Download Chapter 4: Attitudes

Attitudes
Attitude
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Any cognitive representation that summarizes our evaluations of an attitude object
ABC’s of attitudes:
Affect
Behavioral
Cognitive
Attitude Formation
1. Classical conditioning: you come to associate things that occur together
2. Operant conditioning: the effects of reinforcement and punishment
3. Observational learning: the effects of watching a model on one’s behavior
Why Do Attitudes Form?
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Serve various functions
1. Ego-defensive: a protective function
2. Knowledge function: make sense of the world
3. Value-expressive function: express our true self, underlying values, and personality
4. Social-adjustive function: allows individuals to fit in with their various social groups
Attitudes Predicting Behavior
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Fishbein and Ajzen (1977)
The primary cause of behavior is not necessarily the attitude one has toward the behavior, but
rather one’s intention to engage in that behavior
Intention based on the subjective norms surrounding that behavior
How do I feel
about smoking?
What is the chance
I’ll smoke
How do my peers feel
about smoking?
Attitudes Predicting Behavior
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Explains simple behaviors we are all capable of
What about behaviors that are not completely voluntary?
Smoke
or Not
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Theory of Planned Behavior
Addresses a person’s ability to get the resources, opportunities, and skills needed to perform
the behavior
Extends theory of reasoned action by adding the component of a person’s perceived
behavioral control
– person’s perception of ease or difficulty
PROBLEMS:
1. Spontaneous behavior
2. Role of habits
Other Factors
1. Time: the longer the time interval, the poorer the relationship
2. Self-awareness: Privately self-aware are more internally focussed; whereas, publicly selfaware tend to be more externally focused
- Froming, Walker, & Lopyan (1982)
Diener and Wallbom
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Ss asked to complete an anagram test indicative of IQ (test was bogus)
Told to stop working after bell rang and left alone
Mirror vs. No Mirror
Would students cheat by working past the bell?
Other Factors (cont)
3. Attitude strength: Stronger attitudes have more influence on behavior
– Increase by providing more information
4. Personal involvement: Being personally involved in an issue influences behavior
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Sivacek & Crano (1982)
5. Direct Experience: Stronger attitudes
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Regan and Fazio (1977)
– Housing shortage at Cornell forced 1st year students to several weeks on cots in dormitory
lounges
– All students were upset with the housing situation and the administration
How Attitudes Are Changed
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COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (Festinger, 1957)
When our attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors are inconsistent with one another
– For example, people smoke while believing that smoking causes illness
Only important or self-relevant inconsistencies have the potential to arouse dissonance
– Actions that jeopardize moral integrity or threaten a positive view of the self
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Motivated to reduce this negative feeling
Attitude-Discrepant Behavior
I’m entering a slogan-writing contest for a brand of cola drink that I dislike
Realization of Negative Consequences
My slogan might cause people to buy this awful stuff
Attribution of Personal Responsibility
I freely chose to enter the contest
Experience Physiological Arousal
I feel tense and upset
Attribution of Arousal to Behavior
I must feel this way because I’m telling people to buy something I hate
Dissonance Between Attitude & Behavior
I hate this cola, yet I am writing a slogan for it that might cause others to buy it
Reduce Dissonance via Attitude Change
Well, the cola isn’t all that bad; in fact, it’s pretty good once you get a taste for it
Festinger (1957): 4 Processing Steps
1. Attitude-discrepant action has negative consequences
2. Person takes responsibility for engaging in behavior
3. Must experience physiological arousal
4. Attribute arousal to the behavior
Aronson and Mills (1959)
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Ss volunteered to discuss the psychology of sex
3 conditions to joining:
– Read list of obscene words and graphic sexual encounters
– Read list of mildly sex-related words
– No initiation
Eliminating the “Sting” of Dissonance
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Self-Affirmation Theory
Affirm themselves in another area
Dissonance still exists
Enhanced self-esteem decreases the “sting” of dissonance
Hypocrisy and Attitude Change
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Aronson (1992)
– Carried out at a swimming pool in CA
– Ss induced to urge other people to take shorter showers during the drought in CA
OR not
– Ss reminded that they themselves had been wasteful in the past OR not
Heuristics and Attitude Change
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Credibility
– Sleeper Effect
Source Attractiveness
– Physical, Likeability, Similarity
Message Length
Evidence vs. Vividness
Fear and Attitude Change
Rogers Protection-Motivation Theory
• Dangers mentioned are serious
• Dangers are likely
• Advice to avoiding dangers effective
• Performing recommended action
Why Does Persuasion Occur?
Elaboration Likelihood Model
- Petty & Cacioppo
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Probability of message elaboration
– Argument strength and quality
– Central route
Unmotivated tend to irrelevant cues
– Peripheral route
Resisting Persuasion
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Inoculation
Selective Avoidance