PS1030 - Attitudes

The idea that attitudes consist of three components: cognitive (thoughts), affective (feelings), and behavioral (actions).

A type of attitude where someone holds both positive and negative feelings towards a specific object or issue.

An attitude that is consistent and clear, with either mostly positive or mostly negative feelings towards an object or issue.

The idea that attitudes serve different purposes for individuals, such as helping us understand the world, express our values, or make quick decisions.

The process by which an action (like head nodding) can strengthen or weaken our existing attitudes. This happens when we analyze the consistency between our behavior and beliefs.

A mental state of readiness that influences how we respond to things.

A set of beliefs, feelings, and intentions towards something.

The emotional component of an attitude, reflecting how positive or negative we feel towards something.

The cognitive component of an attitude, involving our beliefs and thoughts about an object.

The behavioral component of an attitude referring to our actions or intentions towards the object.

The association between an object and its evaluation stored in our long-term memory.

Evaluations formed on the spot based on the situation and available information.

The relationship between our attitudes and our behaviors. It's not always straightforward, but attitudes can influence our actions.

A psychological model where people use attitudes to achieve certain goals.

Attitudes that are used to protect one's self-esteem, such as those based on prejudices or stereotypes.

Attitudes that reflect our core values and identities, helping us express ourselves authentically.

Attitudes that are used to maximize rewards and minimize punishments in practical situations.

A type of measurement approach that directly asks people about their attitudes, beliefs, or opinions.

A measurement technique that uses a series of statements with varying levels of intensity to gauge an individual's attitude. Each statement is judged for its intensity by a group of judges.

A measurement method where statements are ordered hierarchically, and agreement with a statement implies agreement with all preceding statements. Measures a single attitude dimension.

This measurement tool uses pairs of opposite words (e.g., good vs. bad) to assess attitudes. Participants rate their agreement on a scale between the two words.

A test that measures implicit attitudes towards a certain object, often by measuring the speed at which people associate positive or negative words with that object. For example, a test might measure implicit attitudes towards different racial groups.

Attitudes that are consciously held and easily reported by a person. They are often formed through direct experiences, beliefs, and values.

Attitudes that are not consciously held but can still influence our behavior. They are often formed through unconscious associations and experiences.

The idea that people are more likely to develop positive attitudes towards something that they are repeatedly exposed to. This is because familiarity breeds comfort.

A type of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired with a conditioned stimulus that naturally elicits a response. Over time, the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the conditioned stimulus and can elicit the same response.

A type of learning in which a behavior becomes more or less likely to occur depending on the consequences of that behavior. For example, if a behavior is rewarded, it will be more likely to occur in the future.

A type of social learning in which people learn by observing the behavior of others and the consequences of that behavior. This can be either direct or indirect.

The idea that our attitudes are formed by observing our own behavior and then inferring what we must think or feel. For example, if we find ourselves smiling at someone, we might infer that we must like them.

A 1934 study by La Piere that highlighted the inconsistency between attitudes and behavior. It demonstrated that even though a restaurant owner expressed prejudice against Chinese people, they still served a Chinese couple.

The extent to which our attitudes correspond to our behavior. If the attitude and behavior are aligned, they can more consistently predict each other.

A measure of the strength of the relationship between attitudes and corresponding behaviors. A correlation coefficient that ranges from -1 to 1.

The more specific and closely related the attitude is to the behavior, the stronger the link between them. For example, a specific attitude about birth control pills will better predict their use than a general attitude about birth control.

The extent to which attitudes predict behavior depends on the domain of behavior. Certain activities, like political voting, tend to have stronger correlations than others, like blood donation.

Behaviors that are more observable and easy to understand can be better predicted by attitudes. For example, voting is more readily observed than private thoughts.

Attitudes are more likely to predict behaviors if they are personally important and accessible to the individual. Stronger feelings and more accessible information make the connection clearer.

The strength of an attitude refers to how important and accessible it is to an individual. A stronger attitude is more likely to influence behavior.

People with low self-monitoring are more consistent in their behavior across situations, so their attitudes are more likely to predict their actions.

Habitual behaviors, like smoking, are less influenced by our attitudes and more driven by learned patterns.

The Theory of Reasoned Action suggests that our intentions to act are influenced by our attitudes towards the behavior and our subjective norms, which are the beliefs of significant others.

The Theory of Planned Behavior expands upon the Theory of Reasoned Action by adding the concept of perceived behavioral control. This refers to our perceived ability to carry out the behavior (e.g., confidence and resources needed).

Attitudes are an important concept in social psychology, helping us understand various human behaviors such as prosociality and aggression.

Attitudes are a central topic in psychology, and you will encounter them in various areas of study, including self-esteem, prejudice, persuasion, conflict, and social change.

Attitudes can help us understand how people are influenced by social messages and form opinions on important issues.