Attitudes and Persuasion

Question 1

Define Attitudes

Answer 1

positive, negative or mixed reaction to a person, object or idea

Question 2

How does attitude formation work?

Answer 2

evidence that attitudes are inherited via twin studies

Evidence that it is learned, the more familiar we are with an attitude object the more we like them (college study)

Question 3

How is attitude measured?

Answer 3

Direct and indirect

Question 4

How is attitude directly measured?

Answer 4

1. Open-ended questions

2. Closed questions

Question 5

What are the advantages and disadvantages of open-ended questions?

Answer 5

advantages: simple, lots of data
disadvantages: time-consuming, differences in expressiveness

Question 6

What are the advantages and disadvantages of closed questions?

Answer 6

advantages: (Likert, semantic-differential) easy and quick
disadvantages: response sets and choice of wording

Question 7

How is attitude indirectly measured?

Answer 7

1. Participants unaware that attitude is being assessed
2. Non-verbal/psychological/brain activity measures (some may only assess intensity, not valence
3. Duping the participant
4. Cognitive research methods
5. Overt behaviour (presuming attitude based on actions)

Question 8

What study established the attitude behaviour relationship?

Answer 8

Lapiere (1934)’s study of American attitudes towards Chinese

Question 9

What is the Theory of reasoned action? (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975)

Answer 9

1. Intention = estimate of the probability one will perform a certain behaviour
2. attitude = how favourable or unfavourable a person feels toward the behaviour
3. subjective norm = perceived social pressure to perform/not perform behaviour

Question 10

What is the Theory of planned behaviour? (Ajzen, 1991)

Answer 10

Perceived behavioural control = perceived ease and control over performing or not performing the behaviour
Focuses on matching measure specificity

Question 11

What is two route persuasion?

Answer 11

The elaboration likelihood model with the central route (paying close attention) vs peripheral route (superficial notice)

Question 12

What are the factors of the Yale studies of persuasion? (Hovland et al)

Answer 12

1. Message
2. Source
3. Audience

Question 13

What are the message characteristics of the Yale studies of persuasion? (Hovland et al)

Answer 13

length = longer more persuasive if arguments perceived as valid (peripheral processing). Longer less persuasive if additional arguments perceived as weak (central processing).

Question 14

What are the source characteristics of the Yale studies of persuasion? (Hovland et al)

Answer 14

Credibility = the more credible the source, the more persuasive the message
Attractiveness/likability: greater likeability, the more persuasive the message

Question 15

What are the audience characteristics of the Yale studies of persuasion? (Hovland et al)

Answer 15

Intelligence/need for cognition = people may vary on how much they want to engage in effortful cognitive activities
self-esteem = (low = hostile, high = confident, medium = most persuaded)
Self-monitoring = more responsive to measures promoting desirable social images
Mood: in a good mood means more influenced by peripheral cues
Gender identification = able to identify systematic differences?

Question 16

What is the Protection motivation theory? (Rogers, 1983)

Answer 16

the motivation to protect oneself from threat influenced by:

1. severity of the event (it’s serious)
2. Probability of event (it could happen to me)
3. response efficacy (change will make a difference)
4. Self-efficacy beliefs (I can do it)

Question 17

What is behaviour-induced attitude change?

Answer 17

the degree people are motivated for consistency between their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.

Question 18

What is the cognitive dissonance theory?

Answer 18

inconsistent cognitions arouse physiological tension people are motivated to reduce by:

1. change attitude or change behaviour or change justification
2. for voluntary acts: effort justification paradigm
3. for persuaded acts: induced forced compliance paradigm

Question 19

What is involved in resistance to persuasion?

Answer 19

Reactance = people react against threat to their freedom by asserting themselves 
Forewarning = awareness allows time to prepare
Inoculation = exposure to weak versions of an argument increase later resistance to the argument