Attitudes and persuasion

Question 1

What are the types of attitudes?

Answer 1

positive, negative, ambivalent

Question 2

What is the components that make up an attitude?

Answer 2

ABC MODEL
Affective - reactions/feelings a person has towards something
Behavioural - actions we do in response to an object/person/issue
Cognitive - the thoughts or beliefs we have about an object/person/issue

Question 3

How is attitude formation different to an attitude change?

Answer 3

Attitude formation happens when we meet a person for the first time. We use external cues and stereotypes to form attitudes.
Attitude change is when others (people/companies) communicate their attitudes and beliefs to influence ours

Question 4

What is persuasion?

Answer 4

the art of convincing others to change their attitudes or behaviours.

Question 5

What are the 3 different approaches affecting attitude formation and/or change?

Answer 5

1. Yale Attitude Change Approach - source, message, audience
2. Elaboration Likelihood Model - central and peripheral routes
3. Experiences - direct and indirect experiences

Question 6

How does the source influence successful persuasion?
(Yale Attitude Change Approach)

Answer 6

the person conveying the message.
experts - we deem trustworthy, credible, experienced
attractive people (celebrities) - increases the desire to believe
talking speed - fast is more intelligent and knowledgeable

Question 7

How does the message influence successful persuasion? (Yale Attitude Change Approach)

Answer 7

evoking strong emotions - strong persuasion, higher impact
statistics/story - evoke positive emotions, more convincing
balanced argument - increases credibility
subliminal messages - increase desire without individual knowledge

Question 8

How does the audience influence successful persuasion? (Yale Attitude Change Approach)

Answer 8

older generation = conservative attitudes formed via direct experience therefore harder to persuade
younger generation = attitudes formed from others therefore easier to persuade
lower self-esteem = easier to persuade

Question 9

What is the central route of persuasion?
(Elaboration Likelihood Model)

Answer 9

requires the audience to think carefully about the contents of the message, high level of elaboration, careful information processing and backed with evidence
attitude change depends on the strength of argument and personal isues

Question 10

What is the peripheral route of persuasion?
(Elaboration Likelihood Model)

Answer 10

emotional persuasion, low level of elaboration, not careful information processing/ thinking, relies on positive/negative qualities
attitudes depend on peripheral cues, works best with an unmotivated audience and not personally relevant issues

Question 11

What are Direct Experiences

Answer 11

involves forming attitudes after personal experience.
Produces enduring attitudes, more resistant to change

Question 12

What are Indirect Experiences?

Answer 12

involves being exposed to an object/topic,
mere exposure w ambivert attitude provokes positive attitudes however overexposure is negative, and pre-existing negative increases dislike

Question 13

What are the 3 persuasion strategies effective for selling products? (and define)

Answer 13

1. Norm of reciprocity - based on the social norm that people will return a favour when one is granted to them (free trials of a product)
2. Door-in-the-face - begins with a large request then once rejected, asks for a smaller request (charity asks to donate $100, then $20)
3. Foot-in-the-door - after getting a person to buy a small item, then later request for a larger purchase (“would you like fries with that”)

Question 14

Why is the norm of reciprocity an effective persuasion technique?

Answer 14

it leads buyer to feel obligated to return the favour of a sale/free trial by keeping and purchasing more products

Question 15

Why is the door-in-the-face an effective persuasion technique?

Answer 15

makes the buyer believe they are making a compromise/reducing expectations and feel guilty

Question 16

Why is the foot-in-the-door an effective persuasion technique?

Answer 16

linked to compliance, as buyer has complied with initial request, they are more likely to respond positively to an additional request.

Question 17

What does a bidirectional relationship between attitudes and behaviour look like? +example

Answer 17

indicates that attitudes influence behaviour and behaviour influences attitude. e.g. having a negative attitude towards smoking and avoiding people who smoke, but when our friends smoke, we go outside to keep them company.

Question 18

What 3 conditions of an attitude may influence behaviour? (and define)

Answer 18

1. Attitude Strength - where attitudes that are firmly held, more informed and have direct experience are stronger
2. Attitude Accesibily - referring to easily thought of attitudes, easily brought to mind are stronger
3. Attitude Specificity - specific attitudes lead to more consistent behaviour

Question 19

What theroy can explain how behaviours can also influence attitudes? (and define +example)

Answer 19

Cognitive Dissonance - when we experience discomfort from inconsistency between our attitudes and behaviour. It is the mental conflict that occurs when your beliefs don’t line up with your actions. (e.g. smoking when you know its bad for your health)

Question 20

What are the 4 cognitive dissonance reduction techniques?

Answer 20

1. change the behaviour
2. justify the behaviour by changing the conflicting cognition
3. justify the behaviour by adding new cognitions
4. ignore/deny any information with existing beliefs

Question 21

What 2 external factors can also influence behaviour? (and define)

Answer 21

1. situational pressures - when attitude and behaviour both occur in similar social situations away from pressures
2. self-monitoring - refers to individual differences in the tendency to adjust our behaviour to social environment

Question 22

What are the 3 different ways of measuring attitudes? (and define)

Answer 22

1. Self-reports (e.g. interviews and surveys)
2. Behavioural Counts (observer watchers behaviour & keeps tally)
3. Implicit Association Test (involves you to pair 2 concepts to reveal unconscious attitudes)

Question 23

What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-reports?

Answer 23

advantages - quick, simple, cheap, anonymity
disadvantages - self-bias, socially desirable responding, so limited and unreliable

Question 24

What are the advantages and disadvantages of behaviour counts?

Answer 24

advantages - easy, high accuracy, universal
disadvantages - time-consuming, expensive, not everything is observed

Question 25

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Implicit Association Test?

Answer 25

advantages - easily accessible and accurate
disadvantages - low reliability and validity as measures association rather than beliefs