ch 4 Behavior and Attitudes

Behavior and Attitudes

• Quote by Buddha: "All that we are is the result of what we have thought."

Attitudes

• Definition: Beliefs and feelings associated with a person or an event.

  • Often rooted in personal beliefs, feelings, and intended behavior.

  • Example of perception: the crow and the eagle.

• Human Trait: Influenced by moral values, experiences, or environment; reflects inner thoughts and opinions.

  • Favorable or unfavorable evaluative reactions towards something or someone.

• View of Attitudes: Attitudes are evaluations of a person, group, action, or object based on experience and observation.

Behavior

• Definition: Represents how individuals react to actions, people, or environments. Includes:

  • Outward demonstrations of attitudes shaped by social norms.

  • Types of behavior: passive, aggressive, assertive.

• Reflection of Attitude: Behavior can be constructive or destructive, learned or inherent, implying a core or innate trait.

Important Quotes

• Lion Metaphor: "A lion will never eat grass, no matter how hungry it is. Be like a lion, never lower your standards because of hunger for relationships or friendship."

• Universal Energy: Reference to the energy in universal interactions.

Components of Attitudes (ABC Model)

• Affective: Emotions and feelings towards the attitudinal object; includes direction (+ or -) and intensity.

• Behavioral: Tendencies to act in a certain way toward the attitude object; predispositions towards certain actions.

• Cognitive: Composed of beliefs and thoughts towards the attitude object.

• These components are interrelated and mutually consistent.

The Theory of Planned Behavior

• Developed by Icek Ajzen: Attitudes, perceived social norms, and feelings of control determine intentions and subsequently behavior.

  • Example: General attitudes towards a healthy lifestyle influence specific actions like jogging.

Attitudes vs. Behavior

• Festinger's Theory: Changing attitudes does not change behavior; evidence suggests the reverse.

  • According to Abelson, people rationalize their actions effectively but struggle to practice what they preach.

  • Michen's View: Expressed attitudes often poorly predict actual behaviors (e.g., attitudes towards cheating vs. actual cheating).

Conditions Affecting Attitude Prediction

1. Bogus Pipeline Method

• Persuades subjects to reveal true attitudes by using a machine believed to measure physiological responses.

  • Result: Subjects disclose their actual attitudes under perceived scrutiny.

2. Principle of Aggregation

• Attitude effects on behavior are clearer when analyzing average behaviors over isolated instances.

  • Highlights moral hypocrisy where personal ethics may conflict with social pressures.

Types of Aggregation in Behavior Analysis

1. Over Subjects

• Larger samples yield representational data.

2. Over Stimuli/Situations

• Results may vary across different stimuli environments (e.g., holiday periods).

3. Over Trials/O occasions

• Results can differ based on context and researcher enthusiasm.

4. Over Measures

• Multi-measure approaches strengthen consistency in findings.

Changes in Attitude and Behavior

Role Playing

• Indicates that roles shape attitudes. Example: Zimbardo's prison experiment highlighted role absorption and subsequent behavioral changes.

Saying Becomes Believing

• Adjusting statements to suit audiences can lead to believing those altered attitudes (example of interpersonal relations).

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

• Compliance to initial small requests leads to later agreement on larger requests, creating obligation for action confirmation.

Moral and Immoral Acts

• Crime actions corrupt conscience; moral actions promote positive attitudes. Example: Supporting positive behavior increases fondness towards individuals.

Social Movements

• Political and racial behaviors shape broader social consciousness; actions often impact perceptions more than verbal expressions.

Self-Presentation Theory

• Behavior is affected by the desire to maintain desired impressions, leading to attitudinal alignment.

Self-Monitoring

• High self-monitors change behaviors to align with desired perceptions; low self-monitors act based on true beliefs.

Self-Perception Theory

• Observing one's own behavior can lead to beliefs about personal attitudes.

Expressions and Attitudes

• Facial Feedback Effect: Facial expressions influence emotional states (e.g., stress recovery through smiling).

  • People's reactions can be altered negatively when facial feedback mechanisms are inhibited.

Cognitive Dissonance

• Inconsistency between attitudes and actions creates mental tension, leading individuals to resolve it by changing beliefs or justification of actions.

Reflective Quotes on Behavior and Attitude

• Maturity involves choosing peace of mind over proving points in social scenarios.