HC 3

Question 1

What is the difference between traits and attitudes?

Answer 1

Traits: Not necessarily evaluative. Response tendency in a situation and relatively stable.

Attitudes: Evaluative. Response tendency toward an object and can change rapidily based on new information.

Question 2

What are attitudes for according to Katz?

Answer 2

The functional theory of Katz states that attitudes reflect past perception of utility of object for an individual. This is the adjustment to punishment and reward.

Furthermore, they have value-expression; from/maintain relationships.

Ego-defense, protect self-image/esteem.

Knowledge: Provide frame of reference for representing enviromnent.

Question 3

How are attitudes applied in consumerism?

Answer 3

Ultitarian goals( planned, rational) self-expression goals, identity-building goals and hedonic goals (pleasure).

The implication of this is that persuasion is more effective when the message matches the consumer goal (r= 0.20).

Question 4

How do people form attitudes?

Answer 4

File-drawer model and attitudes as constructions model.

Question 5

What is the file-drawer model?

Answer 5

Attitudes is a learnt structure in long-term memory that is activated when perceiving attitude object.

Attitudes are files with evaluative information in mental database.

Implies stability.

Question 6

What is the attitudes-as-constructions model?

Answer 6

Attitudes depend on what people think about at a given moment. Evalutation is made online, based on salient or accessible information.

Question 7

How do people form attitudes?

Answer 7

-Cognitive information
-Direct experience vs transmitted info
-Heuristics

-Affective information
-Mere exposure
-Evaluative conditioning
-Affect as information

Question 8

What is the expectancy-value model?

Answer 8

EV= the sum of expectancy x value

or

EU= the sum of belief x evaluation

Attitude is not significantly related to EU. This may be due to the limitations of the study. It is inconsistent with the idea that attitude=expected value. However, this does not mean that attitude is not totally unrelated to expected value, because otherwise, people would make bad decisions very often.

Question 9

What is true about attitude strength?

Answer 9

Some attitudes exert a powerful impact, whereas others have little to no effect.

Stronger attitudes:
-More stable over time
-Greater impact on behaviour
-Greater influence on information processing
-Greater resistance to persuasion