W6.b

Question 1

Link between attitudes and behaviour

Answer 1

Attitudes ≠ Behaviours
Attitudes can predict behaviours
Behaviours can shape attitude formation

Question 2

Direct behavioural bases of attitudes

Answer 2

Acting on the attitude object

-If attitude object is acted upon with a valenced behaviour, this can shape attitude formation and change

Question 3

Cognitive dissonance and the maintenance of cognitive consistency

Answer 3

Cognitive dissonance: experienced negative arousal resulting from such inconsistency

People may be motivated to reduce dissonance via a number of strategies:

• Modifying attitudes to restore consistency
• Cognitive dissonance theory

Question 4

Experimental paradigms for studying cognitive dissonance

“Induced compliance paradigm”

Answer 4

Insufficient justification effect
Attitudes modified to reduce dissonance caused by attitude-discrepant behaviour that cannot be attributed to an external reward or punishment

Question 5

Experimental paradigms for studying cognitive dissonance

“Effort justification”

Answer 5

Initiation and liking
Three conditions: control, mild effort/initiation, high effort/initiation

Attitudes are changed to reduce dissonance caused by choosing to exert considerable effort or suffering to achieve a goal

Question 6

Experimental paradigms for studying cognitive dissonance

“Post-decisional dissonance (‘free-choice paradigm’; spreading of alternatives)”

Answer 6

Attitude change to reduce dissonance caused by a freely made decision
-Amplify positives of chosen option; amplify negatives of un-chosen option

Question 7

When is attitude change most likely to occur?

Answer 7

Action is perceived as inconsistent
Action is perceived as freely chosen
Individual experiences physiological arousal
Arousal is attributed to perceived inconsistency between attitude and the action

Question 8

When and how do attitudes predict behaviour?

Answer 8

It depends on the kind of

• Behavior
• Attitude
• Attitude-behaviour compatibility

Question 9

Distinctions of different kinds of behaviours

Answer 9

Intentional behaviour

Habitual behaviour (triggered by environmental cues)

Uncontrolled, spontaneous (but not habitual) behaviour:

• Behavior that does not require conscious intention, but is not frequently repeated in similar contexts
• Enacted via automatic processes (Although not established routines)

Question 10

Attitudes effects depend on behaviour type

Answer 10

Attitudes can affect behaviours directly or indirectly (or not at all)

Spontaneous behaviours - directly (Implicit attitudes are most relevant here) (non-verbal friendliness)

Intentional behaviours - indirectly (via intentions) (Explicit attitudes are most relevant here) (verbal friendliness)

Habitual behaviours - little impact; past behaviour is a better predictor here

Question 11

What kind of attitudes tend to influence behaviour?

Answer 11

Accessible, strong, stable attitudes

Question 12

What increases accessibility, strength and stability?

Answer 12

Elaboration (motivation and capacity)

Repeated expression

Direct experience with attitude object

One-sidedness of informational base

Confidence

Question 13

How can attitudes predict intentional behaviour?

Answer 13

Via intentions

Intention: a commitment to reach a desired outcome or perform a desired behaviour

Question 14

What is theory of reasoned action?

Answer 14

Attitudes and norms combine to predict intentions, which in turn predict actions

Question 15

Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB; Ajzen,

1985)

Answer 15

The theory that attitudes, social norms, and perceived control combine to influence intentions and thus behavior (conjunction with norms and efficacy beliefs)
Behavioral belief -> Attitude toward the behavior
Normative belief -> Subjective norm
Control belief -> Perceived behavioral control

Question 16

Match: principle of compatibility

correspondence

Answer 16

Target, action, context and time (TACT)
Increased match between properties of action and attitude increase prediction
Attitudes towards the behaviour predicts better than attitude towards the target of the behaviour (birth control vs. pills vs. using pills vs. using the next 2 years)

Question 17

How does attitude guide behavior? without much thought

Answer 17

• orient people to the attitude object
• focus attention on some characteristics of the stimulus and away from others, changing the object that people perceive
• dictate the perception of objects to such an extent that people have a tough time realizing that the objects have changed.

Question 18

What is implementation intention?

Answer 18

A plan to carry out a specific goal-directed behavior in a specific situation.

Question 19

When do attitudes influence action?

Answer 19

Attitude can be made accessible by deliberate thought, self-awareness, or frequent use.

Only attitudes that correspond to a particular behaviour will be able to guide that behavior. (corresponds with the desired behavior to mind)

Implicit attitudes predict uncontrollable behaviours better.

Explicit attitudes predict controllable behaviors better.

Behavior is more likely to reflect attitudes if people both believe they have control and actually do have control over behavior.