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CHAPTER
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Test Your Understanding
Review
06
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of these methods is best at measuring implicit attitudes?
Summary
HOW DO ATTITUDES
DEVELOP? p. 96
• One way that attitudes can arise is due to
conditioning—either classical or operant. Classical
conditioning creates an association between two
mutually occurring events, while operant
conditioning increases or decreases the frequency
of a behavior with reinforcements and punishments.
• Attitudes can also arise due to observational learning, wherein we
internalize the attitudes of others. In this way, attitudes can be passed
on from one person to another.
• Attitudes can be held explicitly (those that are consciously known)
or implicitly (associations of which people may not be aware). The
methods necessary to assess these different types of attitudes vary
considerably. Explicit attitudes can be assessed with simple
self-report measures, while implicit attitudes require a subtle method
such as the IAT.
Chapter 06
p. 104
• One way in which attitude change occurs is via
cognitive dissonance. If people find that they are
behaving in a way that is inconsistent with their
attitudes, they will shift their attitudes to better
match the behavior. This can be used to impact behavior as well, by
making people aware that they are behaving inconsistently with a
cared-about attitude. In addition, the tendency to be affected by
cognitive dissonance is affected by culture.
• Our attitudes can also shift based on observations of our own
behavior, our motivation to appear a particular way to others, or by
being more open to others’ opinions after affirming core parts of our
identity. When we are secure in who we are, we feel freer to consider
others’ ideas.
unconditioned stimulus, comes to evoke the
response associated with the unconditioned
stimulus 98
explicit attitudes attitudes of which one is aware,
and that one can control 96
Implicit Association Test (IAT) test that
measures how easily we associate categories
with positive or negative attitudes, including
measures in categories ranging from racial
and religious attitudes to attitudes about
presidents. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
demo/ 101
implicit attitudes attitudes that are automatically
formed and activated without our even being
aware of it 96
impression management the process by which
people either consciously or unconsciously attempt
to monitor how they appear to others by regulating
the information conveyed about themselves in a
social interaction, and thus attitude change is more
likely when counterattitudinal behavior occurs in
public 108
mere exposure effect the phenomenon whereby
objects become better-liked with exposure—we
like things more with which we are familiar 98
a.
b.
c.
d.
the
the
the
the
A we got in social psychology
F we got in social psychology
sound of a clock ticking
hue of the color magenta
3. You are afraid of thunder. I decide that every time there is a thunderstorm, I will make you hold a rabbit. Now you also fear rabbits.
The rabbit is the:
a.
b.
c.
d.
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned response
conditioned stimulus
conditioned response
4. You made me a delicious dinner. Since I want more dinners made
for me, I bring you wine and smile a lot when you cook for me.
What am I doing?
a.
b.
c.
d.
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
positive punishment
negative punishment
5. Cognitive dissonance causes people to strive to diminish which
personality trait?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Key Terms
accessibility the degree to which a concept is
active in our consciousness 104
ambivalence simultaneously experiencing strong
contradictory emotions or motivations 96
attitudes having an evaluative component toward
a stimulus that is made up of affective, behavioral,
and cognitive information 96
classical conditioning a type of learning by which
a neutral stimulus (UCS) gets paired with a stimulus
that elicits a response (UCR). Through repeated
pairings, the neutral stimulus (CS) by itself elicits
the response (CR) of the second stimulus 98
chronic accessibility accessibility arising from
frequent and recent exposure to a construct that
has permanence—i.e., it is accessible all of the
time 104
cognitive dissonance the anxiety that arises from
acting in a way discordant with your attitudes. This
anxiety is resolved by adjusting one’s attitudes to
be in line with the behavior. 106
conditioned response (CR) a learned response
to the conditioned stimulus that was previously a
neutral stimulus 98
conditioned stimulus (CS) a stimulus that, only
by repeated association with a particular
2. Which of these events are we most likely to remember?
name-letter effect the tendency to show a
preference for letters in our own name and prefer
stimuli that contain those letters 98
observational learning acquiring an attitude or
behavior due to the observation of others
exhibiting that attitude or behavior 99
operant conditioning a type of learning in which
the frequency of a behavior is determined by
reinforcement and punishment 99
post-decision dissonance cognitive dissonance
that results from having to reject one appealing
choice in favor of another 107
self-affirmation theory the theory that we are
more open to attitudinal change when we have
recently been given an opportunity to affirm our
core values and identity 108
theory of planned behavior the theory that
attitudes, social norms, and the perceived control
of the individual lead to behavior 103
unconditioned response (UCR) a response that
occurs automatically in reaction to some stimulus,
without learning taking place 98
unconditioned stimulus (UCS) a stimulus that
elicits a response automatically, without learning
taking place 98
guilt
hypocrisy
fear
prejudice
6. Why do implicit attitudes influence behavior?
a. Because associations in memory are activated outside of
a.
b.
c.
d.
strength of the attitude
specificity of the attitude
superordinance of the attitude
accessibility of the attitude
9. When you act in a way that is different from how you believe you
should, you:
a. change your behavior
b. change your attitude
c. a or b, depending on whether or not the behavior can be
changed and the strength of the attitude
d. neither a nor b
10. What is the best way to get others to listen to your opinions, based
on attitude research?
a.
b.
c.
d.
talk louder
allow them to do something affirming their own beliefs
try to provide proof for your opinions
show them that most people share your opinion
ESSAY RESPONSE
1. If some attitudes are acquired through conditioning, consider how
we might overcome or undo attitudes that have negative impacts on
our lives, such as prejudice.
2. Discuss how observational learning can overcome phobias.
3. When might attitudes influence behavior versus not?
4. Think about how cognitive dissonance operates in the workplace.
What from this chapter explains why paying employees more for
better work is effective? How might employers increase workplace
enjoyment, given that paying employees for work may reduce
enjoyment of the tasks themselves?
5. Consider how impression management can impact your attitudes.
What does it mean for the self and social relations to say that we
change attitudes more when we behave counter-attitudinally in public?
awareness
b. Because we endorse implicit attitudes
c. Because we mimic these attitudes in others
d. Implicit attitudes do not influence behavior
7. Hotel owners did not keep the Chinese couple from staying at their
hotels in the research by LaPiere (1934). Which is least likely to be
the reason?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The couple exhibited kindness
The couple spoke proper English
The generality of the stereotype versus the specificity of the couple
The owners really didn’t mean it when they said they wouldn’t
admit a Chinese couple
APPLY IT!
Think about your attitude toward school. Regardless of how positive or
negative it is, what factors contributed to your acquisition of this attitude?
Might conditioning or observational learning have played a role? Might
cognitive dissonance be responsible for any decrements in your attitude
toward school, perhaps after attending a few parties instead of studying?
Or might impression management have kept any positive aspects of your
attitude intact?
Remember to check www.thinkspot.com for additional
information, downloadable flashcards, and other helpful resources.
ATTITUDES: MAKING EVALUATIONS ABOUT THE WORLD
• Attitudes do not inherently imply behavior.
Oftentimes people will believe in a cause or principle
but not act on it when the opportunity arises. Many
factors influence whether or not attitudes will come
to impact behavior. The core factors are the strength of the attitude, the
specificity of the attitude to the behavior in question, the accessibility of
the attitude, and the result of rational decision-making.
WHEN DOES BEHAVIOR
INFLUENCE ATTITUDES?
observation
self-report
introspection
the IAT
8. Which influences the impact of attitudes on behavior the least?
111
110
DO ATTITUDES INFLUENCE
BEHAVIOR? p. 101
• The stronger an attitude is, the more likely it is to translate into
behavior. Likewise, the more specific the attitude is to the
circumscribed behavior, the more it will be relevant for that behavior.
The easier an attitude is to bring to mind, whether because of
repeated exposure to it or recent exposure to it (both of which
increase accessibility), the more it will influence behavior. Finally, if
rational thought leads to the decision that a behavior should be done
based upon a held attitude, and it is decided that the behavior can be
done, it is more likely that the behavior will arise.
a.
b.
c.
d.
ANSWERS: 1. d; 2. b; 3. c; 4. a; 5. b; 6. a; 7. d; 8. c; 9. c; 10. b
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