PQ's for CH 7

Attitudes and Attitude Change

  • Attitudes: Evaluations of people, objects, and ideas that influence behavior.

  • Sources of Attitudes:

    • Genetics: Similar attitudes in twins raised apart.

    • Social experiences: Influence personal preferences (e.g., roller coasters).

  • Components of Attitudes:

    • Affective: Based on feelings or emotions.

    • Cognitive: Based on beliefs about the attitude object.

    • Behavioral: Based on observations of one's own behavior (self-perception).

Types of Attitudes

Affectively Based Attitudes

  • Derived from emotional reactions rather than rational analysis.

  • Linked to values and personal feelings.

  • Influenced by operant conditioning: behaviors followed by rewards/punishment become more or less frequent.

Explicit vs. Implicit Attitudes

  • Explicit Attitudes: Consciously held beliefs that can be easily reported (e.g., "I hate math").

  • Implicit Attitudes: Unconscious beliefs that influence feelings, often shaped by past experiences (e.g., enjoying solving math problems despite frustration).

Attitude Change and Behavior

Attitude Accessibility

  • Refers to how readily an attitude comes to mind, influencing spontaneous behavior.

    • More accessible attitudes are more likely to predict behavior.

    • Example: If someone quickly recalls hating math, they are likely to avoid math-related activities.

Theory of Planned Behavior

  • Suggests that intentions are the best predictors of deliberate behaviors.

    • Determined by:

      • Attitude: Feelings about the behavior (e.g., usefulness of math).

      • Subjective Norms: Perceptions of others' expectations.

      • Perceived Behavioral Control: Belief in capability to perform the behavior.

    • Specific attitudes predict specific behaviors better.

Influences on Attitude Change

Persuasive Communication

  • A method to change attitudes through carefully constructed messages.

  • Yale Attitude Change Approach: Focuses on source, content, and audience of communication to determine attitude change likelihood.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

  • Explains how persuasive communication affects attitude change:

    • Central Route: Involvement in logical processing of arguments.

    • Peripheral Route: Influence by superficial attributes (e.g., source credibility).

Fear-Arousing Communication

  • Uses fear to motivate attitude change, balancing fear with instructions for reducing it.

    • Example: Anti-smoking campaigns combining fear of cancer with quitting tips.

Heuristic-Systematic Model of Persuasion

  • Describes systematic processing or reliance on shortcuts (e.g., trusting experts).

  • Success of attitude change depends on the attitude's nature (cognitive vs. affective).

Environmental Influence on Attitudes

Effect of Environment and Posture

  • Attitudes can be influenced by physical states:

    • Nodding while listening increases likelihood of agreement.

    • Comfort during purchasing environments may lead to increased spending.

Advertising Techniques

Classical Conditioning

  • Associating a neutral stimulus with an emotional response to create associations.

    • Example: Mouthwash advertising linking bad breath with social rejection.

Subliminal Messages

  • Cannot be proven to influence everyday behavior, but may have effects in controlled experiments.

Cultural Attitudes in Advertising

  • Media shapes cultural attitudes, resulting in different marketing strategies based on cultural values.

    • Example: Family-oriented ads may appeal more to certain cultures.

Strategies to Resist Persuasion

Attitude Inoculation

  • Prepares individuals to resist persuasion by exposing them to weak arguments against their views.

Reactance Theory

  • Describes how threats to personal freedom can lead to increased desire to perform the prohibited behavior.