Chapter 6-Attitudes

Question 1

Defenition of attitude

Answer 1

An overall evaluation of an object that is based on cognitive, affective and behavioral information.
“A mental and neural state of readiness, organised
through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic
influence upon the individual’s response to all objects
and situations with which it is related’
• Allport, 1935

Question 2

Leader in field: Alice Eagly

Answer 2

Research on attitude change. Understanding of psychology of gender.

Question 3

Multicomponent model

Answer 3

The summation of evaluations that have been processed by cognitive, affective and behavioral information.

Question 4

Leader in field: Mark Zanna

Answer 4

Contribution to concepts like prejudice, discrimination and how attitude models can be related to health.

Question 5

The cognitive component of attitude

Answer 5

Beliefs, thoughts, and attributes that we associate with an object.
-Research by Fishbein and Ajzens: Expectancy x value=The beliefs that a person considers the most relevant.

Question 6

The affective component of attitude

Answer 6

The feelings and emotions associated with an attitude.

Question 7

Evaluative conditioning

Answer 7

Changes the liking for an object by repeatedly pairing it with a more positive/negative stimulus.

Question 8

Leader in field: Robert Zajonc

Answer 8

Research on mere exposure effect and the role of unconscious processes in determining preferences and behavior.

Question 9

The behavioral component of attitude

Answer 9

Past, present and future behavior associated with an attitude object.

Question 10

Bem’s self perception theory

Answer 10

When inner states are ambiguous (tvetydliga) people can infer these states by observing their own behavior.

Question 11

5 Attitude functions we see as particularly important

Answer 11

1. Object appraisal function: When attitudes help serve as an energy serving device (by summarizing positive and negative attributes of objects)
2. Utilitarian function: When attitudes help us maximize rewards and minimize punishments
3. Social-adjustment function: When attitudes help us identify with liked others
4. Ego-defensive function: When attitudes help to protect our self-esteem (poor football player-don’t like the sport)
5. Value-expressive function: When attitudes help express our values

Question 12

Self-monitoring

Answer 12

Monitoring your own in company of others

• High-self monitoring: Able to change behavior depending on context
• Low self-monitoring: less influenced by situation,follow own core values

Question 13

4 Indications for strong attitudes

Answer 13

1. Persistence: Stable over time
2. More resistant to change
3. More likely to influence information processing
4. More likely to guide behavior

Question 14

The MODE model (Strack and Deutsch)

Answer 14

A model of attitude-behavior relations in which motivation, and opportunity are necessary to make a deliberative consideration of available information.
MODE: Motivation, Opportunity, and DEterminants

Question 15

Why do we have attitudes?

Answer 15

Attitudes make the evaluations of objects faster and
easier
• No need to start from scratch (over and over again).
• Attitudes are energy-saving devices.
• Especially when they are strong and highly accessible.

Question 16

Multicomponent model of attitudes:

› Three components (ABC)

Answer 16

A. Affective component: Emotions & Feelings (I feel happy sitting in this car)-Evaluative conditioning
B. “Behavioral” component: Behavior (I have been driving this brand for many years) -Experiences, self-perception
C. Cognitive component: Thoughts & convictions (It’s very fuel-efficient) -Systematic processing of facts

Question 17

What is attitudinal ambivalence? (connected to dimensional views)

Answer 17

We both like and dislike an attitude object.

Question 18

How do you measure implicit attitudes? What did the experiment show us? (From slides)

Answer 18

Implicit Association Test: Experiment showed us that people prefer young people. People also prefer white people in the white house.

Question 19

What did the study of LaPiere (1934) show us? (slides)

Answer 19

The restaurants served the Chinese couple, but almost everyone when called said they wouldn’t.
Behaviour and attitudes are somewhat correlated, Although attitudes and behaviour were correlated
positively and significantly, the effect was very
small (average correlation r = .15)

Question 20

Theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen)

Answer 20

Attitudes influence behaviour, but not directly. It’s through intentions. (Negative attitude towards smoking-intention: to stop smoking). Subjective norm influences the intention (friend’s don’t think it’s that bad).

Question 21

Theory of planned behaviour

Answer 21

The extended version of the theory of planned action. They added the perceived behavioural control (can I do it?). It affects the intention (I don’t think I can quit).