1.ATTITUDES.ppt

ATTITUDES  A positive or negative evaluation of an object Object: people, things, events, issues Beliefs that predispose one to act and feel in certain ways  Attitudes are made up of our Beliefs about an object, our Feelings about that object and our Behaviour towards the object. Not al...

ATTITUDES  A positive or negative evaluation of an object Object: people, things, events, issues Beliefs that predispose one to act and feel in certain ways  Attitudes are made up of our Beliefs about an object, our Feelings about that object and our Behaviour towards the object. Not all 3 components need to be in place for an attitude to exist. You may develop a positive attitude towards a product you see on TV without developing any beliefs about it or even engaging in any behaviour relevant to the product.  The 3 sources of evaluative judgement - Beliefs, Feelings and Behaviour - are thought of as determining attitudes singly or in combination  Values influence Behaviour through Attitudes Values – enduring beliefs about important life goals that transcend specific situations e.g. ‘Peace’, ‘Wisdom’, ‘Equality and Happiness’. They constitute an important aspect of self-concept and serve as guiding principles for a person. Research (Homer & Kahle, 1988) indicates that values influence behaviour through their influence on attitude  Symbolic Attitudes:- attitudes formed mainly through the influence of long standing values internalized early in life Symbolic because the attitude object is perceived not merely as it is, but rather as a symbol of something else = usually unresponsive to rational arguments, influenced by a social group one belongs to and involve a good deal of emotional intensity  Instrumental Attitudes:- attitudes based on direct benefits and costs of the attitude object. Evaluations center solely on its utility for the person, and not its relation to long standing values. HOW ARE ATTITUDES FORMED? Mere Exposure Classical Conditioning Rewards and Punishment  Self Perception Theory> the theory that we often infer our internal states, such as our attitudes by observing our behaviour. We often do not know what our attitudes are, and instead simply infer them from our behaviour and the circumstances under which they occur. It contends that instead of attitudes causing behaviour, it is behaviour that causes attitudes  Knowledge Function> people have the need to attain a meaningful, stable and organized view of the world. Ego-Defense Function > serve as defense mechanisms shielding the self/ego from inner conflict and unpleasant truths WHEN DO ATTITUDES PREDICT BEHAVIOUR Level of Attitude-Behaviour Specificity > specific attitudes are much better predictors of behaviour than more general attitudes Time Attitude Strength - acquiring more information - personal involvement - direct experience Attitude Accessibility  BEHAVIOUR AND ATTITUDE CHANGE When behaviour and attitudes are inconsistent, the attitudes often change to match the behaviour The theory of Cognitive Dissonance explains the tendency of attitudes to sometimes shift to be consistent with behaviour  Cognitive Dissonance> states that inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviour are uncomfortable. This discomfort motivates people to do what they can to reduce the discomfort or dissonance.  PERSUATION AND ATTITUDE CHANGE Persuasion> the process of changing another person’s attitudes through arguments and other related means Qualities of Persuasive Communication Characteristics of the Speaker - Credibility -Sleeper Effect - Attractiveness - Intent  Characteristics of the Listeners - Intelligence - Need for Social Approval - Self Esteem - Audience Size - Gender PREJUDIC AND STEREOTYPES Prejudice is a harmful attitude based on inaccurate generalizations about a group of people (Stereotypes) based on their skin color, religion, sex, age or any other such noticeable difference. in some way however, the difference is believed by the prejudiced person to imply something negative about the entire group. e.g. they are all lazy References Franzoi, S.L. (2000). Social Psychology. (2nd ed). Boston, McGraw Hill Lahey, B.B.(2001). Psychology: an introduction. (7th ed). Boston, McGraw Hill Rathus, S. A.(1999). Psychology in the new millenium. (7th ed). Fort Worth, Harcourt Brace