Lesson 3+4 - Attitude Formation & Change

Question 1

Stereotype

Answer 1

Generalised beliefs about a group of people. They can be either positive or negative. They can sometimes reflect reality, but most often they are exaggerated.
(Think - Stems from cognition)

Question 2

Cognitive Load

Answer 2

The brain’s processing amount. Can reduce the cognitive load of brain processing by placing people into groups based on common characteristics…

Question 3

Prejudice

Answer 3

An undeserved, usually negative, attitude towards a group of people.
- Many people look down upon others who don’t dress the same, eat the same or worship the same gods.
(Feel - How someone feels about someone else)

Question 4

Discrimination

Answer 4

An unjustifiable negative behaviour (action) towards a group of people.
- It can be either explicit or microaggressions such as a reluctance to sit next to someone.
(Behaviour or act - someone does something…)

Question 5

Implicit Attitudes

Answer 5

We are unaware of a prejudiced attitude and how it influences our behaviour (Unconscious)

Question 6

Explicit Attitudes

Answer 6

A person is aware of this attitude and conscious of it when they behave… (Marches, parades, obvious things)

Question 7

Out-group homogeneity Bias

Answer 7

The tendency to perceive those in the out-group as being very similar, while the in-group is more diverse.
(results from in-group bias)

Question 8

In-group Bias

Answer 8

Favoruring members of one’s in-group over members of the out-group.

Question 9

Ethnocentrism

Answer 9

The most common type of Prejudice…
- The belief that one’s race/ethnicity/culture is superior to others.
- People get so used for their own cultures that they see them as the standard by which people judge other cultures.

Question 10

Belief Perseverance

Answer 10

When a person holds to a belief or set of beliefs even when confronted with contrary evidence.
- There are many different types, such as self-impressions, social impressions, and naive theories.

Question 11

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 11

The mental tension/discomfort (dissonance) felt when our actions and attitudes (cognitive) do not align
- The more responsible we feel for a behaviour perceived as undesirable/unacceptable, the more dissonance (discomfort) we feel.
- Whenwe become aware of this dissonance, we want to relieve the tension, so we bring our attitudes in line with our behaviour.
- In order to do this, we change our attitudes to help justify our behaviour. (process of rationalization)