Attitudes and Attitude Change

Attitudes are evaluations of people, objects, or ideas.

The three components of attitudes are affective (emotional responses toward attitude object), cognitive (thoughts and beliefs about attitude object), and behavioural (actions or observable behaviour toward the attitude object).

Explicit attitudes are attitudes that we can consciously endorse and can easily report.

Implicit attitudes are attitudes that are involuntary, uncontrollable, and at times unconscious.

Attitudes can be based on any of the three components (affective, cognitive, and behavioural), or a combination of them.

Explicit attitudes may be formed based on recent experiences.

Implicit attitudes may be formed based on childhood experiences.

The topic of Attitudes Topic 6 is attitudes.

The text does not provide a clear answer to whether attitudes predict behaviour.

Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort that arises when a person holds conflicting beliefs or values.

Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control

A model that proposes two routes to attitude change - central route and peripheral route

The route used when people pay attention to the arguments and their content

The route used when people do not pay attention to the arguments and are swayed by surface characteristics

Source of the communication, nature of the communication, and nature of the audience

A persuasive message that attempts to change people's attitudes by arousing their fears

Studying the conditions under which people are most likely to change their attitudes in response to persuasive messages

A theory that predicts planned, deliberate behaviors based on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control

Often weak

To advocate for a particular side of an issue

Cognitive dissonance refers to a feeling of discomfort caused by the realization that one’s behavior is inconsistent with one’s attitudes, or that one holds two conflicting attitudes.

Attitude inoculation is the process of making people immune to attempts to change their attitudes by exposing them to small doses of the arguments against their position.

The purpose of product placement in advertising is to get exposure for a product or brand by placing it in shows or movies.

Cognitive defense involves using mental strategies to reduce the effects of advertising on oneself, which can also lead to biases.

Post-decision dissonance refers to the dissonance that is aroused after making a decision, which is typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and devaluing the rejected alternative.

Dissonance can lead to either more or less ethical behavior in the future.

The justification of effort is the tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain.

The optimal level of fear in advertising is one that can be perceived as a threat but also provides a way to mitigate it.

Subliminal messages are words or pictures that are not consciously perceived but supposedly influence people's judgments, attitudes, and behaviors. However, they do not work in the real world as normal advertising works better.

Individuals can resist persuasive messages through attitude inoculation, being aware of product placement, and using cognitive defense techniques.