Social T3 Flashcards
Explain Lavin & Groarkes’ findings (2005)
Implementation intentions were not found to be an effective intervention in increasing dental floss behaviour. Results suggest that interventions should target an individual’s attitude and perceptions of control in order to increase dental floss intentions and behaviour.
Glassman & Albarracín (2006) As attitudes are being formed, they correlate more strongly with a future behaviour when:
attitudes are accessible (easy to recall) are stable over time People have had direct experience with the attitudes objectPeople frequently report their attitudes
How are the theory of reasoned action and planned behaviour linked
expansion of the reasoned action: if people believe they have control over a behaviour it’s easier to predict it from a measure of attitude; this expansion was needed because it wasn’t a good predictor behaviour
How did Lavin & Groarke 2005 use the TPB
To look at techniques to encourage flossing among young people?
How does LaPiere (1934) touring USA with a Chinese couple relate to attitudes and emotions?
They visited - 184 hotels/restaurants visited 1 refused service. He contacted them 6 months later to check on changed attitudes?
How was Schachter & Singer’s study 1962 structured
Some participants received adrenaline shot (increase in arousal) Others received placebo (salt solution)Some participants were told that injection would cause these effects, others remained uninformed or misinformed
Importance of attitudes
cognitive and behavioural effects social norms (reciprocal) which are subject to change
Katz (1950) on functions and utility of attitudes?
high-functionality mechanisms in avoidance and approach of stimuli, protect self-esteem and consequently self-concept
Schachter & Singer (1962) empirical research study findings
Participants experienced their adrenaline surge differently depending on context. This supports the Schacter and Singer theory as it shows participants drew meaning from ambiguous changes in arousal and used that to construct emotions.
What are attitudes
Overall positive or negative evaluation or attitude towards a behaviour
What are cognitions
thoughts, attitudes, beliefs or states of awareness of behaviour.
What are subjective norms
perceived social pressure to engage or not to engage in a behaviour
What are the four criticisms of James-Lange’s theory by Cannon & Bard (1927,1931)?
- Context matters
- How the situation is ‘cognitively assessed’ is important
- The physical arousal triggered by a stimulus can create different emotions (heart pounding: fear, joy)
What are the functions of attitudes? (Katz, 1960)
- Knowledge
- Instrumentality/Adjustment (means to an end or goal)
- Ego-defence (protecting one’s self-esteem) * Value-expressiveness (allowing people to display values that uniquely identify and define them).
What did Doll & Ajzen (1992) find (3) on the consistency between attitude behaviour?
Consistency is best when attitude is accessible expressed publiclyThe attitude holder identifies with a group for which the attitude is normative
What did Strack, Martin and Stepper (1988) do their empirical research on?
Pen between teeth (vs lips) = cartoons are deemed funnier (facial feedback hypothesis)
What is perceived behavioural control?
perceived knowledge, skills and capacity to perform behaviour
What is the intention-behaviour gap
illustrates how attitudes can be a poor predictor of behaviour become sometimes situational factors override ones attitude (people who care about animals being carnivours) → behaviour is not changed or mantained despite intention
What was Schachter & Singers’ starting assumption in their theory of emotion?
Emotions are determined jointly by perception of physiology (as in James-Lange) AND cognitive assessment of the situation
What was the hypothesis of Schachter & Singer’s (1962) study
Irritating context vs. humorous context = anger vs. euphoria
Why is having an attitude useful?
Because we orient towards the attitude object and react accordingly, as long as the attitude is easily accessible.
Key difference between Emotion and Mood?
- Emotion: Short in duration, intense, clear target
- Mood: long in duration, subliminal, no clear direction
What are five strengths of the theory of planned behaviour?
- continuing heuristic value
- more or less consistent predictions of the likelihood of behaviour based on PBC and intentions
- when enough variables are added –> good predictive validity
- considers behaviour-cognition feedback loops
- useful framework for interventions
What are common criticisms of the theory of planned behaviour?
- incomplete account of intentional variance
- no actual techniques for effective attitudinal change
- inconsiderate of unconscious influences and emotions
- limited predictive validity (people who set intentions but fail)
- potentially undervalues age, SES, mental health & identity effects
How has the TPB criticism of it being inconsiderate of unconscious influences and emotions been countered?
unconscious influences are considered as they flow through subjective norm, attitudes and perceived control
How has the TPB’s criticism of not providing strategies to produce effective change in beliefs been countered?
the goal is to predict and explain, not to be prescriptive
