U2AOS1 - Social Psychology

Attitude

An evaluation a person makes about an object, person, group, event or issue.

Attitudes features

• Influence behavior

• Can be aware and unaware of them

• Vary in strength

• They form and can be changed over time

Attitude formation

• Media

• Experiences

• Family

• Peers

• Gender

• Religion

• Society/culture

• Wealth

what is the Tri-component Model of Attitudes

Affective = what you feel (feelings)
Behavioural = what you do (actions)
Cognitive = what you think (belief)

what must happen in Tri-component Model of Attitudes

It has been proposed that all 3 components must be present before an attitude can exist.

The strength of ABC in an attitude varies

Factors that influence whether attitudes and behaviour will be consistent:

• Strength of the attitude

• Social context- specific situation

• Perceived control over the behaviour

How could we measure attitudes?

• A Likert Scale can be used to measure attitudes

• People respond to a series of statements about a topic, in terms of the extent to which they agree with them

A Likert Scale is a scale

used to represent people’s attitudes towards a topic

Strengths of Likert Scales

• Easy to administer

• Quick, efficient and inexpensive methods for data collection

Weaknesses of Likert Scales

• May oversimplify the complexity and

diversity of a topic, by forcing respondents

to choose from a limited set of options

• Respondents may lie to put themselves in a

positive light – social desirability

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures

attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report.

Criticisms of the Implicit Association Test

• It has not been shown without a doubt that the IAT actually measures unconscious racism. Alternative explanations have not been ruled out (lacks internal validity).

• The IAT has not been shown to correlate with other established measures of prejudice and discrimination or to predict discriminatory behaviour.

• There are high rates of false positives and false negatives associated with the test. The IAT has not been shown to apply to real-world settings.

• The IAT measures reaction times, not things that most people think of as bias.

LaPiere’s findings demonstrate

that external factors may impact our behaviour, and may deviate from our expressed attitude.

Attitudes are formed usually

over a long period of time through the process of learning.

Two different types of learning influence attitude formation:

1. Classical conditioning

2. Observational learning

Classical conditioning

• A previously neutral stimulus (NS) is repeatedly paired with a stimulus that we have preconceived attitudes and feelings towards (the unconditioned stimulus).

• Overtime we begin to associate the same attitudes and feelings with the once neutral stimulus (NS).

• After learning the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS).

• During classical conditioning we learn attitudes passively.

Negative attitude formation

This occurs when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with a negatively evaluated stimulus.

Modelling/observational learning occurs

• when someone uses observation of another person’s actions and their consequences to guide their future behaviour.

This means that attitudes can be

learnt and reinforced vicariously (indirectly).

We are more influenced by

‘models’ when we observe their actions being rewarded rather than criticised.

Reinforcement of attitudes through modelling

occurs in the media through television programs and advertisements.

Our behaviours are influenced

by the consequences of the behaviours of others.

Attitudes towards behaviours, such as racism, can be:

maintained if the consequences of standing up to/challenging such behaviours are adverse (unpleasant)

• weakened if the consequences of challenging such behaviours and attitudes are rewarded

Primary effect

where the initial impression we form of a person is more influential than any later information which is obtained

stereotype

involves having a belief about a certain group pf individuals and assuming that every member of that group is the same regardless of individual diffferences

Why do we use stereotypes?

Help us make sense of our world by giving it order

• Provide us with a general systems which guides our interactions with others

Why might stereotyping be problematic?

• They are often inaccurate and ignore individuality

• People tend to pay attention to information that is consistent with a stereotype and ignore information that is not consistent

• Stereotyping can lead to stigmatisation and discrimination

Stereotyping can lead

to stigmatisation

STIGMA

is a negative label associated with disapproval or rejection by others who are not labelled in that way.

Once we have strongly categorised a person as belonging to a stereotype,

we tend to perceive and remember their characteristics that match the stereotype and ignore their other, individual characteristics.

What is prejudice?

• Prejudice refers to an unfavourable or negative attitude towards an individual or group based on their membership to a group.

• Prejudice is usually associated with negative feelings.

Prejudice often involves

members of a majority group holding negative attitudes towards the members of a minority group.

Members of majority group are usually greater in number and sometimes

described as the

‘in-group’, whereas members of the minority group are fewer in number and sometimes described as the ‘out-group’.

Prejudice can be expressed through behaviour, when this occurs it is called

discrimination.

PREJUDICE =

ATTITUDE

DISCRIMINATION =

BEHAVIOUR