Exam #1 Flashcards
communication
a social process in which individuals use symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment
utilitarianism
actions that focus on pleasurable outcomes, results, consequences, usefulness (Actions are judged based on whether they produce more positive than negative outcomes)
ex: when choosing an ice cream flavor, you should choose the one that will give you the most pleasure
deontological ethics
emphasizes duty and integrity to act a certain way regardless of the consequences (Actions are judged by intention (seek good versus seek harm)
ex: when getting ice cream for the family, there is chocolate and vanilla. Mom and Dad like vanilla but you like chocolate. Which one will you buy?
persuasion
anything that intentionally molds and shapes attitudes, beliefs and behaviors
social influence
broad process in which the behavior of one person alters the thoughts or actions of another (no intent to influence, ex: ed sheeren henz commercial)
manipulation
True goals of persuader hidden, Recipient misled (ex: free credit scam, charging 15 a month when say its free)
coercion
Influencer uses believable threat of significant physical, emotional, or social harm (no freedom, ex: Threat of scandal to get politician to drop out of race)
propaganda
Ruling group has near/total control over transmission of information (usually negative, ex: hitler)
3 effects of persuasion
shaping- Attitudes are “shaped” by associating pleasurable
environments with a product, person, or idea
reinforcing- reinforcing an existing behavior or attitude
changing- changing a behavior or attitude
examples of 3 effects of persuasion
shaping- if John gets a new job, his co-workers will likely attempt to persuade John to adjust to the norms of the office.
reinforcing- people who read and listen to news sources that reinforce their view of the world
changing- practicing safe sex in sex ed
the importance of the structures of attitudes
If we understand relevant attitudes and their structure, we can figure out how to change/reinforce those attitudes -> persuasion
attitudes, beliefs and values
attitudes: help us compartmentalize and make actionable decisions about people, places and events.
beliefs: thoughts about the world including subjective probabilities
values: ideals and guiding principles
2 types of beliefs
descriptive: how things are
prescriptive: how things should be
expectancy-value theory
theory of motivation that describes the relationship between one’s expectancy for success at a task or goal
expectancy value theory example
a girl who believes she will do well in math tends to get higher math grades than a girl who does not expect to do well. Task values are more strongly tied to achievement-related choices
symbolic approach
symbols, ideas and emotions related to an issue/attitude
-we automatically associate topics w emotional assessments
ambivalence
def- having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
example- If you love your mom but find her totally embarrassing
strong attitudes vs attitudes
Attitudes influence thought and action. But strong attitudes are persistent, affect judgments, guide behavior, and do not change over time
strong attitudes depend on…
-ego involvement/importance: sense of self
-certainty/knowledge: how sure am I of this stance?
-accessibility: how easily does this attitude come to mind?
-extremity: how far from neutral is my attitude?
-structure: how embedded is this belief with other beliefs?
why attitudes stay strong?
People associate with others with the same view
-We only pay attention to information that supports our view
-We think events/info support our position more than they do (biased assimilation)
-Social judgment theory
4 principles of social judgement theory
-Persuasive messages evaluated w/3 latitudes:
-Ego-involvement & attitude strength affect the size of latitudes:
More ego involvement -> smaller latitude of acceptance,
strong attitude -> smaller latitude of acceptance
-We distort info to fit into latitudes
-Small discrepancies between our anchor and the proposed anchor will lead to change. Large ones will not
Sjt and how we respond to persuasive messages
persuaders need to be aware of an audience’s latitudes of acceptance, noncommitment, and rejection in order to effectively persuade an audience
sjt in persuasion example
For someone who already exercises regularly, a message advocating for daily exercise would likely fall within their latitude of acceptance
sjt components
-Anchor: most acceptable position
-Latitude of Acceptance: position is acceptable
Your range of acceptable positions (“Yes, I agree” or “I can see that”)
-Latitude of Rejection: position is unacceptable (“No, I do not agree”)
-Latitude of Noncommitment: not sure/ambivalent
implicit attitude
an attitude activated without conscious awareness by memory of past experiences
ex: a woman meets a man and takes an instant dislike to him because he reminds her of her ex
knowledge function
Attitudes help us organize the world around us, and make sense of it
utilitarian function
Attitudes that help us or reward us
ex: Might favor a political party that will help advance our economic prospects
social adjustive function
Attitudes help us identify with a group and gain approval
ex: Our attitudes might be a reflection of belonging to a soririty
social identity function
Attitudes can communicate who we think we are and who we want to be
ex: Powerful, superhero, innovative
value expressive function
Attitudes can express our innermost values, beliefs
ex: if value community, would support community service as a college requirement, funding for community org, etc
ego defensive function
attitudes can help protect us
ex: if you feel inferior, you may develop an attitude of superiority - Ohio U is better than Ohio State
matching hypothesis
people are more likely to form successful romantic relationships with individuals who are equally socially desirable as themselves.
models of attitude behavior relationships
-help us understand why attitudes and behavior aren’t always consistent
-Help us identify how to change people’s attitudes & behavior
reason action model
-behavioral beliefs (behavior leads to certain results)ex: someone believes healty lifestyle is important so he decides to eat healthy foods.
-normative beliefs (certain behaviors comply with groups) ex: one sees their family and doctors talk about healthy eating and is influenced to eat better.
-central beliefs (person has the ability to perform the behavior) ex: one took a nutrition class and is now knowledgable on the subject and wants to attempt healthier eating
-> behavioral interaction -> behavior
examples of reason action model
behavioral beliefs- someone might quit smoking if they believe it will improve their breathing
normative beliefs- someone might quit smoking if everyone around them believes its bad
central beliefs- someone might quit smoking if presented with the knowledge of why it is bad
perceived norm and descriptive
perceived: what we think people should do
descriptive: what people are doing
5 key features of attitudes
learned- people develop attitudes throughout childhood
global- attitude concerning all parts of the world
evaluation- to continually examine an issue or topic
objects- Attitude objects may be people, social groups, policy positions, abstract concepts, or physical objects
varied- conflicting beliefs about a topic
Provide examples for how we can use ideas from social judgment theory in persuasion
-understanding the audiences latitudes can help tailor the message
-avoiding extreme messages
balance theory
a theory of attitude change. cognitive consistency is what keeps things balanced. the goal to be consistent is to maintain ones values and beliefs over time.
ex: if a person likes a celebrity that’s endorsing a product, they are more likely to enjoy that product. If a person does not like a product that a celebrity is endorsing, they will most likely not like the celebrity
balanced and imbalanced triads
the triad is balanced when there are three positives. it is imbalanced when there are zero or two positives (when someone agrees with someone they dont like)
ablesons 4 ways to deal with cognitive conflict
-denial: rejecting info (ignoring scientific evidence that proves youre wrong)
-bolstering: seeking info to support your beliefs (when an irganic brand places ingredients on the front to promote healthiness)
-bargaining: finding middle ground (buying hybrid car instead of electronic)
differentiation: making distinctions to reduce behaviors not aligning with beliefs (a vegetarian eating fish because its not a meat)
symbolic approach
- attitudes serve as symbolic representations of social identity and group membership
accessibility theory
accessibility of an attitude—how readily it comes to mind—affects the extent to which it influences an individual’s judgments and behaviors
-more accessibility requires stronger influence
3 key moderators of the attitude behavior relationship
-attitude strength: degree of certainty
-attitude specificity: the more specific the attitude is to the behavior, the more likely one will engage in the behavior
-situational constraints: external factors that prohibit one from acting on a behavior
self-monitoring on the attitude-behavior relationship
-high self monitors: more attuned to social cues and adjust their behavior for different social situations
-low self monitors: less concerned with social situations and express their beliefs more
