SocPsych7-9 Flashcards
Attitudes
Evaluations of people, objects, and ideas
3 types of attitudes
Behavioral, affective, cognitive
Behavioral attitute
Attitude that reflects actions or observable behavior
Cognitive Attitudes
Attitudes based on thoughts and beliefs
Affective attitudes
Attitudes centered around emotional reaction
Potential Origins of Behavior
- genetic origins
- social experiences
- simply liking something
Genetic orgins
Identical twins sharing more attitudes than fraternal twins; indirect function of our genes (temperament, personality)
Social experiences
Not all attitudes are created equally; may share components, but any attitude can be based more on one type pf experiences than another
How we change attitudes
Classical & Operant Conditioning
Classical conditioning
Type of behavioral learning that involves placing a neutral stimulus before a naturally occurring reflex (ex: smell of mothballs triggering emotions experienced from grandma’s house)
Operant conditioning
method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior (ex: telling kid to not play with ‘that kind of child’)
Implicit attitudes
Attitudes that exist outside of conscious awareness
Explicit attitudes
Attitudes that we consciously endorse and can easily report
La Piere’s Experiement
examined anti-Chinese attitudes and discrimination
Asked if U.S. managers would serve a Chinese visitor
Only one said they would
May predict spontaneous behavior
Attitude accessibility
the likelihood that an attitude will be automatically activated from memory on encountering the attitude object.
Theory of Planned Behavior
Three core components, namely, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, together shape an individual’s behavioral intentions.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
When they cannot explain behavior with external justifications, they may
turn to internal explanations and make an attitude change to bridge the gap between your behavior and attitude
Internal & External Factors that can change attitude
- Cognitive Dissonance Theory
- Social influence of friends
- Persuasive communication
- Elaboration Likelihood Model
Persuasive Communication
A message advocating a particular side of an issue
Elaboration Likelihood Model
A model explaining two ways in which persuasive communications can cause attitude change:
central: people strongly motivated carefully weigh the pros and cons of a choice.
peripheral: people less motivated are more tangential to the decision at hand.
Fear-Arousal Communications
Persuasive message that attempts to change people’s attitudes by arousing their fears
How Advertising Works
Most advertisements target people’s emotions by associating positive feelings towards their product & making product relevant to daily life
Subliminal Messages
Words or pictures that are not consciously perceived but may nevertheless influence judgments, attitudes, and behaviors
Advertising & Culture
Advertisements work best if they are tailored to the kind of attitude they are trying to change and the expectations and thinking styles of the target audience
Attitude Inoculation
Making people immune to attempts to change their attitudes by initially exposing them to small doses of the arguments against their position
Reactance Theory
The idea that when people feel their freedom to perform a certain behavior is threatened, an unpleasant state of resistance is aroused, which they can reduce by performing the prohibited behavior
Ways of Resisting Persuasive Messages
- Attitude Inoculation
- Resisting Peer Pressure
- Alert to Product Placement
- Reactance Theory