lecture 3 psyc2001

what is an attitude

psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor.

what is prejudice

A (negative) evaluation toward members of a social group

what is discrimination

Unfair treatment of someone based on his or her group membership.

what are stereotypes

Generalized beliefs that are believed to be characteristics of a group.

what is a likert scale

a scale used to assess people’s attitudes that includes a set of responses with anchors on each extreme.

what is self esteem

attitudes towards the self

what are alternatives to self-report measures

nonverbal measures of attitudes (e.g., a distance you keep from the target person). physiological measures (e.g., heart rate, sweaty palm, brain activity). Social Neuroscience. Implicit attitude is not accessible to your conscious awareness.

when do attitudes predict behaviohr

attitudes are strong or based on personal experience. ◼ social influence is minimal. ◼ specific attitudes (not general attitude) are examined.

what is priming

activation of a knowledge structure outside of awareness. Makes an associated behaviour more likely.

what is Cognitive dissonance theory

People like their thoughts to be consistent with one another and will do substantial mental work to achieve such cognitive consistency.

when does dissonance occure

when a person’s ethical beliefs clash with their actions