Attitudes and intentions Flashcards
What are attitudes?
lasting, general evaluations of socially significant objects
What was found in LaPierre’s (1934) study about Asian-Americans in US hotels? (2)
- they were treated normally in the hotels
- hotels later said they would not accept Asian-Americans in a phone interview
What distinction should we make with attitudes? (2) Which theory supports this?
- attitudes towards a specific outcome
- attitudes towards a behaviour associated with that outcome
- theory of planned behaviour
What does theory of planned behaviour explore?
psychological factors which lead people to intent to perform a behaviour (e.g. attitudes)
What are the 3 branches in the theory of planned behaviour and what do they all influence?
- attitudes
- personal agency
- norms
- influence intentions
What are attitudes made up of according to the theory of planned behaviour?
- behavioural beliefs (what outcomes will happen)
- evaluations of behavioural outcomes (opinions of outcomes)
What is an instrumental attitude?
beliefs about what the outcomes will be
What is an experiential attitude?
beliefs/feelings about the behaviour itself
What is an indirect measure of attitude?
measure each aspect of behaviour separately then average the score
What is a direct measure of attitude?
ask a single question to get a score
What did Sapci and Considine (2014) find when looking at pro and anti conservation attitudes and electricity consumption?
- pro = less consumption
- anti = more consumption
What are some problems with Sapci and Considine’ (2014) study looking at pro and anti conservation attitudes and electricity consumption? (3)
- measures of attitudes don’t follow the proper format
- don’t ask whether the behaviour is good or not
- don’t ask about how they themselves feel about them doing it
What are the 2 components of personal agency in the theory of planned behaviour?
- perceived behavioural control
- self-efficacy
What is perceived behavioural control?
beliefs about factors which affect the ability to perform a particular behaviour (e.g. barriers)
What are normative beliefs?
whether important individuals approve or disapprove of the behaviour
What 2 assumptions is the theory of planned behaviour focussed on?
- positive attitude about behaviour = stronger intention
- stronger intention = more practising of behaviour
What did Armitage and Conner (2001) measure when looking at blood donation in the UK? (4)
- behavioural intention
- attitudes about blood donation (including experiential and direct measures)
- self-efficacy
- beliefs about barriers
What did Armitage and Conner (2001) find when looking at blood donation in the UK? (2)
- intention to donate was higher for respondents who reported more positive attitudes to blood donation and higher self-efficacy
- intention was not affected by beliefs about barriers
What was found in Webb and Sheeran’s (2006) meta-analysis about intentions changing behaviour when looking at behavioural interventions? (2)
- interventions strengthened intentions to practise behaviours
- where intentions increased most, so did behaviour
What is an issue with many studies about intentions causing behaviour?
causality - there is just a link, not necessarily with the cause a certain way round
Did the ACDP intervention affect attitudes about HIV-preventative behaviour?
yes
What might be the mechanism for interventions changing behaviour?
they change attitudes, which then change intentions, which change behaviour
