Week 1 Flashcards
Attitude Definition
An attitude is an individuals evaluation of a target.
Examples of a Target (attitude)
A person, an object, an issue, a group, a behaviour
-most interested in attitudes toward other people and social issues
Valence if attitudes: definition and types
Valence of attitudes: the direction of the attitude
-it can be positive or negative
-it can be ambivalent (favourable or unfavourable at different times toward the same person, object, or issue) - eg. Hair on someone’s head is good but it’s bad when it’s in the drain
-can also be neutral (neither positive or negative)
Likert Scale
A scale used to measure attitudes toward an issue (numerical)
Semantic Differential Scales
Used to rate a target on several evaluative dimensions - given 2 feeling words in opposition on 2 ends of a line - mark an x on the line to show which word you’re leaning towards
Advantage and disadvantage of Likert and Semantic Differential Scales
Advantage: easy to construct
Disadvantage: people aren’t always willing to honestly report beliefs/attitudes
Why do we evaluate? : Object-Appraisal Function
To determine whether an attitude object is helpful or harmful (adaptive value)
Why do we evaluate? : Value-Expressive Function
Attitudes allow us to convey identity to others
Eg. I’m a member of…inclusivity, LGBTQ+ affirming, etc
Attitude formation: where do they stem from?
3 sources:
-Affective reactions
-Cognitive Appraisals
-Assessment of Past Behaviour
-attitude mainly relies on only on of these sources, but can rely on more than one
Affective Reactions
Attitudes relying principally on affect - eg. Politics, sex, religion
-not governed by logic
-are often linked to values
-often info given to an individual will not change their attitudes as these attitudes specifically are not governed by logic (more by emotion)
