Chapter 7 Flashcards
Learn about attitude
attitude
-a positive, negative, or mixed reaction to a person, object, or idea expressed at some level of intensity
how attitudes are measured?
1) self-report measure: are direct and straightforward {something not}, but sometimes attitudes are too complex for a single question
~attitude scale: a multiple-item questionnaire designed to measure a person’s attitude toward some object
_e.g., Likert Scale
~social desirability bias: social, desirable ways to ask a question
~Bogus Pipeline: a phony lie-detector device that is sometimes used to get respondents to give truthful answers to sensitive questions
Implicit association test (iat)
-based on notion that we have implicit attitudes
~attitudes that one is not aware of having
-implicit association test: measures the speed with which one responds to pairings of concepts
(draw a rectangle which represents any word»_space; +warm [top] -cynical [bottom] which ever we agree with the fastest, if it takes you too long to decide then maybe indifferent)
how are attitudes formed?
-our most cherished attitudes most often form due to exposure to… (they can typically can be undermining but it can help you know about yourself)
~attitude objects
~history of rewards and punishments (classical conditioning can shape attitudes)
~attitudes of family, friends, enemies, etc.
~social and cultural context
~personal experiences
-clearly, attitudes are formed through basic processes of learning (you can also unlearn attitudes)
the link between attitudes and behavior
-is the assumption that attitudes influence behavior a valid one? (flaws = socially desired responses; attitudes and behaviors are not linked)
~LaPiere’s (1934) provocative but flawed study
~Wicker’s (1969) conclusion that attitudes and behavior are only weakly correlated
-Kraus (1995) “Attitudes significantly and substantially predict future behavior”
~but only under certain conditions
attitudes in context
theory of planned behavior = attitudes towards a specific behavior combine with subjective norms and perceived control to influence a person’s actions
draw figure 6.4
strength of the attitude
-why do some attitudes have more influence than behavior? -> depends on attitude’s importance or strength
-why are some attitudes stronger than others? -> because of our genetic make-up
-psychological factors
~does it directly affect one’s own outcomes and self-interests?
~is it related to deeply held philosophical, political, and religious values?
~is it of concern to one’s close friends, family, and social ingroups?
-factors indicating the strength
~the more well informed on a topic, the more consistent behavior is with attitude
~not only amount of information, but also how that information was acquired
~an attitude can be strengthened by an attack against it from a persuasive message
~strong attitudes are highly accessible to awareness, how quickly and easily they are brought to mind
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
How motivated persons are to think about a persuasive message and, thus, the amount of thinking they do, determines the whether the central or peripheral route of persuasion is dominant
i. central route: person thinks carefully about a message
~requires effort, its time-consuming, focusing on the message and you are conscious
~influenced by the strength and quality of the message
~we must attend to it we have to elaborate on it
~Hovland et al.: persuaded when we attend to, comprehend, and retain in memory an argument
~McGuire: distinguished between the reception of a message and its later acceptance
~Greenwald: elaboration is an important, intermediate step
~assumption that the recipients are ATTENTIVE, ACTIVE, CRITICAL, and THOUGHTFUL
_assumption is correct only some of the time
_when it’s correct, the persuasiveness of the message depends on the strength of the message’s content (so if this isn’t met, then it’s peripheral)
~the central route is a thoughtful process
_but not necessarily an objective one
ii. peripheral route: person doesn’t think critically about the contents of a message
~influenced by superficial cues
~requires less effort
~it’s very quick and often times it is automatic
~people are persuaded on the basis of superficial, PERIPHERAL CUES
_message is evaluated through the use of simple-minded heuristics (anything outside the argument)
_ex. can be how a person is dressed
~people are also influenced by attitudes-irrelevant factors
What makes an effective source?
-believable sources must be credible sources
-to be seen as CREDIBLE, the source must have two distinct characteristics
1) competence (perceived) or expertise (*key)
2) trustworthiness
-how likable is the communicator?
-two factors influence a source’s likability
~the similarity between the source and the audience
~the physical attractiveness of the source
is the source more important than the message?
- it depends…
* -how personally relevant is the message for the recipient?
what makes an effective message?
-how should the argument be presented to maximize its strength?
-are longer messages better? (sometimes less is more)
~if peripheral, the longer the message, the more valid it must be
~if central, message length is a two-edged sword
-does presentation order matter?
-how discrepant show the message be to have the greatest impact?
~the most change is produced at moderate amounts of discrepancy
~an “upside-down U” relationship between discrepancy and persuasion
-should the message use fear appeals or scare tactics?
~how strong is the argument? (you have to use more)
~does the message contain reassuring advice? (also add how can people change their behavior)
-are appeals to positive emotions effective?
~people are “soft touches” when they are in a good mood
~you really don’t want to be in a good mood
audience factors
-very few people are consistently easy or difficult to persuade
-people differ in extent to which they become involved and take the central route
~need for cognition: how much does one enjoy effortful cognitive activities? (usually a low person)
regulatory fit
-to what extent does the message meet the psychological needs of the audience?
~who are you trying to connivence
-does the message fit the frame of mind of the audience and “feel right”?
-promotion-oriented (messages should be geared towards achievement) vs. prevention-oriented (message should be focused on avoiding lost or failure)
forewarning and resistance
-advanced knowledge allows time to develop counterarguments
~inoculation hypothesis_ exposure to a weak argument in order to compose a stronger argument
-being forewarned elicits a motivational reaction
~psychological reactance: when our behavior is restricted or choice is eliminated, we are motivated to regain our freedom of choice and we will evaluate that restricted option more favorably (when people take other’s ability to choose for themselves)
-effects of forewarning depends on personal importance of message
-strategies fro resisting persuasion
~attitude bolstering {“I reassure myself of facts that support the validity of my belief”}
~source derogation {“I look for faults in the person presenting the challenging belief”} (attacking the source dangerous -» just b/c you don’t like a person doesn’t mean that their argument isn’t valid)
weapons of influence
1) reciprocity
~ the not so free gift
~ like when companies give out small free gifts/samples in order to draw in more consumers
2) commitment & consistency
~ “foot-in-door” start small and then second request within reason
3) liking
~ similarity
4) social proof => the idea that the social masses can’t be wrong
5) scarcity => when things are in short supply
