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
