40 Questions
What is the cognitive component of an attitude?
A person's system of beliefs, perceptions and stereotypes
What does the affective component of an attitude refer to?
The emotional aspect of an attitude
What is the behavioural component of an attitude?
A person's tendency to react towards the object of attitude
What is a characteristic of attitudes?
They always imply a subject-object relationship
What may or may not have motivational appeal initially?
All of the above
What is the ABC components of attitude?
Affect, Behaviour, Cognition
What is a deep-rooted component of an attitude that resists most to change?
Affective component
What does the emotional component of an attitude involve?
A kind of emotion experienced towards the object
What is an attitude primarily?
A way of being set towards or against certain things
What can influence attitudes according to social roles and social norms?
Expectations of how people should behave
What determines an individual's orientation towards their social and physical environment?
Attitudes
According to Robert Zajonc, what is a sufficient condition for the enhancement of a person's attitude towards a stimulus?
Mere repeated exposure
What is the result of having a particular attitude towards a specific stimulus?
Motives are aroused and action is mobilised
What is the purpose of advertisers using classical conditioning?
To influence people to develop a positive attitude towards a product
What is an attitude according to the definition?
An evaluation people make about objects or ideas
What is the function of an attitude?
To influence the individual's response to all objects and situations
Who is associated with classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov
What type of learning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus?
Classical conditioning
What is the state of readiness referred to as?
Condition of readiness
What is the 'mere exposure effect'?
The tendency to come to like things simply because they are encountered repeatedly
What influences an individual's response to all objects and situations?
Attitudes
What is the outcome of classical conditioning?
A conditioned response
What type of state is an attitude?
Subconscious mental state of readiness
Which of the following is NOT an example of classical conditioning?
Learning to ride a bike
How do attitudes develop in individuals?
Through social interaction and experience
What is the primary function of attitudes in an individual's behavior?
To give direction to behavior and actions
What is a characteristic of a favorable attitude?
Having positive values
Can attitudes be changed?
Yes, attitudes can change depending on circumstances
What is a characteristic of automatic attitudes?
They are more difficult to measure than deliberate attitudes
What is a consequence of possessing an attitude?
It increases the ease, speed, and quality of decision making
How can attitudes be formed?
Through both direct personal experience and observation
What is a factor that influences the formation of attitudes?
Social interaction
What is the primary goal of balance theory?
To avoid contradictions and achieve a state of balance
According to cognitive dissonance theory, what is the result of inconsistencies?
An unpleasant mental state called cognitive dissonance
What is the primary assumption of balance theory?
People tend to see the world in the same way
What is the outcome of unbalanced states, according to balance theory?
Motivation to change to a balanced state
Who proposed the cognitive dissonance theory?
Leon Festinger
What is the result of cognitive dissonance, according to the theory?
People rationalize their behavior or change their attitudes
What is the focus of Heider's P-O-X balance theory?
Triads, containing three elements
What is the underlying motivation behind the drive for consistency?
To achieve a sense of balance and avoid contradictions
Study Notes
Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency
- Attitudes are evaluations people make about objects, ideas, events, or other people.
- Attitudes denote a functional state of readiness that determines an organism to react in a characteristic way to certain stimuli or stimulus situations.
The ABC Components of Attitude
- Affect: Emotional responses
- Behaviour: Behavioural tendencies (verbal & non-verbal actions)
- Cognition: Thoughts, knowledge, and beliefs
The Cognitive Component
- Consists of a person's system of beliefs, perceptions, and stereotypes about the attitudinal object.
- Refers to ideas about the object.
The Affective Component
- Refers to the emotional aspect of the attitude, which is often deep-rooted and resists change.
- Indicates the direction and intensity of an individual's evaluation.
The Behavioural Component
- Indicates the tendency to react towards the object of attitude in certain specific ways.
- Predisposition to act in a certain manner towards the attitude object.
Characteristics and Properties of Attitudes
- Attitudes always imply a subject-object relationship.
- Attitudes in relation to objects, persons, and values may or may not have motivational appeal initially.
- Attitudes give a direction to one's behaviour and actions.
- Attitudes are coloured with motivational and evaluative characteristics.
- Attitudes are not innate but learned, acquired, and conditioned.
- Attitudes can be changed depending on circumstances, experiences, and how information is processed.
Implicit Association Test (IAT)
- Automatic attitudes are more difficult to measure than deliberate attitudes.
- Most measures of automatic attitudes involve measuring reaction times to stimuli.
How Attitudes Are Formed
- Experience: Attitudes form directly as a result of experience.
- Social Factors: Social roles and social norms can have a strong influence on attitudes.
- Learning: Attitudes can be learned in a variety of ways, including classical and operant conditioning.
- Exposure Effect: Mere exposure effect – tendency to come to like things simply because they are encountered repeatedly.
Attitude Change
- Heider's P-O-X Balance Theory: People will avoid having contradicting attitudes and evaluations of one object.
- Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Inconsistencies produce an unpleasant mental state called cognitive dissonance, leading people to rationalize their behavior or change their attitudes.
Consistency Theories
- Commonalities in theories about consistency: Specify conditions required for consistency and inconsistency, assume inconsistency is unpleasant, and specify conditions required to restore consistency.
- Cognitive dissonance theory proposes that inconsistencies produce an unpleasant mental state called cognitive dissonance, leading people to rationalize their behavior or change their attitudes.
Learn about attitudes, their characteristics, formation, and change theories. Understand the relationship between attitudes and behavior, and explore consistency theories.
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