Week 6 - Attitudes and Persuasion in Social Psychology

Attitude

A positive, negative, or mixed reaction to something.

Physiological Arousal

Physical responses indicating emotional states.

Persuasion

The process of changing someone's attitude.

Self-Esteem

An attitude about one's own worth.

Attraction

A positive attitude toward another person.

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward certain groups.

Ambivalence

Mixed emotions about an attitude object.

Apathy

Indifference or lack of interest in something.

Implicit Attitude

Automatic, unconscious evaluations of objects.

Attitude Strength

Intensity of positive or negative evaluations.

Superficial Images

Visuals that influence attitudes without deep thought.

Logical Arguments

Reasoned statements aimed at changing attitudes.

Commercial Messages

Advertisements designed to persuade consumers.

Conflict in Attitudes

Simultaneous positive and negative feelings toward an object.

Evaluation

Assessment of an object as positive or negative.

Social Psychology

Study of how attitudes influence social behavior.

Behavior Link

Connection between attitudes and actions taken.

Attitude Measurement

Methods to assess individual attitudes quantitatively.

Positive Affect

Pleasant emotional response to an object.

Negative Affect

Unpleasant emotional response to an object.

Cognitive Dissonance

Discomfort from conflicting attitudes or beliefs.

Persuasive Communication

Messages intended to influence attitudes.

Awareness in Persuasion

Conscious recognition affecting attitude change.

Attitude

Evaluation of objects as positive or negative.

Positive Attitude

Favorable evaluation towards an attitude object.

Negative Attitude

Unfavorable evaluation towards an attitude object.

Ambivalence

Mixed feelings about an attitude object.

Indifference

Lack of strong feelings towards an attitude object.

Dispositional Attitudes

General tendency to like or dislike things.

Hepler and Albarracín Study

Found individuals vary in average attitude ratings.

Need for Evaluation

Tendency to form strong opinions quickly.

Judgmental Experiences

Viewing experiences in highly evaluative terms.

Attitude Functions

Serve to quickly judge good or bad.

Closed-mindedness

Resistance to change due to preexisting attitudes.

Fazio's Research

Attitudes can bias perception of new information.

Attitude Measurement

Assessing attitudes through various methods.

Self-Report Measures

Directly asking individuals about their attitudes.

Public Opinion Surveys

Collecting data on attitudes across various issues.

Polling Organizations

Entities like Gallup and Pew Research Center.

Attitude Objects

Any person, idea, or object evaluated by individuals.

Thurstone's Contribution

Pioneered the measurement of attitudes in 1928.

500 Measurement Methods

Numerous techniques developed for assessing attitudes.

Judgmental Terms

High need for evaluation leads to strong judgments.

Cacioppo et al. Study

Identified four reactions to attitude objects.

Maio and Olson Findings

Attitudes help in quick evaluations of encounters.

Eschleman et al. Study

Confirmed variability in individual attitude tendencies.

Attitude

A psychological tendency expressed by evaluating an entity.

Social Psychologists

Researchers studying how social influences affect behavior.

Attitude Scale

A questionnaire measuring attitudes towards an object.

Self-Report Measures

Direct assessments of personal attitudes or opinions.

Likert Scale

A scale measuring agreement with statements.

Multiple-Item Questionnaire

A survey using several questions to assess attitudes.

Public Opinion Polls

Surveys measuring public attitudes on various issues.

Response Bias

Influence of question wording on survey responses.

Extraneous Factors

Unrelated influences affecting survey results.

Survey Research

Methodology for gathering data from respondents.

Attitude Object

The subject or target of an attitude.

Complex Attitudes

Attitudes that cannot be captured by single questions.

Wording Effects

Changes in responses due to question phrasing.

Context Effects

Influences on responses based on question context.

Total Attitude Score

Sum of responses from an attitude scale.

Honesty in Self-Reporting

Assumption that respondents express true opinions.

Impression Management

Desire to present oneself favorably in surveys.

Global Warming

Long-term rise in Earth's average temperature.

Climate Change

Significant changes in global climate patterns.

Democratic Endorsement

High support for policies among Democratic voters.

Republican Support

Variable support for issues among Republican voters.

Survey Limitations

Constraints affecting the validity of survey findings.

Cengage Learning

Publisher of educational content and resources.

Bogus Pipeline

A device to elicit truthful responses.

Self-Report Measures

Surveys asking individuals about their attitudes.

Facial Electromyograph (EMG)

Records facial muscle activity related to emotions.

Covert Measures

Indirect assessment of attitudes through behavior.

Observable Behavior

Actions like facial expressions indicating attitudes.

Physiological Reactions

Body responses like heart rate indicating feelings.

Arousal Measures

Indicate intensity of attitudes, not positivity.

Vertical Head Movements

Nodding indicating agreement with a speaker.

Horizontal Head Movements

Shaking indicating disagreement with a speaker.

Involuntary Physical Reactions

Uncontrolled body responses revealing true feelings.

Facial Muscle Activity

Different muscles contract for happiness or sadness.

Cheek Muscle Activity

Indicates happiness when agreeing with a message.

Forehead Muscle Activity

Indicates sadness when disagreeing with a message.

John Cacioppo

Researcher studying facial muscle activity and attitudes.

Richard Petty

Co-researcher on attitudes and physiological responses.

Tourangeau et al. Study

Showed increased admissions of sensitive behaviors.

Adams et al. Study

Adolescents admitted more smoking with bogus pipeline.

Jones & Sigall (1971)

Developed the concept of the bogus pipeline.

Roese & Jamieson (1993)

Explored self-report accuracy in attitude research.

Gary Wells

Conducted studies on nonverbal cues in attitudes.

Richard Petty (1980)

Studied head movements as indicators of agreement.

Subtle Changes

Facial EMG detects changes invisible to the naked eye.

Attitude Measurement

Combines self-reports and physiological assessments.

Facial EMG

Measures physiological responses to attitudes covertly.

Depressor muscle

Facial muscle indicating negative emotional response.

Zygomatic muscle

Facial muscle indicating positive emotional response.

Corrugator muscle

Facial muscle associated with frowning.

Frontalis muscle

Facial muscle involved in raising eyebrows.

Physiological arousal

Body's response indicating emotional states.

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

Device recording electrical brain activity.

Brain waves

Patterns of electrical activity in the brain.