Week 5: Attitude Change

What is attitude change

The process through which our attitudes are modified

Why may attitude change be difficult

• Stronger attitudes are:
• More persistent, stable
• More resistant to change
• People do not approach new information rationally or impartially
• People will defend existing attitudes
• Existing attitudes will bias engagement with new information
• People reject attitude-inconsistent information

when is post decision rationalisation is stronger

• Decisions are ‘higher stakes’
• Decisions are permanent
• Decisions are voluntary
• Switching between alternatives is costly

What’s spreading alternatives

Rating chosen options more favourably and unchosen alternatives more negatively.

What’s cognitive dissonance

Aversive psychological state aroused when one perceives they hold conflicting attitudes or behaviour

What is confirmation bias

• Tendency to search for information that supports prior beliefs (selective exposure).
• Tendency to favour and interpret ambiguous evidence in ways that supports prior beliefs (Biased assimilation/selective interpretation)

how can we prevent attitude change

• Deliberation

• Debunking

• Forewarning

When are people more likely to be persuaded/ attitude change O

1. when the communicator is credible

2. the message is compelling

3. audience is receptive

What are some other source characteristics that can invoke attitude change

• source attractiveness

• source likeability

• source similarity

What is moral reframing

A technique in which a position an individual would not normally support is framed in a way that is consistent with that individual’s moral values

Transform morally “wrong” attitude → morally “right” through framing

Why does moral reframing work

• Makes it familiar

• Makes it relevant, relatable

• Makes parallels and consistencies between new position and existing values/attitudes clear (reduces dissonance)

• Makes it more palatable, easier to smoothly integrate

• People perceive morally reframed messages as being more likely to have come from within their political group

How is AI effective at changing attitudes

• Information volume and coherence

• Patience and responsiveness

• Can be personalised

• Lower perceived bias and persuasive intent

What is psychological reactance

People resist new information if they feel pressured

What are some active resistance strategies

1. Attitude bolstering

2. counterarguing

3. assertions of confidence

4. social validation

5. source derogation

6. negative affect

What is social consensus

the attitude the majority of people hold toward a particular attitude object → greater social consensus greater attitude change in direction of consensus

What is false consensus effect

people automatically infer that the majority of others already think as they do

Why do we actively resist attitude change

1. moralisation

2. difficulty

3. reactance

4. uncertainity

5. fear of deception

6. need for consistency

What is illusory truth effect

tendency to believe repeated information to be correct

What is psychological inoculation

exposing a person to persuasive argument + counter-arguments to that persuasive argument to build their resistance to a real persuasion attempt

What are the three elements to psychological inoculation

• Forewarn person of expected persuasive attempt from opponent

• Present person with expected arguments/techniques that opponent may use as part of the persuasive attempt

• Provide person with counter-arguments that can be used to refute all of opponents’ expected arguments (“pre-bunking”)

What is continued influence effect

Misinformation that is retracted, proven false, or corrected, can still exert influence on people’s attitudes