Defining Attitudes LaPiere (1934) Attitudes Attitude: - - PDF document

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Attitudes

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Chapter 5

Defining Attitudes

• LaPiere (1934)
• Attitude: psychological tendency that is

expressed by evaluating a particular entity

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expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor

– Basically, an internal evaluation – Attitude object is what is evaluated

ABC’s of Attitudes

• Affect

– Physiological or emotional component – How you feel about it

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• Behavior

– Responses or actions influenced by the attitude

• Cognition

– The thoughts about the object – What you think about it

Attitude Formation

• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Observational learning

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• Observational learning
• Direct socialization
• Heredity

Attitude Strength

• Commitment
• Embededness

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Fishbein & Ajzen (1975)

1. Start with single belief 2. That belief is evaluated 3 Add other beliefs and evaluations

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3. Add other beliefs and evaluations 4. Form attitude 5. Form a set of intentions 6. Look at a single behavior 7. Look at a set of behaviors

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Fishbein & Ajzen

• Principle of correspondence

1. An attitude should be consistent with a set of beliefs, not necessarily any single belief. 2 An attitude should be consistent with a set of intentions

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2. An attitude should be consistent with a set of intentions, not necessarily any single intention. 3. People generally do what they intend to do. 4. An attitude should be consistent with a set of behaviors, not necessarily any single behavior.

• Attitudes predict behavior at corresponding levels
• f specificity

Measuring Attitudes

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Measuring Attitudes

• Jones & Sigall (1971)

– Bogus Pipeline

• Physiological measures

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Physiological measures

– GSR (Galvanic skin response) – Pupillary response – Self report of affect – Facial electromyographic activity

Measuring Attitudes

• Standard self-report measures

– Bogardus’ Social Distance scale – Error-choice method

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Error choice method – Semantic differential – Likert-type scale

Connecting Attitudes and Behavior

• Salience

– Priming

• Strengthen attitudes

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Strengthen attitudes

• Form intentions
• Create a plan to carry out action

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Inferring attitudes from behavior

• Role playing

– Zimbardo’s prison experiment

• Cognitive consistency theories

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Cognitive consistency theories

– Balance theory – Impression management

• Self monitoring

Inferring attitudes from behavior

• Cognitive consistency (cont’d)

– Cognitive dissonance

• Inconsistency causes arousal

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• There is a drive to reduce that arousal
• Attitudes change to reduce arousal

– Selective Perception

• Selective exposure
• Selective attention
• Selective interpretation

Inferring attitudes from behavior

• Bem’s Self-perception theory

– We infer our attitudes from our behavior – Motivation

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Motivation

• Intrinsic
• Extrinsic

– Affect-as-information concept

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Persuasion (Attitude Change)

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History

• Early contradictions
• Possible explanation
• Distraction effect

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• Distraction effect
• Cognitive elaboration theories

– “self-talk” – Petty & Cacioppo’s ELM

• Elaboration Likelihood Model

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ELM

• Description of the model
• Other factors that affect persuasion within

the model

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the model

– Source Factors – Message Factors – Channel Factors – Recipient Factors

Source Factors

• Credibility

– Sleeper effect – Perceived trustworthiness

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Perceived trustworthiness – Perceived Expertise

• Attractiveness

– Halo effect

Message Factors

• One sided vs. two sided
• Reason vs. Emotion
• Fear

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• Fear

Channel Factors

• Face to face
• Video
• Text

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• Text

Recipient Factors

• Mood
• Age

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Cult Indoctrination

• Characterized by:

– Rituals of devotion – Isolation from surrounding “evil” culture

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– Charismatic leader

• Indoctrination

– Attitudes follow behavior – Persuasive elements – Group effects

• Social implosion

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Resisting Persuasion

• Attitude inoculation

– Strengthen personal commitment – Mildly challenge beliefs

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Mildly challenge beliefs

• Leads to counterarguments