part 5: 5.1 attitudes

what is the definition of attitude

An idea charged with emotion which predisposes a class of action to a particular class of social situations'
'A predisposition to act in a certain way towards some aspect of a person's environment, including other people

what model is associated with attitude

triadic model

what are the 3 elements of the triadic model

BELIEFS - cognitive element
EMOTIONS - affective element
BEHAVIOUR - behavioral element

explain the cognitive element of the triadic model

formed through past experiences
what we have learned from others.
Many beliefs are learned from parents or peers.
Those significant to us are more likely to influence our beliefs

explain the behavioural element of the triadic model

not always consistent with attitude.
Eg we may believe that exercise is good for us and may enjoy participating but we may not exercise very much.
We are, however, more likely to behave in a way that reveals our attitude.

explain the affective element of the triadic model

reactions to an attitude object, whether we like or dislike
depends on past experiences.
If we have previously experienced satisfaction and enjoyment then when in a similar situation we are more likely to look forward to liking the experience

give an example of the triadic model

-Your attitude to fitness could be made up of the belief that fitness will keep you fit and enhance your body image
-You enjoy fitness and you have fun being with other who are training with you
-You go fitness training twice a week

what are the 2 methods used to change attitude

Persuasive communication
Cognitive dissonance

What is persuasive communication?

Useful when trying to change attitudes or part of an attitude.
E.g. If you can persuade someone that exercise is fun, then you are on the way to getting them to participate

what factors affect persuasive communication from being effective

The effectiveness of persuasion depends on:
The person doing the persuading → high status, good communicator, role model
The quality of the message
The characteristics of who is being persuaded -personality type
For persuasion to be successful the argument must make sense and be believable

What is cognitive dissonance?

If a change is to happen an individual must experience two or more opposing beliefs.
This causes the individual to feel uncomfortable because of dissonance created in the mind.
The be comfortable again, one of the beliefs needs to be dominant, which is where teachers and coaches can influence the attitude of the individual

what must be consistent for cognitive dissonance to be effective

All three elements of the Triadic model should be consistent for an attitude to remain stable and an individual to content.

give an example of cognitive dissonance

Eg. Promoting gymnastics to boys
Boys' attitudes are generally negative because many believe that gymnastics is a 'feminine' activity (belief 1).
If a teacher introduces them to an older boy who clearly has high muscle definition and who shows a number of exercises showing strength and courage.
The boys are now starting to believe that gymnastics is far more 'masculine' than they previously thought (belief 2)
Belief 2 may cause many boys to experience dissonance
It may take over and dominate belief 1 changing a negative attitude into a positive one

how may attitudes be formed

Social learning-copying and imitating others because you want to emulate them
Follow social norms to fit historical stereotypes
Past experiences
Media can reinforce positive and negative stereotypes
cultural/religious influence
Education that shapes our beliefs
Personality types
conditioning - reinforcement