Chapter 4 & 7 Flashcards
Be able to identify the components of attitudes
affect - emotions
behavior - actions
cognition - thoughts
Know the research findings on the relationship between attitudes and behavior
LaPierre - showed that there was a large gap between stated attitudes and actual behavior
Know the conditions under which attitudes predict behavior
specificity of attitude - if the attitude is specific to the behavior, it’s more likely the attitude will predict the behavior
component consistency - when all components (ABC) of an attitude are consistent, predicts the behavior more strongly
attitude strength - stronger the attitude, the more it predicts behavior
accessibility - ease that an attitude comes to mine, or how familiar you are with an attitude, higher accessibility means higher predictability
when social influences on what we say are minimal, more likely to say what you’re actually gonna do
when other influences on behavior are minimal
Know the evidence for when behavior determine attitudes: 1- foot in the door phenomenon, 2 - low-ball technique
foot in the door phenomenon - people who have already agreed to smaller requests tend to agree to larger requests later
low-ball technique - people who agree to an initial request that is later modified to be larger are more likely to still comply, while people who initially get the larger request are not
Know how learning plays a role in attitudes (classical conditioning, operant conditioning, modeling, direct experience)
classical conditioning - learn to associate emotional response with a secondary object and affects how you feel about secondary object: getting food poisoning and disliking that food later
operant conditioning - reinforcing positive behaviors, and punishing negative behaviors
modeling - learn by watching others
direct experience - something you experience firsthand, this creates the strongest attitudes that are most resistant to change
Know the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), the 2 routes to persuasion and how this relates to attitude change
ELM - central route: thoughtful consideration
peripheral route: surface characteristics of the message (attractiveness of communicator, how the person feel at the time)
if attitude was developed through central route, will be more predictive of behavior change and will last longer
Know cognitive dissonance theory and self perception theory
cognitive dissonance theory - we change our attitudes when we have enough dissonance between our behaviors and attitudes
self-perception theory - we infer our own attitudes by examining our own behavior
Know the impediments to attitude change
not done
Under what conditions would fear be persuasive?
when quite a bit of fear is used, and specific instructions are given to combat the fear by decreasing likelihood of the fearful thing that could happen
What are the 3 elements of persuasion that social psychologist study?
who says it, what is said, how it is said
Under what conditions would credibility and attractiveness be most useful in persuasion?
in matters of personal preference, more attractive people are better at persuading people, but in matters of objective reality, people that are seen as credible are more persuasive, as long as they are seen as credible and trustworthy, credible people can also argue more extreme positions more successfully
How does mood influence attitude change and persuasion?
if the audience is in a good mood, they are more subject to change their attitude and to be persuaded
know when one-sided vs two-sided arguments are more persuasive
two sided work best if the audience is going to hear dissenting opinions, but one sided works better if the audience already agrees and probably won’t hear too much of the opposite side
