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PSY2042_Attitudes_and_Attitude_Change__1_

Monash University: Attitudes and Attitude Change - PSY2042

Course Overview

  • Course Name: Personality and Social Psychology

  • Instructor: Dr. Swati Mujumdar

  • Contact: swati.mujumdar@monash.edu

  • Affiliation: Group of Eight, Australia

Prescribed Readings

  • Personality and Social Psychology (Custom Edition)

  • Chapters: 7 (pp. 204 – 221, 226 – 228, 235 - 238)

Acknowledgment of Country

  • Monash University recognizes its campuses are on unceded lands of the Kulin Nations and respects their Elders.

Personal Reflections on Attitudes

  • Discuss your attitudes towards:

    • Reading books

    • Same-sex marriages

    • Public figures (e.g., Donald Trump, Kamala Harris)

    • Social interactions

  • Reflect on the formation of these attitudes.

Understanding Attitudes

Definition of Attitudes

  • Attitudes reflect feelings like:

    • Like

    • Dislike

    • Prefer

    • Love

    • Uncertain

  • They range from intense feelings to being less important, yet they tend to be stable over time.

Historical Context

  • The study of attitudes emerged in social sciences post-1920.

  • Origin: Latin aptus, meaning fit and ready for action.

  • Various definitions include:

    • Banaji & Heiphetz (2010): Evaluations of people, objects, or ideas.

    • Eagly & Chaiken (1993): Psychological tendency involving favoring or disfavoring an entity.

Types of Attitudes

  • Positive Attitudes: Focus on the good, leading to positive outcomes.

  • Negative Attitudes: Often overlook positives, resulting in negative outcomes.

Components and Origins of Attitudes

One, Two, and Three-Component Models

  • One-component model (Thurstone): Affect only.

  • Two-component model (Allport): Affect + mental readiness.

  • Three-component model: Thought + feeling + action.

Origins of Attitudes

  • Beliefs: Cognitive component based on properties of attitude objects.

  • Affect: Emotional responses stemming from beliefs.

  • Behavior: Observations of own behavior influence attitude formation.

Conditioning and Attitude Formation

  • Classical Conditioning: Learning through association.

  • Operant Conditioning: Reinforcement influences attitudes.

  • Observational Learning: Social media exposure plays a significant role in shaping attitudes.

Implicit and Explicit Attitudes

Implicit Attitudes

  • Involuntary and automatic evaluations, measured by physiological indicators and the Implicit Association Test (IAT).

Explicit Attitudes

  • Deliberate evaluations, typically measured through self-report inventories or questionnaires.

  • Differences between implicit and explicit attitudes can influence behavior variably.

Functions of Attitudes

  • Attitudes serve various purposes as outlined by Daniel Katz (1960):

    • Adaptive Function: Help achieve goals and avoid punishment.

    • Knowledge Function: Provide understanding and predictability.

    • Value Expressive Function: Allow expression of self-concept and values.

    • Ego Defense Function: Protects from damaging information, even causing bias.

Attitudes and Behavior

Predicting Behavior

  • Attitudes do not always directly predict behavior (LaPiere’s 1930 study).

  • Key conditions for attitudes to predict behavior include:

    • Accessibility of attitudes.

    • Specific attitudes that align closely with behaviors.

    • Strength of the attitude.

Theory of Planned Behavior

  • Predictors of behavior include:

    • Attitudes: How favorable/unfavorable they are.

    • Subjective Norms: Perception of how others will view the behavior.

    • Perceived Behavioral Control: The ease of performing the behavior.

Connection Between Attitudes and Behavior

  • Attitudes will predict behavior under certain conditions:

    • Minimization of other influences.

    • Attitudes closely correspond to predicted behavior (e.g., voting).

    • The potency of the attitude in context.

Attitude Change

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

  • We strive for internal harmony in our attitudes and beliefs.

  • Inconsistencies lead to psychological discomfort, prompting rationalization to reduce dissonance.

Influences on Attitude Change

  • Persuasive Communication: Factors include the communicator's credibility, the nature of the message, and characteristics of the audience (e.g., self-esteem, age).

Models of Persuasion

  • Elaboration-Likelihood Model:

    • Central Route: Involves deep processing and stronger argument.

    • Peripheral Route: Involves superficial cues and less critical engagement with the message.

Advertising and Attitude Change

Advertising Strategies

  • Methods include Bandwagon effects, emotional appeals, and celebrity endorsements to influence consumer attitudes.

Practical Applications

  • Techniques include product placement and public health campaigns, evoking emotional responses to alter consumer behavior.

Attitude Inoculation

  • Providing information to build resistance against persuasive messages, particularly relevant for adolescents facing peer pressure.

Summary

Key Takeaways

  • Attitudes are multidimensional evaluations including affect, behavior, and cognition.

  • They serve significant functions in daily life and can influence behavior under specific conditions.

  • Attitudes can change through persuasion, advertising, and the practice of resisting persuasive pressures.