Attitudes and Behaviors

What are the ABCs?

Affective

Behavioral

Cognitive

Affective Dimension

the feelings and emotions evoked by the attitude object (positive or negative appraisals)

Behavioral Dimension

consists of a readiness to respond in specific ways to the attitude object.

Cognitive Dimension

an attitude involves beliefs about the attitude object.

Attitudes as Cognitive Networks

Attitude Valence

positive vs. negative

- for many attitude objects, an individual will have both positive and

negative evaluations

Attitude Extremity

Degree to which an attitude deviates from neutral

• Mildly positive vs. extremely positive / mildly negative vs. extremely

negative

Atttiude Strength

stability over time, vulnerability to persuasion, influence on behavior & information processing

Feeling Thermometer

Pitfalls with neurological & physiological measures?

more distance between measure of attitude, limited by understanding of measure (heart rate, fmri brain scans)

Mere Exposure Effect

the more often people are exposed to stimulus, the more positively they evaluate that stimulus

Morelan & Beach (1992)

Familiarity-safety association

Familiarity reduces uncertainty

Perceptual fluency

ease with which a stimulus is processed

classical conditioning

a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, leading to a learned response

Operant Conditioning

a learning process where behavior is influenced by its consequences (rewards or punishments).

observational learning

imitation of the behavior of another person who serves as a model and can occur without any external reinforcement.

Impressionable Years Hypothesis

young adulthood is an especially important period for the formation of attitudes and that after this period, attitudes remain more stable

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Causal Attitude Networks (CANs)

• one of several network models used to represent attitudes

  • Includes nodes (specific items), edges (links between the nodes)

dispositional approach

views attitudes as something that a person “has” and that influences their actions (not supported by research)

attitude construction

views attitudes as evaluative judgments that are formed on the spot Influenced by level of activation and social context

expectancy-value theory

incorporating a person’s perceptions about the likelihood that engaging in the target behavior will result in a positive outcome

theory of planned behavior

the best predictor of a person’s behavior is their intention to act

• I.e., individuals generally act in ways that are planned and thought-out

subjective norms

a person’s perceptions of the social pressures to perform the behavior

perceived control

a person’s belief about their ability to perform the behavior

3 Dissonance-Reducing Strategies:

1. Change the behavior to be consistent with the attitude

2. Change the attitude to be consistent with the behavior

   1. Justify the behavior and retain the attitude

self-perception theory

individuals come to know their attitudes by observing and interpreting their own behavior