W1: Lectures 1a/b: Intro & Attitudes, Beliefs, Behaviors (Curbow) Flashcards
possible communication roles of the “public health expert”
- public community org.
- public one-on-one
- pub. through mass media
- pub. health org.
- law makers
- agency/sponsor
- science/field
“communication”
- the EXCHANGE of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, or writing
- the PROCESS by which people INTERACTIVELY create, sustain, and manage meaning
- exchange is key
- info can be conveyed in several different formats i.e. verbal nonverbal, writing
The definition of good communication depends on:
the purpose of the communication (i.e. impart, exchange, process, or act on information)
challenges of imparting information
info should be factual, clear, accessible
challenges of exchanging info
partner must be ready, willing, have skills to exchange
challenges of processing info
recipient must be motivated, have ability to process (i.e. free of anxiety, fear), and free of bias
challenges of acting on info
recipient must be motivated and have the skills to act. The environment must not pose barriers to acting.
4 elements of communication theory
imparting, exchanging, processing, and acting on information
Modes of conveying information (6) Which are most used by PHP?
- apathy
- coercion
- persuasion
- education
- propaganda
- manipulation
education and persuasion most used by PHP
they all exist on a continuum, and how to classify them is in the eye of the beholder!
“Education”
to teach a person certain factual information
Perloff’s “Persuasion”
1) the study of attitudes and how to change them
2) a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice
Faden’s “persuasion”
the intentional, successful attempt to induce a person(s) through appeals to reason, to freely accept as his/her own the beliefs, attitudes, values, intentions, or actions advocated by the influence agent
- appeals to reason, not emotion*
- not coercive
Benoit’s “persuasion”
A goal-directed process involving people that can create/change/reinforce attitudes
“coercion” (Perloff)
a technique for FORCING people to act as the coercer wants them to act - presumably contrary to their preferences.
Coercion occurs when the influence agent:
- delivers a threat of some consequence
- attempts to induce the individual to act contrary to his/her preferences
- deprives individual of freedom/autonomy
Cacciopo & Petty’s “Propaganda”
to change other people’s views in order to further one’s own cause or damage an opposing one
Perloff’s “propaganda”
a persuasive communication with which one disagrees and to which the individual attributes hostile intent
“Manipulation of information” (Faden)
Deliberate acts that successfully influence a person by non-persuasively altering the person’s understanding of the situation, thereby altering perceptions. Utilizes deception, being intentionally over-whelming, provoking, taking advantage of fear, anxiety etc., and presenting info in a way that leads to drawing predictable and misleading inferences.
“Psychological manipulation” (Faden)
intentional acts that successfully influence a person’s beliefs or behaviors by causing changes in mental processes other than those involved in understanding (subliminal suggestion, flattery, appeals to emotional weakness, induction of guilt, feelings of obligation)
What needs to be changed when we try to change/influence people’s behavior?
Attitudes
Affect/evaluative defs. of “Attitude”
1) general and enduring positive or neg. feelings about some person, object, or issue
2) likes/dislikes
3) feelings that an attitude object is good/bad, fair or unfair
4) dispositions to evaluate objects favorably or unfavorably
Allport’s “attitude”
1) psychological entities that exist in people’s heads, but can be measured
- arise out of experience
- prompt or direct behavior
- direct us to do things in an orderly fashion
Perloff’s “attitude”
a learned, global (and usually emotional) evaluation of an object (person, place, or issue) that influences thought and action
“life values” (Perloff)
desirable end states or behaviors that transcend specific situations, guide selection or evaluation of behavior and events, and are ordered by relative importance
life values –> attitudes –> beliefs
VAB :)
“sense of belonging”
to be accepted and needed by family, friends, and community
“excitement”
to experience stimulation and thrills
“self-fulfillment”
to find peace of mind and to make the best use of my talents
Zanna & Remplar’s “attitude”
the categorization of a stimulus object along an evaluative dimension based upon, or generated from, 3 general classes of information:
1) cognitive info
2) affective/emotional info
3) info concerning past behaviors or behavioral intentions
“beliefs”
info a person has about other people, objects or issues; may or may not be factual
“primitive beliefs”
associates an attribute with an object on the basis of personal experience
the hardest to change
“informational beliefs”
based on knowledge gained by the verbalization of others
“inferential beliefs”
goes beyond directly observable events; a link with other beliefs
Types of beliefs
- primitive
- informational
- inferential
- descriptive
- prescriptive
- evaluative
“descriptive beliefs”
verifiable statements
“prescriptive beliefs”
statements about the appropriateness of a position or activity in a given situation
“evaluative beliefs”
statements that reflect a general evaluation of an attitude object
Tripartite view of attitudes
view that says that attitudes have different components: cognition, affect, and conation
“conation”
a behavioral intention/orientation towards the behavioral object
“affect”
emotional feelings and physiological consequences of encountering or thinking about an attitude object; they vary from + to -
“behavior”
intentions and overt actions taken in regard to the attitude object; vary from supportive to hostile
“cognitive”
facts, knowledge structures, beliefs, inferences and assumptions made about the attitude object; they vary from favorable to unfavorable
ABC of attitude
Attitude, behavior, cognition
slide 16 lecture 1b
:)
Expectancy-Value Theory
assumes a specific relationship b/w beliefs and attitudes
-attitude may be comprised of different beliefs, and also our evaluation of those beliefs
Attitude formula
sum of b(i) * e(i)
= (sum of strength x evaluation for each component) + (belief x good or bad) ??
Ajzen and Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action
Person’s beliefs that the behavior leads to certain outcomes and his/her evaluation of those outcomes –> attitude toward the behavior –> intention –> behavior. At the same time, the person’s beliefs that specific individuals or groups think he/she should or should not perform the behavior and his/her motivation to comply –> subjective norms –> intention –> behavior. In other words, we focus on beliefs that lead to an attitude –> intention –> behavior, and we need to find core beliefs that uphold the attitude and behavior
“attitudes”
emotional reactions, sweeping sentiments, and powerful prejudices
ideology is similar to:
values
“ego involvement” (w/ regards to attitude)
the attitude is linked to core values or the self
“extremity” (w/ regards to attitude)
the attitude deviates significantly from neutrality
“accessibility” (w/ regards to attitude)
the attitude comes quickly to mind
“hierarchical org.” (w/ regards to attitude)
the attitude is internally consistent and embedded in an elaborate attitudinal structure
