Social Cognition: Attitudes Flashcards

Vocabulary based on Social Cognition: Attitudes, covering the Tri-Component Model, stereotypes, and Leon Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Attitudes

Relatively consistent and lasting evaluations (judgements) we make about an object, person, group, event or issue; they are learned and not just passing thoughts.

Tri-Component Model of Attitudes

A widely-used model suggesting every attitude consists of three related components: Affective (feelings), Behavioural (actions), and Cognitive (beliefs).

Affective Component

The emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards an object, person, group, event or issue, resulting in a positive, negative, or neutral response.

Behavioural Component

The way an attitude is expressed through actions, or potential actions if the opportunity should arise.

Cognitive Component

The beliefs an individual holds about an object, person, group, event or issue, which are linked to knowledge and develop over time through experiences.

Stereotype

A generalisation about the personal characteristics of members of a social group, often an oversimplified belief assumed to be true for virtually all people in that group.

Social Stigma

Negative labels and attitudes associated with disapproval or rejection by others who are not labelled in that way.

Accessibility of the attitude

The speed with which an attitude can be retrieved from memory; the faster it is accessed, the stronger it is likely to be.

Social context of the behaviour

The situation in which a person finds themselves, which may lead to behaviour that does not reflect their underlying attitude.

Perceived control over the behaviour

The belief an individual has regarding their ability to perform or change a behaviour triggered by an attitude.

Cognitive Dissonance

The psychological tension or discomfort experienced when an individual is aware of inconsistencies between attitude components or between behaviour and beliefs.

Changing Cognition

A method of reducing cognitive dissonance by altering one's thoughts or beliefs about a situation to avoid unpleasant psychological tension.

Changing Behaviour

A method of reducing cognitive dissonance where an individual modifies their actions to align with their beliefs or the reality of a situation.

Adding New Cognitions/Elements

A method of reducing cognitive dissonance by rationalising a situation with new information or beliefs to justify an attitude or behaviour.

Strength of the attitude

A factor influencing consistency where stronger attitudes are more likely to predict behaviour than weaker attitudes.