opposite) adjectives, such as 'Good-Bad', 'Strong-Weak', 'Active-Passive', 'Beautiful-Ugly', or 'Fast-Slow'. This method reveals the emotional reaction and perceptual dimensions (like evaluation, potency, and activity) a person holds towards the attitude object.

Thurstone Scales

Thurstone Scales, also known as 'Equal Appearing Interval Scales,' measure attitudes by presenting respondents with a series of statements, each pre-assigned a scale value (weight). These values, determined by a panel of judges, indicate how favorable or unfavorable each statement is towards the attitude object. Respondents select the statements they agree with, and their final attitude score is typically the average or median of the scale values of those selected statements, aiming for a more precise, interval-level measurement.

Prejudice

Prejudice is a preconceived, often negative, attitude (affective component) towards a group or its individual members. It is based on inadequate knowledge (cognitive component), irrational feelings (affective component), and stereotypes (cognitive generalizations). Prejudice typically involves an emotional component (e.g., intense dislike, discomfort) and a generalized belief that is often resistant to new information. While commonly negative, prejudice can also be positive (e.g., favoritism towards one's own ingroup), leading to discrimination and potentially limiting social interactions and opportunities for stigmatized groups.

Stereotyping

Stereotyping involves forming oversimplified and generalized beliefs or expectations about the characteristics, behaviors, or motives of people belonging to a particular social group. These generalizations can be cultural, racial, gender-based, etc. While sometimes positive, stereotypes are often negative and inaccurate, leading to prejudice (biased attitudes) and discrimination (biased actions). They limit individual recognition, hinder fair judgment, and can perpetuate social inequalities by influencing how individuals are perceived and treated.

Influence of Coaches

A coach's leadership style, communication, feedback (e.g., constructive criticism vs. constant negativity), expectations (e.g., 'Pygmalion effect'), and role modeling significantly influence an athlete's attitude. Positive coaching fosters motivation, confidence, resilience, and a positive mindset, while negative coaching can lead to anxiety, decreased self-esteem, burnout, and a detrimental impact on their overall sporting experience and psychological well-being.

Influence of Parents/Friends

Parents and friends play a crucial role in shaping attitudes for athletes and individuals generally. Positive support, encouragement, and understanding from parents and peers can greatly enhance an athlete's self-esteem, motivation, and positive attitude towards their sport and life. Conversely, unrealistic expectations, excessive pressure, negative comparisons to others, or over-criticism can lead to anxiety, fear of failure, burnout, and a detrimental impact on an athlete's attitude, enjoyment, and long-term participation.

Persuasive Communication

Persuasive communication is the deliberate process of attempting to change or reinforce attitudes or behaviors in an audience through a message. Its effectiveness depends on several interacting factors: the credibility and expertise of the communicator (e.g., trustworthiness, attractiveness); the clarity, emotional appeal, and logical strength of the message itself (e.g., one-sided vs. two-sided arguments); the receptiveness, prior attitudes, and background of the audience; and the **channel