Chapter 1 - What are Attitudes

Question 1

Attitude

Answer 1

evaluation of object based on cognitive, affective, behavioural info

Question 2

2 ways attitudes differ

Answer 2

1. valence (direction of evaluation)

2. strength

Question 3

Attitude Object

Answer 3

Anything evaluation on dimension of favourability

Question 4

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 4

Inconsistent attitudes produce -ve feelings we want to reduce so change one of them

Question 5

Object Appraisal Function of attitudes

Answer 5

save energy and making DMing easier

Question 6

Strong attitudes differ from weak attitudes (4)

Answer 6

1. persistent over time
2. resistant to change
3. influence info processing
4. predict behaviour

Question 7

Explicit Measurement

Answer 7

requires conscious attention to attitude object (usually self-report)

Question 8

Equal Appearing Intervals Method (Thurstone)

Answer 8

EXPLICIT: belief statements constructed that are relevant to attitude and Ps indicate whether they agree w/ items (unidimensional) (score is median of item scores)

Question 9

Likert Scale

Answer 9

EXPLICIT: Rate extent to which agree/disagree w/ statements, involves neutral point
Cannot compare attitudes toward diff objects using this

Question 10

Semantic Differential Approach

Answer 10

EXPLICIT: Ps given and rate set of bipolar adjective scales (ex. favourable/unfavourable, good/bad)
Importance of context (ex. cold/warm Canada vs. Best friend)

Question 11

Issues of explicit measures (4)

Answer 11

1. Awareness of attitude
2. Effects of item order
3. Finer distinctions in +ve than -ve direction
4. Impression Management (social desirability)

Question 12

Implicit Measurement

Answer 12

Assesses attitudes w/o requiring individual’s awareness of their attitude or how it is measured

Question 13

Evaluative Priming

Answer 13

IMPLICIT: Measures extent to which presence of attitude object primes +ve/-ve evaluations (RT should be faster at classification after seeing stimulu prime we like, ex. Clinton (prime) -> Adj (horrible, wonderful) -> RT

Question 14

Implicit Association Test

Answer 14

IMPLICIT: Based on assumption that attitude objects can be spontaneously activated evaluations influencing future RT (5 blocks w/ 2 blocks of pairing ‘or’)

Question 15

Affect Misattribution Paradigm

Answer 15

IMPLICIT: complements EP, show pics of attitude object over trials then briefly shown ambiguous stimulus and asked to rate pleasantness of ambiguous stimulus

Question 16

Personalized IAT

Answer 16

IMPLICIT: Like IAT but removes criticism of what others think; use “I”

Question 17

Galvanic Skin Responses

Answer 17

IMPLICIT: polygraph (not sensitive to valence), facial EMGs etc.

Question 18

Reliability

Answer 18

Degree to which test scores are free from errors in measurement (Implicit and Explicit both reasonably high consistency)

Question 19

Two types of reliability

Answer 19

1. Test-retest - consistency over time

2. Internal consistency - whether individual items are assessing same construct

Question 20

Validity

Answer 20

Extent that is assesses construct it is designed to measure (Implicit and Explicit reasonably support validity)

Question 21

Three types of validity

Answer 21

1. Convergent Validity - related to other measures of same object
2. Discriminant Validity - unrelated to measures of irrelevant constructs
3. Predictive Validity - predictive of future behaviour

Question 22

Why might explicit/implicit measures not correlate? (2)

Answer 22

1. Might not be honest (explicit)

2. Do not understand attitudes (implicit)

Question 23

Weapon Bias Paradigm

Answer 23

Forced to make fast decisions, Ps detect gun faster when preceded by black face (and mistakenly see gun); Paradigm due to time constraint