Psychology Chapter 4: Behaviour and Attitudes

Chapter 4: Behaviour and Attitudes

• There is overlap between topics in the material, some will not be covered in the midterm and are discussed in later chapters.

Are We All Hypocrites?

• Attitude: A positive or negative evaluation of something or someone, expressed through beliefs, feelings, and intended behavior. Our beliefs don't always align with our actions.
• Attitudes are poor predictors of behavior: Examples include cheating, church attendance, racism, safe sex, etc. People are more likely to act against their beliefs in anonymous situations.

When Do Attitudes Predict Behavior?

• Attitudes predict behavior when social influences are minimal.
• Other influences on behavior are minimal.
• Attitudes are specific to the behavior being examined.
• Attitudes are strong.
• Something reminds us of the attitude.

The Theory of Planned Behavior

• Attitudes, perceived social norms, and perceived behavior control determine intentions, which guide behavior.

Role Playing

• Actions expected of those occupying specific social roles (e.g., teacher, soldier, business person)
• Gender roles, especially for women, have specific behavioral expectations.

Immoral and Moral Acts

• Immoral acts often stem from gradually escalating commitments and justifications.
• Examples include aggressors blaming their victims after harming them.
• Moral acts can also be developed similarly, though holding back from immoral actions.

Social Movements

• Public conformity can lead to private acceptance.
• Examples include political rituals like singing national anthems or making specific gestures.
• "One does what one is; one becomes what one does." (Robert Musil)

Self-Presentation: Impression Management

• Concerned with creating a positive impression to gain social & material rewards, feel better about oneself, or enhance social identity.
• Wanting to appear consistent in behavior across different social situations. This can conflict with wanting to appear consistent in behaviour.

Self-Justification: Cognitive Dissonance

• Tension arises when we hold inconsistent beliefs or behaviors.
• This happens when we are aware of contradictory thoughts.
• Inconsistent behaviour with attitudes also creates dissonance.
• Ways to reduce dissonance include selective exposure to information that aligns with one's viewpoint.

Cognitive Dissonance: Insufficiency Justification

• Dissonance theory predicts that when our actions are not fully explained by external rewards, we will experience dissonance that can be reduced by internalizing.

Cognitive Dissonance: After Decisions

• Arises when choosing between equally attractive or equally unattractive alternatives.
• Choosing one option inevitably results in a feeling of tension.
• The dissonance is managed by upgrading the chosen alternative and downgrading the rejected one.

Self-Perception

• We infer our attitudes by examining our behaviour and the circumstances in which that behaviour occurred.
• If unsure about our attitude, we examine our behaviours.

Self-Perception: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

• External rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation (the enjoyment of an activity).
• Attributing behavior to an external reward rather than the inherent enjoyment of the activity.

Comparing the Theories

• Dissonance theory is sometimes inconsistent with findings about attitude change without arousal.
• Overjustification effect is an example of how external rewards can negatively affect intrinsic motivation.