DEFINITIONS 5 Attitudes: Evaluating and Responding to the Social World Flashcards
attitude
Evaluation of various aspects of the social world
explicit attitudes
Consciously accessible attitudes that are controllable and easy to report.
implicit attitudes
Unconscious associations between objects and evaluative responses.
social learning
The process through which we acquire new information, forms of behavior, or attitudes from other people.
classical conditioning
A basic form of learning in which one stimulus, initially neutral, acquires the capacity to evoke reactions through repeated pairing with another stimulus. In a sense, one stimulus becomes a signal for the presentation or occurrence of the other.
unconditioned stimulus
A stimulus that evokes a positive or negative response without substantial learning.
conditioned stimulus
The stimulus that comes to stand for or signal a prior unconditioned stimulus.
subliminal conditioning
Classical conditioning of attitudes by exposure to stimuli that are below individuals’ threshold of conscious awareness.
mere exposure
By having seen before, but not necessarily remembering having done so, attitudes toward an object can be formed.
illusion of truth effect
The mere repetition of information creates a sense of familiarity and more positive attitudes.
instrumental conditioning
A basic form of learning in which responses that lead to positive outcomes or which permit avoidance of negative outcomes are strengthened.
social networks
Composed of individuals with whom we have interpersonal relationships and interact with on a regular basis.
observational learning
A basic form of learning in which individuals acquire new forms of behavior as a result of observing others.
social comparison
The process through which we compare ourselves to others to determine whether our view of social reality is, or is not, correct.
reference groups
Groups of people with whom we identify and whose opinions we value.
pluralistic ignorance
When we collectively misunderstand what attitudes others hold and believe erroneously that others have different attitudes than us.
theory of reasoned action
A theory suggesting that the decision to engage in a particular behavior is the result of a rational process in which behavioral options are considered, consequences or outcomes of each are evaluated, and a decision is reached to act or not to act. That decision is then reflected in behavioral intentions, which strongly influence overt behavior.
theory of planned behavior
An extension of the theory of reasoned action, suggesting that in addition to attitudes toward a given behavior and subjective norms about it, individuals also consider their ability to perform the behavior.
implementation plan
A plan for how to implement our intentions to carry out some action.
attitude-to-behavior process model
A model of how attitudes guide behavior that emphasizes the influence of attitudes and stored knowledge of what is appropriate in a given situation on an individual’s definition of the present situation. This definition, in turn, influences overt behavior.
habit
Repeatedly performing a specific behavior so responses become relatively automatic whenever that situation is encountered.
central route to persuasion
Attitude change resulting from systematic processing of information presented in persuasive messages.
heuristic processing
Processing of information in a peruasive message that involves the use of simple rules of thumb or mental shortcuts.
peripheral route to persuasion
Attitude change that occurs in response to peripheral persuasion cues, which is often based on information concerning the expertise or status of would-be persuaders.
elaboration-likelihood model (ELM)
A theory suggesting that persuasion can occur in either of two distinct ways, differing in the amount of cognitive effort or elaboration the message receives.
reactance
Negative reactions to threats to one’s personal freedom. Reactance often increases resistance to persuasion and can even produce negative attitude change or opposite to what was intended.
forewarning
Advance knowledge that one is about to become the target of an attempt at persuasion. Forewarning often increases resistance to the persuasion that follows.
selective avoidance
A tendency to direct attention away from information that challenges existing attitudes. Such avoidance increases resistance to persuasion.
self-regulation
Limited capacity to engage our willpower and control our own thinking and emotions.
ego-depletion
When our capacity to self-regulate has been reduced because of prior expenditures of limited resources.
cognitive dissonance
An internal state that results when individuals notice inconsistency between two or more attitudes or between their attitudes and their behavior.
less-leads-to-more effect
The fact that offering individuals small rewards for engaging in counterattitudinal behavior often produces more dissonance, and so more attitude change, than offering them larger rewards.
hypocrisy
Publicly advocating some attitudes or behavior and then acting in a way that is inconsistent with these attitudes or behavior.
