Midterm 1

Question 1

What is an Attitude

Answer 1

A settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a persons behaviour

Question 2

What is an assumption?

Answer 2

Something that is deemed to be true in the absence of supporting evidence

Question 3

Where do our assumptions come from?

Answer 3

• Grounded in attitudes and beliefs
• Our attitudes and beliefs are grounded in history
  Our attitudes and and beliefs are grounded in experiences and fears
• Our assumptions are greatly impacted by societal values

Question 4

Where does “Normal” come from?

Answer 4

Statistician (Adolphe Quetelet) applied “law of error” from astronomy to human and social behaviour, measured various traits of people and the middle of the curve was how people “ought to be”
Then people thought that the best place on the curve was above average (insult to be within the mean), which creates even more pressure for people experiencing disability that aren’t even in the middle

Question 5

Eugenics

Answer 5

The belief that certain people are genetically superior to others that are inferior and therefore pollute the gene pool thus diminishing the strength and desirability of the entire population

Question 6

Alberta passed the sterilization act in what year?

Answer 6

1928-1972

Question 7

What are the three attitude theories?

Answer 7

• Contact theory
• Persuasive communication theory
• Social cognitive theory

Question 8

Contact theory

Answer 8

States that our attitudes are changed through increased contact and the nature of contact is critical

Question 9

4 components of contact theory

Answer 9

1. Equal status
2. Cooperative pursuit of common goals
3. Personal interactions
4. Acceptance by authority