Psychology of Attitudes and Beliefs

Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency

What are Attitudes?

• A lasting, general evaluation of people, objects, or issues (e.g., I like/dislike, agree/disagree)
• Comprise three components:
  1. Cognitive: beliefs and knowledge about the attitude object
  2. Affective: emotions and feelings towards the object
  3. Conative: behavioral tendencies or actions towards the object

What are Beliefs?

• Assumptions or convictions about the world, people, or objects
• Can influence attitudes and behavior
• Often based on experience, social norms, or cultural values

Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger, 1957)

• When an individual holds two or more contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values, it creates psychological discomfort (dissonance)
• People strive for consistency and will try to reduce dissonance by:
  • Changing one or more of the contradictory elements
  • Adding new elements to justify the inconsistency
  • Trivializing or denying the inconsistency

Theories of Consistency

• Cognitive Consistency Theory: people strive for consistency between attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
• Self-Perception Theory: people infer their attitudes from their behavior and the circumstances under which it occurs
• Elaboration Likelihood Model: people process information in one of two ways:
  • Central route: systematic and thoughtful processing
  • Peripheral route: superficial and effortless processing

Factors Influencing Attitude Consistency

• Social norms: the influence of others on attitudes and behavior
• Personal experiences: direct experiences and observations shape attitudes
• Cultural values: societal norms and values influence attitudes and behavior
• Motivation: internal drives and goals affect attitude consistency

Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency

Attitudes

• Are lasting, general evaluations of people, objects, or issues (e.g., I like/dislike, agree/disagree)
• Comprise three components: Cognitive, Affective, and Conative
• Cognitive: beliefs and knowledge about the attitude object
• Affective: emotions and feelings towards the object
• Conative: behavioral tendencies or actions towards the object

Beliefs

• Are assumptions or convictions about the world, people, or objects
• Can influence attitudes and behavior
• Often based on experience, social norms, or cultural values

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Occurs when an individual holds two or more contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values
• Creates psychological discomfort (dissonance)
• People strive for consistency and try to reduce dissonance by:
• Changing one or more of the contradictory elements
• Adding new elements to justify the inconsistency
• Trivializing or denying the inconsistency

Theories of Consistency

Cognitive Consistency Theory

• People strive for consistency between attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors

Self-Perception Theory

• People infer their attitudes from their behavior and the circumstances under which it occurs

Elaboration Likelihood Model

• People process information in one of two ways:
  • Central route: systematic and thoughtful processing
  • Peripheral route: superficial and effortless processing

Factors Influencing Attitude Consistency

• Social norms: the influence of others on attitudes and behavior
• Personal experiences: direct experiences and observations shape attitudes
• Cultural values: societal norms and values influence attitudes and behavior
• Motivation: internal drives and goals affect attitude consistency

Social Influence and Persuasion

Conformity

• Definition: Tendency to change behavior or opinions to match those of a group
• Factors influencing conformity:
  • Larger groups induce more conformity
  • Unanimity increases conformity
  • Stronger group cohesion leads to greater conformity
  • Cultural norms that value harmony and obedience increase conformity
• Types of conformity:
  • Public compliance: Changing behavior to fit in, but not necessarily changing beliefs
  • Private acceptance: Changing beliefs to align with the group

Obedience

• Definition: Following orders or instructions from an authority figure
• Key factors influencing obedience:
  • Authority's perceived legitimacy and power
  • Legitimacy of the authority figure's right to give orders
  • Social distance between authority figure and individual
• Milgram's Obedience Study (1963): Highlights power of obedience to authority

Social Norms

• Definition: Unwritten rules governing human behavior in a group or society
• Types of social norms:
  • Descriptive norms: What most people do in a given situation
  • Injunctive norms: What people should do in a given situation
• Factors influencing social norms:
  • Cultural values and beliefs shape social norms
  • Group identity influences social norms
  • Socialization and interaction shape social norms

Cognitive Dissonance

• Definition: Psychological discomfort from holding two conflicting beliefs or values
• Key factors influencing cognitive dissonance:
  • Degree of discrepancy between conflicting beliefs or values
  • Importance of conflicting beliefs or values
  • Impact on self-image
• Strategies for reducing cognitive dissonance:
  • Changing behavior
  • Changing attitude
  • Justifying or rationalizing inconsistency

Attitude Change

• Definition: Altering one's attitudes or opinions
• Key factors influencing attitude change:
  • Persuasive message content, tone, and delivery
  • Source credibility and trustworthiness
  • Recipient motivation and involvement
• Types of attitude change:
  • Central route: Change through careful consideration and evaluation
  • Peripheral route: Change through superficial cues (e.g., source's attractiveness or likability)