Attitude and Behavior Change

acquisition

• process of developing a response to a neutral stimulus that turns it into a conditioned stimulus

• acquiring a fear of the ocean after almost drowning

extinction

• the process by which a conditioned response disappears, and is no longer elicited by the conditioned stimuli

• no longer being afraid of the ocean

spontaneous recovery

• spontaneous recurrence of a conditioned response that has already undergone extinction

fixed ratio schedules

• reinforce a behavior after a specific number of performances of that behavior

• Reinforcement is delivered after a predictable number of responses

• rewarding a rat for every third time it presses a bar in its cage

variable ratio schedules

• a reward or punishment given as a consequence of a behavior, but the ratio of behavior to reward varies

• response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses

• Organisms are persistent in responding because of the hope that the next response might be one needed to receive reinforcement.

• a child being given candy for every 3-10 pages of a book they read. For example, they are given candy after reading 5 pages, then 3 pages, then 7 pages, then 8 pages, etc.

• very resistant to extinction

fixed interval schedule

• a reward or punishment after a specified time period has passed

• Reinforcement is delivered at predictable time intervals

• weekly, monthtly, or daily rewards

variable interval schedules

• reinforce a behavior the 1st time it is performed after a varying interval of time

• Reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals

avoidance learning

• learning to engage in a behavior to avoid a certain undesirable stimulus

positive reinforcement

• increases the frequency of a behavior by adding a positive consequence/reward after the desired behavior

negative reinforcement

• increase the frequency of a behavior by taking away something unpleasant

escape learning

• an animal experiences an unpleasant stimulus, so it displays the desired behavior needed to remove or escape the stimulus

positive punishment

• adds an unpleasant consequence in response to a behavior in order to reduce the behavior

• receiving a parking ticket for parking illegally

negative punishment

• removing a stimulus in order to reduce a certain behavior

• a parent forbids a child from watching TV as a consequence for bad behavior

latent learning

• learning that occurs without a reward, but is later demonstrated when a reward is presented

dishabituation

• recovery of a response to a stimulus after habituation has occurred

• often occurs when a 2nd stimulus causes an increase in response to the original stimulus

preparedness

• animals best learn behaviors that coincide with their instincts

instinctual drift

• when animals revert to an instinctive behavior after learning a behavior that is similar

internalization

• changing one’s behavior to fit with a group while privately agreeing with the ideas of the group

identification

• outward acceptance of of others’ ideas while not personally agreeing with the ideas

differential association theory

• falling into the wrong crowd

• hanging out with others who participate in deviant behavior increases the likelihood of you behaving deviantly

components of attitude

• affective

• behavioral

• cognitive

affective

• component of attitude

• how you feel about something

• “i hate mosquitoes”

behavioral

• component of attitude

• the way in which a person acts with respect to something

• EX: killing mosquitos in your house

cognitive

• component of attitude

• the way an individual thinks about something

• can be used to justify affective and behavioral components

• “mosquitos are dangerous“

functional attitudes theory

• attitudes serve 4 functions

  • knowledge

  • adaptation

  • ego defense

  • ego expression

knowledge

• functional attitude theory

• attitudes organize thoughts and experiences

• we can predict how others will react if we can predict their behavior

ego-expressive

• functional attitude theory

• attitudes can help people express themselves and solidify their self identity

adaptive

• functional attitude theory

• expressing socially acceptable attitudes will make people accept you

ego-defensive

• functional attitude theory

• attitudes can help protect our self-esteem

• may justify actions we know are wrong

central route processing

• focusing on the content of what is being spoken/presented

• scrutiny and analysis of persuasive content

• EX: “she is a bad teacher because she often gets facts wrong”

peripheral route processing

• focusing on superficial details instead of the content being presented/spoken

• appearances, tone of voice, credibility

• “they are a bad professor because they are monotone“

social cognitive theory

• people learn to behave and shape their attitude by observing others

identity shift effect

• individuals will change their behavior to conform to the norms of another group and gain acceptance

• they will incorporate the standards of the group into their self-identity