W6a: Attitudes and Attitude change Flashcards
Conceptual definition of attitudes
mental representation of a summary evaluation of an attitude object (stored in memory) attitude objects: Things, actions, events Self: self esteem Grps: prejudice Others: global impression
Explicit and implicit attitudes
Explicit attitudes: attitudes that people deliberately express:
Consciously accessible
Revealed in explicit measures
Implicit attitudes: automatic, uncontrollable evaluations. Might be consciously inaccessible Might be accessible but not willing to report (IAT?)
Explicit measures of attitudes:
asking a person to report on their attitudes
Types
Limitations
assessing explicit attitudes
Self-report scales:
1) likert
2) Semantic differential
Limitations:
1) Social desirability biases: people may distort their self-reports
2) Implicit attitudes – may not be consciously accessed, thus can’t be reported on
Implicit measures of attitudes
Types
assess implicit attitudes
Overcomes Social desirability biases and limits of introspection
Types
1) physiological responses
2) Some use fake physiological responses (bogus pipeline: encourage ppl not to lie)
3) Most common use response (reaction) time (RTs) paradigms (patterns of RT)
participants do not know.
RT Paradigms/
assume that patterns of response times to stimuli can reveal underlying attitudes
Based on spreading activation accounts of the mental processes. Uses the following theories:
1) Mind is an associative network
2) Activation spreads between nodes
Spreading activation and response time paradigms
Spreading activation:
1) expose to a stimulus (corresponding node activated),
2) subsequent responding to a related stimulus should be faster than to an less related or unrelated stimulus
RT:
Patterns of RTs can be
used to infer patterns of association between concepts in the mind
Spreading activation and response time paradigms:
Applying to Attitudes
if exposed to an attitude object, then responses to subsequent evaluative stimuli (i.e., positive or negative stimuli) can reveal whether attitude is positive or negative
Infer: shorter RT -> closer in the networks
Attitude properties:
the 3 Structure/components/bases
1) Affective,
2) Behavioral
3) Cognitive.
Most attitudes have mix of ABC; however different bases may carry more weight in determining the overall evaluation
Attitude components/bases
Affective
components:
emotions, feelings about att. object
How things like anger felt on the road -> then the next time on the road will be angry
Attitude components/bases
Behavioural
interactions with attitude object
-frequent use of att. object
Attitude components/bases
Cognitive
beliefs about att. object
- att. object is good for my health
(may not be true)
Attitude properties:
What are the Attitude Functions (5)
1) Knowledge function
2) Instrumental/utilitarian function
3) Social identity/social adjustive function
4) Impression management/value expressive function
5) Self-esteem/defensive function
Variation: object; group/culture and individual differences
Attitude Functions:
1) Knowledge function
Have/express attitudes to make sense of the world – to ‘summarize’ our experiences with attitude objects
Attitude Functions:
2) Instrumental/utilitarian function
Have/express attitudes to help guide behaviour; achieve rewards and avoid punishments
Attitude Functions:
3) Social identity/social adjustive function
Have/express attitudes to fit into groups or relationships
Attitude Functions:
4) Impression management/value expressive function
Have/express attitudes to express one’s values; ideology
Attitude Functions:
5) Self-esteem/defensive function
Have/express attitudes that protect the self (from low self-esteem; anxiety)
Attitude properties:
Strength and Ambivalence
Strong attitudes:
1) held with confidence, certainty
2) Usually based on lots of one-sided info (A, B, C, social)
3) Are persistent, resistant and predictive of intentions and behaviour
Ambivalent attitudes:
contain positive and negative evaluative components and bases
Attitude Formation:
Multiple routes to attitude formation
Often multiple processes at play
Broadly:
Affective processes
Behavioural processes
Cognitive processes
Attitude Formation:
Affective processes
S18
Mere exposure:
familiarity breeds liking
Repeated exposure increases ease of processing attitude object; this positivity becomes attributed to attitude object
Evaluative conditioning: (co-occurence)
pairing a positive or negative stimulus with a neutral target
Attitude Formation:
Behavioural processes
S19
1) Direct behavioural influences
(?)
2) Self-perception: we learn what we like from observing what we do (we do therefore we like)
3)Cognitive dissonance reduction (do but not like -> must be i like)
Attitude Formation:
Cognitive processes
S20
Reasoned inference:
think through facts about object and draw evaluative inferences (ELM)
Processes of attitude change
3
1) Social influence (conformity, obedience)
2) Perceived norms (descriptive and injunctive)
3) Cognitive dissonance reduction (??)
persuasion
and
standard persuasion frame
persuasion:
change of an attitude via processing of a message about an attitude object
Frame
context/situation:
Source – message – recipient
Amount/nature of attitude change depends on attributes of each of these elements
In conjunction with…depth of processing
Dual process models of attitude change (via persuasion)
Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM; Chaiken et al., 1989)
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM; Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)
Two processing routes: deep or superficial (continuum)
Two important implications:
1) Amount and kind of attitude change (e.g., persistent, predictive of behaviour) depends on processing route
2) Factors influencing attitude change and manner of influence are contingent on processing route
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM; Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)
routes of persuasion
Attitudes can be changed by processes that involve more or less attitude object-relevant elaboration or thinking:
Low elaboration characterizes peripheral route of persuasion
High elaboration characterizes central route of persuasion
Attitude change can occur via both routes:
different processes with different consequences
Consequences of route-specific attitude change
ELM Schematic S28
Central route persuasion:
Attitudes formed (or changed) based on more elaboration and validation are:
1) Stronger
2) More persistent over time (stable)
3) Resistant to further change
4) Predictive of intentions and behaviour
Opp for peripheral route
peripheral route VS central route:
What influences route selection?
1) If one is motivated and capable, one will process message deeply (central route)
2) What influences adoption of processing route?
Motivation:
- Goal, value or self relevance
- Accountability
- Need for cognition: desire and enjoyment of thinking
(high: central, low: peripheral)
Capacity
- Ability (high: central)
- Distraction (low: central)
Mood (positive: more peripheral)
Central route factors:
Source and Message
Petty & Cacioppo (1984)
Because people are thinking deeply, argument quality matters
Present message containing strong or weak arguments
To participants that had high or low involvement
Low = peripheral; high = central
Argument quality influences persuasion in the central route no effect on peripheral
Peripheral route factors:
Message
Petty & Cacioppo (1984)
message characteristics:
Rely on msg heuristics
1) Quantity:
Argument quantity influences attitude change
2) Familiarity:
Repeated exposure to a message increases liking
Repetition -> ease -> good attributed to attitude object
Peripheral route factors:
Source
Petty & Cacioppo (1984)
source characteristics:
1) Credibility: expertise (knowledge), trustworthiness (honest)
2) Attractiveness (likeableness)
- Physical attractiveness
Pallak (1983)
- Liking -> unconscious mimicry
mimicry produces liking.
