Attitudes & Stereotpyes & Cognitive Dissonance

Question 1

What is an attitude ?

Answer 1

an attitude is a learnt evaluation of a person, object, event or idea that can affect an individual’s behaviour.

Question 2

what are explicit attitudes

Answer 2

Explicit attitudes: are where people openly state their attitude and behave in a way that reflects this attitude.

Question 3

What are implicit attitudes

Answer 3

are involuntary, uncontrollable and sometimes unconscious. It is possible for individuals to be unaware that they hold a particular attitude until their actions reveal it.

Question 4

what is the Tripartite model

Answer 4

this model proposes that any attitude has three related components – the effective, behavioural and cognitive components - referred to as the ‘ABC’s of attitudes’

Question 5

List all components of the tripartite model

Answer 5

• Affective component
• Behaviour component
• Cognitions component

Question 6

what is cognitive dissonance

Answer 6

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort you feel when there is a conflict between two of your beliefs, or when you act in a way that is inconsistent with your attitudes

Question 7

list 3 possible outcomes of cognitive dissonance

Answer 7

-Avoidance

-Reduction

-Rationalisation

Question 8

explain what avoidance cognitive dissonance mean

Answer 8

Reducing cog. diss. by avoiding people or situations that remind them of it.

Eg. avoiding smokers when trying to quit.

Question 9

explain what reduction cognitive dissonance mean

Answer 9

Reduction:

People find ways to reduce stress by distracting themselves with other tasks.

Eg. chewing gum instead of smoking.

Question 10

explain what rationalisation cognitive dissonance mean

Answer 10

Rationalisation:

Justifying unacceptable thoughts by disguising them through logical explanations.

Eg. “it’s ok to smoke 1 cigarette a day instead of 4 because it’s healthier”

Question 11

what is magnitude, as a factor affecting cognitive dissonance

Answer 11

The strength (magnitude) of a behaviour dictates how stable it is over time, and how resistant it is to change.

• A strong attitude is an attitude that is usually thought about, well-known and easily accessible. It tends to be personally relevant and have a strong underlying emotional component.

Stronger attitudes are more likely to predict behaviour than weaker attitudes.

Question 12

list all the Responses to cognitive dissonance

Answer 12

• change their behaviour
• change their beliefs
• change their perception of the action

Question 13

give an example of all 3 Responses to cognitive dissonance about cancer and sun tanning

Answer 13

• They change their behaviour. Upon acquiring the additional information, they might stop sunbathing.
• They change their beliefs. They might decide to deny the evidence showing a link between sun exposure and skin cancer.
• They change their perception of the action. They might think that a tan is normal, and that sun exposure is necessary for the body to produce vitamin D, which is important for bone health, among other benefits. Therefore, they may decide that a little sunbathing is good for their health.

Question 14

What is the Affective component

Answer 14

Feelings and emotions about the attitude object.

Question 15

What is the Behaviour component

Answer 15

Actions – how our attitude influences how we act or behave.

Question 16

What is the Cognitions component

Answer 16

Thoughts – our beliefs and knowledge about the attitude object.