Attitudes Flashcards
Attitude
a positive, negative, or mixed reaction to a person, object, or idea expressed at some level of intensity
Three types of attitudes
1) Affective - evaluative, emotional, feelings
2) Behavioral - readiness to respond, tendency to act
3) Cognitive - thoughts, beliefs
Explicit vs Implicit Attitudes
Explicit - conscious awareness, easily reported
Implicit - involuntary, uncontrollable, may be unconscious
Self-report measures
Pros: direct and straightforward, sometimes the best/most authentic source
Cons: people may lie (hesitant about sharing unpopular attitudes), people may be unaware of the answer BUT STILL ANSWER!
Demand effect/demand characteristics
People lie or act in a way they normally wouldn’t to appease the researcher
Covert measures
Observable behavior (candid observation), Facial Electromyograph (EMG), Neuroimaging
How are attitudes formed?
1) Basic learning processes (positive and negative experiences)
2) Genetic factors (twin studies)
3) Attitudes of family, friends, enemies, etc.
4) Social and cultural context
Balance Theory
maintain consistency among attitudes
BALANCE:
a) agree with someone you like
b) disagree with someone you don’t like
IMBALANCE:
a) disagree with someone you like
b) agree with someone you don’t like
Psychological factors influencing attitude strength
a) directly affects one’s own outcomes or self-interests
b) concerns one’s family, friends, or social groups
c) relates to deeply held philosophical, political, or religious values
d) surrounded by others who believe the same thing
e) well-informed about the topic
f) directly acquired information about it
g) it’s attacked/ someone tries to persuade you otherwise
h) highly accessible to awareness, quickly/easily comes to mind (knee jerk)
Theory of Planned Behavior
attitudes towards a specific behavior combine with subjective norms and perceived control to influence a person’s actions
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
- we are motivated by a desire for cognitive consistency (with attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs)
- inconsistent cognitions arouse psychological tension that people become motivated to reduce
Types of Dissonance
1) Dissonance after insufficient justification
2) Dissonance due to “justification of effort”
3) Post-decisional dissonance
Post-decisional dissonance
- decisions produce dissonance when you have to make a choice between two equally good alternatives
- the more important or irrevocable the choice, the greater the dissonance
- increased liking for chosen object
- decreased liking for non-chosen object
Ways to reduce dissonance
- change your attitude
- change your perception of the behavior
- add consonant cognitions
- minimize the importance of the conflict
- reduce perceived choice
Self-Perception theory
self-persuasion through observation of own behavior
