Attitudes Flashcards
Attitude
A relatively enduring organisation of beliefs, feelings and behavioural tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups or symbols.
Three component attitude model
Consists of an affective, a behavioural and a cognitive component
–> ABC
cognitive algebra
We mentally average out the values attatced to information that are collected and stored in memory about an attitude object
–> information integration theory
Mere exposurer effect
repeated exposure to an object results ingreater attraction to that object and is likely to affect how we evaluate it
Classical/evaluative conditioning
A stimulus will become more or less liked if it is consistently paired with stimuli that are either possitive or negative
Instrumental conditioning
Behaviour that is followed be a positive consequence is reinforced and more likely to be repeated
- vice versa for negative consequences
spreading attitude effect
A liked or disliked person/attitude object may affect the evaluation of a secon person directly associated with the first one
Theory of reasoned action
A specific attitude that has normative support predicts an intention to act, which then predicts actual behaviour
- belief-intention-action-
- -> example chinese couple visiting restaurants in the US
Planned behaviour
suggests that predicting behaviour from an attitude measure is improved if people have control over that behaviour
Protection motivation theory (Rogers)
proposes that people protect themselves based on four factors: the perceived severity of a threatening event, the perceived probability of the occurrence, or vulnerability, the efficacy of the recommended preventive behavior, and the perceived self efficacy.
moderator variables
Variables that qualify an otherwise simple hypothesis with a view to improving its predictive power
values
A higher order concept thought to provide a structure for organizing attitudes
- general beliefs about desirable behaviour and goals with an ‘oughtness’ quality about them
wider set of attitudes
Ideology
An integrated and widely shared system of belifes, usually with social or political reference, that serve an eexplanatory function
The yale approach to communication and persuation
To understand why people accept a persuasive message one has to study
- the communicator/source
- the communication/message
- the audience
Sleeper effect
The impact of a persuasive message can increase over time when a discounting cue, such as an invalid source, can no longer e recalled.
Ellabration likelyhood model
(Petty, Cacioppo)
–> Dual-process models of persuasion
Persuasion follows two routes depending on whether we expect:
- great cognitive effort –> central route
- little cognitive effort –> peripheral route and cues
heuristic systematic model
(Chaiken)
–> Dual-process models of persuasion
two ways of processing:
- systematic processing - when people scan and consider available arguments
- heuristic processing - when we use shortcuts instead of careful reasoning
Foot in the door tactic
If someone agrees to a small request, they will be more willing to comply later with a, larger request
Door in the face tactic
If someone is asked for a large favour, that they deny, then they will agree to a smaller (initially planned) request later
Low ball tactic
If a person agrees to a request they still feel committed to it after finding out that there are hidden costs
reciprocity principle
If we do others a favour, the feel obliged to reciprocate
Cognitive dissonance theory
Festinger
we seek harmony in our attitudes, beliefs and behaviour
–> therefore we try to reduce tension from incsonsistencies between these elements by changing one or more of the inconsistent cognitions
selective exposure hypothesis
people attempt to avoid exposure to ideas that produce potentially dissonsnt infromation
effort justification theory
inconsistency is experienced when a person makes a considerable effort to achieve a modest goal
–> when we volutarily do something usually rated negative then we conclude that it has to be positive because we choose to do it
induced compliance paradigm
a person experiences inconsistency when it is persuaded to behave a way that is contrary to an attitude
- -> leads to post decisional conflict (the dissonance experienced by behaving in an counterattitudinal way)
- then attitude has to be brought in line with behaviour
Balance theory
Heider
people prefer attitudes that are consisten with each other
Rectance
when attemted to persuade, people try to protect their freedom to act (have an attitude) by counter arguments or shifting more overtly into the opposite direction
Forewarning
Advance knowledge that one is to be the target of persuasion, often produces resistance to it
Inoculation
A way of making people resistant to persuasion by providing them with a weakened counter-argument so that they can build up effective refutations to a later, stronger argument
–> defence tactic
Two kinds of attitudes
- Belief based attitudes
- Cue-driven attitudes (automatic)
- -> research through implicit associations test (Dutch-german/active-lazy)
Belief based (reasoned) attitudes process
Situation–>Attitude formation influenced by motivation and opportunity–> intention–>behaviour
Cue driven (automatic) evaluations process
External trigger–>Attitude activation–>selective perception–>behaviour
Example: Changing attitudes and cognitive dissonance–> mail delivery drivers
- -> providing the drivers with information and actually showing them (intervention)
- -> made drive more environmentally friendly
Example: Protection Motivation theory
–> smoking
–> if you only show the threat on the packages and not a coping mechanism you will not move poeple to stop smoking but rather push them into a defensive position where they are justifying tthemselves and looking for excuses
Moderator Variables for Attitudes
- Situation
- Personality
- Habit
- Sense of control
- Direct experience
- Mood
- Cognitive biases
- Self and Identity
Third person effect
Most people think they are less influenced than others
Framing of a message
The way a message is framed or slanted can have a subtle effect on the meaning on the meaning and therefore on how it is perceived
- positive message framing –> e.g. buying it leads to gain
- negative message framing –> e.g. not buying it leads to loss
Tactics for enhancing compliance
- intimidation
- exemplification (guilt)
- supplication (pity)
- self promotion (respect and competence)
- ingratiation (sympathy with following request)
Attitude change through self perception theory
if we act outside our attitude latitude we experience dissonance
–> then we might change our attitudes trough a self-attributional process such as self perception
Example: Systematic processing or heuristics (Chaiken and Maheswaran)
–> studends and telephone ansering machine
They were supposed to rate a new telephone answering machine with the independen variables
- task importance- source credibility
- message type
- ->for unimportant task the heuistic processing was used
- -> for important task the systematic processing was used
example: attitude change following induced compliance
by Zimbardo
–> marines and grashoppers
Marines were asked to eat grashoppers (goes against attitude) in either a nice and friendly way or in a formal and stiff way
- -> the ones that were asked friendly could explain their behaviour by saying the wanted to please the nice person so the attitude didnt change
- -> the ones who were asked in a formal/stiff way couldnt do that and therfore brought their attitude in line with their behaviour
- they were way more likely to say that it wasnt that bad and they would do it again
