#1 & #2 Attitude Psychology

Function/Tripartite Model

Attitudes Definition

An evaluation made up of the feelings, beliefs, and behaviours of a person, social group, event, object or issues.

• Must be enduring though are not necessarily permanent.

• Influenced by past and previous behaviours, memories of those experiences and affective reactions

• Are a construct and not directly observable

• Guides subsequent behaviour and choice for action

Why do we have attitudes?

• Convenient summaries of our beliefs

• Help others know what to expect of us

• Can serve as specific expressions of our more enduring values

• Help gain rewards and avoid punishment

*1 Attitude Function

Attitudes also have a function.

They may serve the purpose of saving us from something.

e.g. for example in a situation when we are confronted by a large spider that we think is poisonous. Our attitudes in this situation will lead us to behaviour actions that we believe will make us safe.

*1 What do Attitudes Consist of?

Implicit and Explicit Attitudes

*1 Implicit Attitude

• Involuntarily formed behaviours that impact our emotions and behaviours.

• Are resistant to change

• Unconscious

*1 Explicit Attitude

• Deliberately formed attitudes that influence our emotional and behavioural responses

• Can be influenced and therefore changed

• They are conscious

#2 What Is The Tripartite Model of Attitudes/Structure?

The tripartite model of attitudes describes an attitude as being comprised of three components that are associated with an attitude object.

A. Affective (emotive / feelings)

B. Behavioural (actions / doing)

C. Cognitive (thoughts / beliefs)

*2 A- Affective Component

• Emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards an object, person, issue, or situation.

• It is essentially the emotional aspect of an attitude that can influence an individual’s behaviour.

e.g. someone has a fear of spiders (the affective component). In that case, they might avoid places where they believe spiders may be present (the behavioural component) due to their belief that all spiders are harmful (the cognitive component).

*2 B- Behavioural Component

• how one behaves or acts towards an object, person, issue, or situation based on their attitude

e.g. someone has a fear of spiders (the affective component). In that case, they might avoid places where they believe spiders may be present (the behavioural component) due to their belief that all spiders are harmful (the cognitive component).

*2 C- Cognitive Component

• the beliefs, thoughts, and attributes that an individual associates with an object, person, issue, or situation.

• It involves the mental processes of understanding and interpreting information.

• The knowledge function is intimately tied to the cognitive component of attitudes as it directly influences how we interpret and make sense of our beliefs and perceptions.

e.g someone has a fear of spiders (the affective component). In that case, they might avoid places where they believe spiders may be present (the behavioural component) due to their belief that all spiders are harmful (the cognitive component).

What does the Tripartite Model propose and imply?

• The tri-component model proposes that all three components must be present before it can be said that an attitude exists.

• However, there can be inconsistency between the three components, especially if one is stronger or more intense than the others

• The tripartite model implies that attitudes predict future behaviour.

• However, there is often inconsistency between a person’s attitude and their behaviour.

eg Behaviour may be influenced by a situational factor