attitude Flashcards
define attitudes
long-lasting evaluations we hold about ourselves, other people, objects and issues.
why are attitudes effective?
Useful to know if something is good or bad
- helps predict others’ behaviour
- can dictate our own behaviour
what do attitudes form from?
- direct experience
- interaction with others.
what are explicit attitudes?
conscious beliefs that can guide decisions /behaviours
what are implicit attitudes?
unconscious beliefs that can guide decisions/behaviour
what is the role of social comparison in the formation of attitudes?
- join a group you may well adopt the dominant attitudes of that group, through the process of social comparison.
- adopt similar attitudes in order to be accepted by a group
what are methods of measuring attitudes?
- Observational methods
- Interviews
- Focus groups
- Rating scales
what are the advantages of observational methods?
- Can gather first-hand, unbiased information.
- Often used when investigating opinions on controversial issues
what are the advantages of observational methods?
- Can gather first-hand, unbiased information.
- Often used when investigating opinions on controversial issues
what are the disadvantages of observational methods?
Can’t provide information on the intensity of the attitude held by individual participants
what are the advantages of interviews?
Generates large amounts of information
what are the disadvantages of interviews?
- The participants may not be as honest compared to if they provided written anonymous answers.
- Time consuming
what are the advantages of focus groups?
Interaction helps people to explore, clarify and articulate their attitudes.
what are the advantages of focus groups?
Interaction helps people to explore, clarify and articulate their attitudes.
what are the disadvantages of focus groups?
Information may not be as honest as there are more people to share personal opinions with
what are the advantages of rating scales?
can be analysed statistically
what are the disadvantages of rating scales?
- may suffer from “order bias,” where respondents rank the first set of items more positively than later ones.
what is culture?
A program of shared values, attitudes, rules, and beliefs that govern the behaviour of the majority of community members communicated from one generation to the next.
how do cultural values affect attitudes and behaviour?
for example:
- in individualistic cultures, individuals choose their own partners compared to collectivist cultures where arranged marriages are common.
define social values?
what is considered to be important to our lives and our interactions with others and these can change and evolve over time.
How do social values influence behaviour?
changing social values in a society can lead to changed stereotypes and behaviour.
define self-fulfilling prophecy?
A prediction that directly or indirectly becomes true, by the conditions of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behaviour.
what are the consequences of self-fulfilling prophecies?
- self doubt
- low self-esteem.
define social categorisation?
the process of identifying a person as a member of a group because of the features they share
why is social categorisation necessary?
saves us from having to deal with all the unique aspects of every individual we meet when these are not relevant to interactions.
what are stereotypes?
a form of social categorisation based on what others think of are shared features.
how are stereotypes formed?
- Personal interaction
- learning from others
- learning from the media
define prejudice
Unjustifiable, usually negative, attitude towards a group and its members
define discrimination
Unequal treatment of people who should have the same rights as others.
what are the sources of prejudice?
social-unequal status, social identity
- cognitive
- stereotypes, perceived similarities, and differences, illusory correlation
what are some ways to reduce prejudice?
- Social learning-teach parents to socialize children to be tolerant
- Increase inter-group contact-must involve cooperation within groups and equality
define racism
A form of prejudice based on assumed racial differences
how are attitudes formed?
- Tripartite model
- emotion, behaviour, cognition
what are individualistic cultures?
encourage people to think of themselves as distinct individuals who are more concerned with their own wants and privileges than with the needs and rights of the collective
what are collectivist cultures?
Members in collectivist cultures prioritise their collective’s aims and describe themselves as members of a group
