Attitudes & Attitude Change

Question 1

Attitudes & Attitude Change

list 3 conditions that affect the strength of the relationship between attitudes & behavior

Answer 1

1) attitudinal strength
2) accessibility
3) specificity of the attitudes

Question 2

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to research on the relationship between attitudes & behavior, attitudinal strength is greater when?

Answer 2

the attitude was derived from direct experience & the issue is relevant to the person’s self-interest

Question 3

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to research on the relationship between attitudes & behavior, an attitude is more likely to predict behavior when?

Answer 3

the attitude is easily accessible because the person is well-informed about the issue or has been repeatedly asked about it

Question 4

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to research on the relationship between attitudes & behavior, the link is stronger when they’re at the same level of what?

Answer 4

specificity

early studies failed to find a strong link because they attempted to use general attitudes to predict specific behaviors

Question 5

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to this theory, the intention to perform a behavior is the best predictor of behavior

Answer 5

Ajzen & Fishbein’s (2005) theory of planned behavior

Question 6

Attitudes & Attitude Change

list the 3 factors that determine a person’s behavior intention according to Ajzen & Fishbein’s (2005) theory of planned behavior

Answer 6

1) a person’s attitude toward the behavior
2) what the person thinks others believe they should do (subjective norms)
3) the person’s confidence in their ability to perform the behavior (perceived behavior control)

Question 7

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this model has primarily been used to predict health-related risk behaviors and is based on the assumption that there are two paths to engaging in a behavior: a reasoned path & a social reaction path

Answer 7

Gibbons & Gerard’s (1995) prototype/willingness model

Question 8

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to Gibbons & Gerard’s (1995) prototype/willingness model, the reasoned path is the result of what? and the social reaction path is the result of what?

Answer 8

reasoned path: a person’s behavior intention (as predicted by the theory of planned behavior)

social reaction path: a person’s willingness to engage in the behavior in particular circumstances

Question 9

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to Gibbons & Gerard’s (2005) prototype/willingness theory, this concept depends on the person’s perceived acceptibility of the behavior which, in turn, is determined by a person’s prototype (social image) of people who engage in the behavior

Answer 9

willingness

Question 10

Attitudes & Attitude Change

within the frame of Gibbons & Gerard’s (2005) prototype/willingness theory, adolescents who have a positive image of peers who are marijuana users will be (more willing than/less willing than/the same level of willing as) those with a negative image to try marijuana at a party where some of their peers are smoking marijuana

Answer 10

more willing than

Question 11

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this model identifies beliefs, attitudes, & other factors that predict the likelihood that a person will engage in behavior that will reduce the risk for developing a disorder

Answer 11

Rosenstock et al.’s (1994) health belief model

Question 12

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this term, according to the most recent versions of the health belief model, refers to a person’s perceptions about their likelihood of developing the disorder

Answer 12

perceived susceptibility

Question 13

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the most recent versions of the health belief model, this refers to the person’s perceptions about the seriousness of the consequences of developing the disorder

Answer 13

perceived severity

Question 14

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the most recent versions of the health belief model, this refers to a person’s beliefs about the likelihood that taking action will reduce their vulnerability to the disorder

Answer 14

perceived benefits

Question 15

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the most recent versions of the health belief model, this refers to the person’s belief about the material & psychological costs of taking action

Answer 15

perceived barriers

Question 16

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the most recent versions of the health belief model, this is a person’s confidence that they have the ability to take action

Answer 16

self-efficacy

Question 17

Attitudes & Attitude Change

list 1 implication of the health belief model

Answer 17

a person’s willingness to engage in health-related behaviors can be increased by targeting these factors that predict the likelihood that a person will engage in behavior that will reduce the risk for developing a disorder outlined in the theory

Question 18

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the most recent versions of the health belief model, these are factors that motivate the person to act (e.g., illness of a family member, advice from health providers, mass media campaigns)

Answer 18

cues to action

Question 19

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this theory of attitude change contends that a persuasive message can be processed through a central or peripheral route

Answer 19

Petty & Cacioppo’s (1981) Elaboration Likelihood Model

Question 20

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the elaboration likelihood model, this route is characterized by a high level of elaborative processing that involves thoughtful & careful evaluation of the message

Answer 20

central route

Question 21

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to the elaboration likelihood model, this route is characterized by a low level of elaboration and involves the automatic evaluation of the message

Answer 21

peripheral route

Question 22

Attitudes & Attitude Change

a person is most likely to process information via the central route when the person…

Answer 22

a) perceives the message to be personally relevant
b) has the cognitive ability to process the message
is in a neutral or bad mood

Question 23

Attitudes & Attitude Change

attitude change induced via the:
* central route is likely to be…
* peripheral route is likely to be…

Answer 23

• strong, enduring, & predictive of behavior
• weak, temporary, & not predictive of behavior

Question 24

Attitudes & Attitude Change

processing through the peripheral route is most likely to be used when the person…

Answer 24

a) perceives the message to be unimportant
b) does not have the cognitive ability to process the message
c) is in a good mood

Question 25

Attitudes & Attitude Change

attitudinal change induced by the peripheral route depends on peripheral cues, which are source, message, or recipient factors not central to the content of the message. List a few examples of these factors

Answer 25

• the communicator’s: attractiveness, likability, credibility, or celebrity
• the length of the message
• the recipient’s reliance on heuristics

Question 26

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this theory of attitude change is based on the assumption that the effectiveness of a persuasive message depends on a person’s current position on an issue and distinguishes between 3 latitudes represent different degrees of similarity between the person’s position & the position advocated for by the message

Answer 26

Sherif & Hovland’s (1961) social judgment theory

Question 27

Attitudes & Attitude Change

explain the following concepts according to social judgment theory:
a) the latitude of acceptance
b) the latitude of rejection
c) the latitude of noncommitment

Answer 27

a) latitude of acceptance: positions the person finds acceptable because they’re similar to their own
b) latitude of rejection: positions the person finds unacceptable because they’re extremely different from their own
c) latitude of noncommitment: positions the person will not automatically accept or reject but will consider because they are moderately different from their own

Question 28

Attitudes & Attitude Change

according to social judgment theory, the size of latitudes is affected by this

Answer 28

the person’s ego-involvement with the issue addressed by the message

e.g., as the person’s level of ego-involvement increases, the latitudes of acceptance & noncommitment decrease and the latitude of rejection increase

Question 29

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this theory of attitude change focuses on the relationship among 3 elements: the person (P), another person (O), and an attitude object or event (X), the relationships between these entities can be a) balanced (consistent) or b) unbalanced (inconsistent), and because unbalanced states cause a sense of discomfort, people are motivated to establish balance

aka P-O-X theory

Answer 29

Heider’s (1958) balance theory

e.g., Patricia (P) likes Olivia (O) and country music (X), and Olivia (O) also likes country music = Patricia will not be motivated to change her attitude toward Olivia or country music

e.g., Patricia (P) likes Oscar (O) and country music (X), but Oscar (O) hates country music (X) = Patricia will be motivated to establish a balanced state by changing her attitude toward Oscar (O) or toward country music (X)

Question 30

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this theory of attitude change proposes that, when people become aware of an inconsistency between two of their cognitions (attitudes, opinions, beliefs) or between a cognition & a behavior, they experience a state of mental discomfort (“cognitive dissonance”) that they’re motivated to relieve

Answer 30

Festinger’s (1954) cognitive dissonance theory

Question 31

Attitudes & Attitude Change

list 4 ways people might attempt to relieve a state of cognitive dissonance according to Festinger’s (1954) cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 31

1) replace or subtract a dissonant cognition
2) add a consonant cognition
3)** increase the importance** of a consonant cognition
4) decrease the importance of a dissonant cognition

Question 32

Attitudes & Attitude Change

this theory of attitude change proposes that people learn about themselves in the same way they learn about other people (i.e., by observing their behaviors & the circumstances in which those behaviors occur)

Answer 32

Bem’s (1972) self-perception theory

Question 33

Attitudes & Attitude Change

evidence for self-perception theory is provided by research on this concept, which predicts that, when people are externally reinforced for engaging in an intrinsically rewarding behavior, their intrinsic motivation decreases (i.e., external rewards can reduce instrinsic motivation)

Answer 33

the overjustification effect