Social T3

Question 1

Explain Lavin & Groarkes’ findings (2005)

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Glassman & Albarracín (2006) As attitudes are being formed, they correlate more strongly with a future behaviour when:

Answer 2

attitudes are accessible (easy to recall) are stable over time People have had direct experience with the attitudes objectPeople frequently report their attitudes

Question 3

How are the theory of reasoned action and planned behaviour linked

Answer 3

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

Question 4

How did Lavin & Groarke 2005 use the TPB

Answer 4

To look at techniques to encourage flossing among young people?

Question 5

How does LaPiere (1934) touring USA with a Chinese couple relate to attitudes and emotions?

Answer 5

They visited - 184 hotels/restaurants visited 1 refused service. He contacted them 6 months later to check on changed attitudes?

Question 6

How was Schachter & Singer’s study 1962 structured

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Importance of attitudes

Answer 7

cognitive and behavioural effects social norms (reciprocal) which are subject to change

Question 8

Katz (1950) on functions and utility of attitudes?

Answer 8

high-functionality mechanisms in avoidance and approach of stimuli, protect self-esteem and consequently self-concept

Question 9

Schachter & Singer (1962) empirical research study findings

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

What are attitudes

Answer 10

Overall positive or negative evaluation or attitude towards a behaviour

Question 11

What are cognitions

Answer 11

thoughts, attitudes, beliefs or states of awareness of behaviour.

Question 12

What are subjective norms

Answer 12

perceived social pressure to engage or not to engage in a behaviour

Question 13

What are the four criticisms of James-Lange’s theory by Cannon & Bard (1927,1931)?

Answer 13

• 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)

Question 14

What are the functions of attitudes? (Katz, 1960)

Answer 14

• 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).

Question 15

What did Doll & Ajzen (1992) find (3) on the consistency between attitude behaviour?

Answer 15

Consistency is best when attitude is accessible expressed publiclyThe attitude holder identifies with a group for which the attitude is normative

Question 16

What did Strack, Martin and Stepper (1988) do their empirical research on?

Answer 16

Pen between teeth (vs lips) = cartoons are deemed funnier (facial feedback hypothesis)

Question 17

What is perceived behavioural control?

Answer 17

perceived knowledge, skills and capacity to perform behaviour

Question 18

What is the intention-behaviour gap

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What was Schachter & Singers’ starting assumption in their theory of emotion?

Answer 19

Emotions are determined jointly by perception of physiology (as in James-Lange) AND cognitive assessment of the situation

Question 20

What was the hypothesis of Schachter & Singer’s (1962) study

Answer 20

Irritating context vs. humorous context = anger vs. euphoria

Question 21

Why is having an attitude useful?

Answer 21

Because we orient towards the attitude object and react accordingly, as long as the attitude is easily accessible.

Question 22

Key difference between Emotion and Mood?

Answer 22

• Emotion: Short in duration, intense, clear target
• Mood: long in duration, subliminal, no clear direction

Question 23

What are five strengths of the theory of planned behaviour?

Answer 23

1. continuing heuristic value
2. more or less consistent predictions of the likelihood of behaviour based on PBC and intentions
3. when enough variables are added –> good predictive validity
4. considers behaviour-cognition feedback loops
5. useful framework for interventions

Question 24

What are common criticisms of the theory of planned behaviour?

Answer 24

1. incomplete account of intentional variance
2. no actual techniques for effective attitudinal change
3. inconsiderate of unconscious influences and emotions
4. limited predictive validity (people who set intentions but fail)
5. potentially undervalues age, SES, mental health & identity effects

Question 25

How has the TPB criticism of it being inconsiderate of unconscious influences and emotions been countered?

Answer 25

unconscious influences are considered as they flow through subjective norm, attitudes and perceived control

Question 26

How has the TPB’s criticism of not providing strategies to produce effective change in beliefs been countered?

Answer 26

the goal is to predict and explain, not to be prescriptive