Social Psychology: Attitudes

Question 1

Norman Triplett

Answer 1

• First to study Social Psychology

- Studied Effects of Competition

Question 2

1st Textbook of Social Psychology

Answer 2

by William McDougall & EH Ross

Question 3

Consistency Theory

Answer 3

People prefer Consistency

Question 4

Balance Theory

Answer 4

Theory of how balance must occur between 3 elements

Question 5

Fritz Heider

Answer 5

Created Balance Theory

Question 6

Leon Festinger

Answer 6

Create Cognitive DIssonance Theory

Question 7

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 7

Theory of the Conflict you feel when your Attitudes are not in synch with your behaviors.

Question 8

Free Choice

Answer 8

A method of resolving dissonance (A person makes a choice between several desirable alternatives)

Question 9

Post-Decisional Dissonance

Answer 9

When dissonance emerges after his choice

Question 10

Spreading of Alternatives

Answer 10

An approach to reduce dissonance by spreading their worth apart. (More negative/ more positive than the others)

Question 11

Festinger and Carlsmith’s Cognitive Dissonance Experiment

Answer 11

• $1 group versus $20 group
• Asked to complete a boring task and describe it as enjoyable
• $1 group = enjoyed task
• $20 group = didn’t enjoy the task

Question 12

Minimal Justification Effect

Answer 12

When the external justification is minimal, you will reduce your dissonance by changing internal cognition

Question 13

2 Main Principles of Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 13

• if a person is pressured to say or do something contrary to his or her privately held attitudes, there will be a tendency for him or her to change those attitudes
• The greater the pressure to comply, the less the person’s attitude will change. Ultimately, attitude change generally occurs when the behavior is induced with minimum pressure.

Question 14

Daryl Bem

Answer 14

Created Self-Perception Theory

Question 15

Self-Perception Theory

Answer 15

The theory that when your attitudes about something are weak or ambiguous, you observe your own behaviors and attribute to yourself.
- People infer what their attitudes are based upon observation of their own behavior.

Question 16

Forced- Compliance Dissonance

Answer 16

When an individual is forced into behaving in a manner that is inconsistent with his or her beliefs or attitudes.

Question 17

Difference between Forced-Compliance Dissonance versus Self-Perception

Answer 17

There is not state of discomfort/ dissonance in self-perception theory, a person’s initial attitude is irrelevant and there is no discomfort produced by behavior.

Question 18

Overjustification Effect

Answer 18

If you reward people for something they already like doing, they may stop liking it.

Question 19

Carl Hovland’s Model

Answer 19

Attitude Change as a process of communicating a message with the intent to persuade someone

Question 20

Communication of Persuasion

Answer 20

The Communicator vs. The Communication vs. The Situation

- The more credible the source, the more believable

Question 21

Sleeper Effect

Answer 21

Over time, the persuasive impact of the high credibility source decreased while the persuasive impact of the low-credibility source increased.

Question 22

Arguing against owns own self-interest

Answer 22

Increases their credibility

Question 23

Two-Sided Message

Answer 23

A message that contains arguments for and against a position. Creating a “balanced” communication

Question 24

Petty & Caccioppe

Answer 24

Created Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

Question 25

Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion

Answer 25

There are 2 routes to persuasion: the central route and peripheral route

Question 26

Central Route to Persuasion

Answer 26

A route where the issue is important to us. A stronger argument will change ones attitudes

Question 27

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

Answer 27

A route where the issue is not important to us. The how, by whom and what surroundings will impact the persuasion

Question 28

William McGuire

Answer 28

Used Analogy of Inoculation against Diseases to describe People’s Resistance to Persuasion

Question 29

Cultural Truism

Answer 29

Social beliefs that are seldom questioned and thus more vulnerable for attack

Question 30

Analogy of Inoculation

Answer 30

Belief that people can be psychologically inoculated against persuasion.

Question 31

Refuted Counterarguments

Answer 31

Presenting arguments against and then refuting the arguments.
MCGuire used this technique to inoculate people against attacks on cultural truisms.

Question 32

Belief Perserverance

Answer 32

Under certain circumstances, people will hold beliefs even after those beliefs have been shown false. If people are provided a belief and asked to create arguments for that belief, they will believe it longer.

Question 33

Reactance

Answer 33

If you try to hard to persuade someone of something, that person will choose to believe the opposite of your position.