Unit 4 Flashcards
Behavior and attitudes
What is the definition of attitudes?
People’s evaluation’s evaluation of almost any aspect of the world
What plays a role in the attitudes people form and the intensity with which those are held?
self-interest
What can attitudes appear to be?
quite stable and resistant to change or unstable and showing considerable variability
What can we hold attitudes with?
great certainty or unclear/uncertain
What can influence what attitudes we form?
related values
How can we describe some attitudes?
strong and accessible
What are explicit attitudes?
they are conscious and reportable and therefore easy to measure
-> what I say
What are implicit attitudes?
less controllable and potentially not consciously accessible and therefore more difficult to measure
-> what I show
Are implicit and explicit attitudes coherent?
they may not be
What are pro’s of the implicit association test?
- provides further proof to theory of ‘dual processing’, controlled vs automatic
- shows influence attitudes have
- Implicit evaluations still can be used to predict some behaviours better than explicit attitudes
What are con’s of the implicit association test?
- Can’t be used to compare individuals.
- Explicit attitudes interfere, like guilt and compassion.
- General knowledge still interferes: stereotypes or known attributes.
- Susceptible to faking when aware of attitudes.
What is social learning?
acquiring views by social interaction or by observing their behavior
-> Classical conditioning, Instrumental conditioning and Observational learning
How does Classical Conditioning affect our attitudes?
through two pathways:
- direct route
- indirect route
What is the direct route of CC affecting our attitudes?
a positive S is paired with the object, the product is placed with attractive outcomes (positive stimuli)
What is the indirect route of CC affecting our attitudes?
get a famous endorser to produce a pairing between the public figure and the product (repetition is key)
Through which 2 things does classical conditioning influence attitude formation?
- subliminal conditioning
- the illusion of truth effect
What is subliminal conditioning?
attitudes can be changed through mere exposure, even when we don’t remember being exposed to the information
What is the illusion of truth effect?
repetition creates a sense of familiarity and results in more positive attitudes regardless of how weak or strong the message is
What can attitudes be changed through?
mere exposure with subtle conditioning, even if we are not aware of the stimuli that serves as the basis
What applies to instrumental conditioning AND observational learning?
We may change our opinions and how we express them, to fit in and to receive a positive reinforcement
How does Instrumental conditioning influence attitude formation?
Through social media and the groups we belong to
-> especially relevant in teen years
How does observational learning influence attitude formation?
through social comparison and reference groups
What can directly affect the attitude-behaviour connection?
The social context
When might we be aware of a gap between attitude and behaviour?
We might be aware of conscious choices not to act on our “true” attitude.
How does the degree of social consequences affect attitude-behaviour connection?
Depending on the degree to which the action has social consequences, attitudes may be differentially related to behaviour
Can attitude predict behaviour?
yes, attitude might be a good predictor of wether you would do something
What role does the social context play in the attitude-behaviour relationship?
The social context plays a determining role in whether attitudes and behaviour are related, influencing consistency between them
How does certainty affect attitude-behaviour consistency?
certainty refers to how certain you are of your own attitude. The more certain you are, the more likely your behaviour will align with your attitude
How does stability of attitudes affect behaviour?
When people believe their attitudes are stable over time, they feel more certain about them and are more likely to act on them
What is pluralistic ignorance?
when we erroneously believe others have attitudes different than ours and adjust our attitudes to align with the perceived norm
Who is more likely to experience pluralistic ignorance?
People who highly identify with their group (e.g., student groups) are especially likely to experience pluralistic ignorance
What is the definition of the strength of attitudes?
The term strength captures the extremity of an attitude, the degree of certainty with which an attitude is held, as well as the extent to which the attitude is based on personal experience with the attitude object
What does extremity mean in the strength of attitudes?
how strong the emotional reaction is
What does certainty mean in the strength of attitudes?
the sense that you know what your attitude is and the feeling that it is the correct position to hold
What does personal experience mean in the strength of attitudes?
the more we experience, the more we have an attitude towards something
-> with the attitude object
What is Accessibility in attitudes?
How easily the attitude comes to mind in various situations
What kind of attitude object tends to be a strong attitude?
extreme, certain and formed based on personal experience
When is greater attitude behavior consistency found?
when attitudes are strong
What is the theory of planned behavior?
The decision to engage in a particular behaviour as the result of a rational process
What does creating an effective implementation plan mean?
to no longer have to asses factors, willingness, intention, commitment
What are the 2 factors the intentions to change are determined by?
- Attitudes toward the behavior
- Subjective norms
What is Attitudes toward the behavior, Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control?
Attitudes toward the behavior: people’s positive or negative evaluations of
performing the behaviour
Subjective norms: people’s perception of whether others will approve or disapprove of this behaviour
perceived behavioral control:people’s appraisal of their ability to perform the behaviour
What does Fazio’s attitude-to-behavior process model state?
Attitude + norms = definition of the event -> behavior
events activate attitude, attitude influences how we perceive the attitude object
