Attitude formation and Attitude Change

stereotype

generalized concept about a group

can be cause and/or result of biased perceptions and experiences and are frequently the basis of prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory behaviors

helps reduce cognitive load (mental effort needed for task) when making decisions or judgments

Implicit attitudes

attitudes people may be unaware of or may not acknowledge

just-world phenomenon

people believe world is fundamentally fair, leading them to assume individuals deserve their fate, good or bad

ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own culture, ethnic group, or social group is superior to others,

in group bias

the tendency to favor, trust, and prefer members of one’s own group over those in outside groups

Out-group homogeneity bias

people view out group members as interchangeable or having similar personalities and traits, whereas they see their own group as composed of unique individuals

cognitive dissonance

A person’s actions or attitudes are in conflict. 

The person experiences mental discomfort by this conflict.

To reduce this mental discomfort, the person engages in rationalization or changes their actions or attitudes to be more in line with each other. 

Belief Perseverance

sticking to a belief despite contracting evidence

rationalizes or dismisses disconfirming evidence

passive resistance to change

occurs after disconfirming evidence is encountered

Confirmation bias

actively seeking and favoring supporting evidence

selectively exposes oneself to confirming evidence

active pursuit of supportive information

occurs before and during the search for information