JI

4.2 Attitude Formation and Change Notes

Learning Targets

  • LT 4.2-1: Describe how our attitudes and actions interact.

  • LT 4.2-2: Describe how peripheral route persuasion and central route persuasion differ.

Attitudes

  • Definition: Feelings influenced by beliefs, predisposing responses to objects, people, and events.

  • Interaction with actions:

    • Attitudes and actions influence each other.

    • Situational factors (public pressure, social norms) can lead actions to differ from attitudes.

    • Adjustment of attitudes can occur after actions are taken.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

  • Definition: Tendency for individuals who agree to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

  • Effect: Helps show how attitudes can follow actions and can induce compliance regardless of behavior being good or bad.

    • Example: Individuals may feel obliged to comply further once they have already said yes to a first smaller request.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

  • Definition: Individuals feel discomfort when holding contradictory thoughts or beliefs, leading to attitude adjustment to reduce discomfort (dissonance).

  • Examples:

    • During the Korean War, U.S. prisoners collaborated with captors in various ways, later adjusting beliefs to align with their actions.

    • If actions conflict with beliefs, individuals often change beliefs to reduce discomfort.

  • Rationalization: Change in attitudes often arises as a rationalization process to ease people cognitive dissonance.

Roles and Attitudes

  • Role Adoption: Initially feeling like an impostor when adopting a new role, but over time, roles become part of self-identity, aligning attitudes more closely with behaviors.

  • Two-way influence: Changes in behavior can also lead to alterations in attitudes, supporting the interdependence of attitudes and actions.

Routes of Persuasion

1. Peripheral Route Persuasion
  • Definition: Changes in attitudes due to incidental cues, such as the attractiveness of the speaker.

    • Usage: Often seen in advertisements, where the emotional response of the audience is targeted rather than logical reasoning.

  • Example: Celebrity endorsements using the halo effect to establish trust with audiences.

2. Central Route Persuasion
  • Definition: Involves more thoughtful consideration of evidence and arguments; effective in significant decision-making situations.

    • Audience: More effective for analytical individuals.

  • Example: Choosing a car or house based on detailed research and logical arguments.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

  • Concept: Describes two routes of learning and persuasion:

    • Peripheral Route: Lower elaboration (minimal thinking required).

    • Central Route: Higher elaboration (involves critical thinking and analysis).

  • Application: Understanding which persuasion route to employ based on the audience's engagement level.

AP® Science Practice

  • Exam Questions:

    • Explain the foot-in-the-door phenomenon and cognitive dissonance leading to attitude change.

    • Applying the attitude-follow-behavior principle to change personal attitudes.

    • Identifying examples of commercials reflecting peripheral and central route persuasion.