Attitudes

Attitude

•Any cognitive representation thatsummarizes our evaluations of an attitude object

•ABC’s of attitudes:AffectBehavioralCognitive

Attitude Formation

1. Classical conditioning: you come toassociate things that occur together

2. Operant conditioning: the effects ofreinforcement and punishment

3. Observational learning: the effects ofwatching a model on one’s behavior

Why Do Attitudes Form?

•Serve various functions 1. Ego-defensive: a protective function2. Knowledge function: make sense ofthe world3. Value-expressive function: expressour true self, underlying values, andpersonality4. Social-adjustive function: allows individuals to fit in with theirvarious social groups

Attitudes Predicting Behavior

•Fishbein and Ajzen (1977)

•The primary cause of behavior is notnecessarily 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 Smoke

I’ll smoke or Not

How do my peers feel

about smoking?

Attitudes Predicting Behavior

•Explains simple behaviors we are all capable of

•What about behaviors that are not completely voluntary?

•Theory of Planned Behavior

•Addresses a person’s ability to get theresources, opportunities, and skillsneeded 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, thepoorer the relationship

2. Self-awareness: Privately self-awareare more internally focussed; whereas,publicly self-aware tend to be moreexternally focused

- Froming, Walker, & Lopyan (1982)

Diener and Wallbom

•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

• Sivacek & Crano (1982)

5. Direct Experience: Stronger attitudes

•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

•COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (Festinger, 1957)

•When our attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors are inconsistent with oneanother

–For example, people smoke while believing that smoking causes illness

•Only important or self-relevant inconsistencies have the potential toarouse dissonance

–Actions that jeopardize moral integrity or threaten a positive view of the self

•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 & BehaviorI 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 hasnegative consequences

2. Person takes responsibility forengaging in behavior

3. Must experience physiological arousal

4. Attribute arousal to the behavior

Aronson and Mills (1959)

•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

•Self-Affirmation TheoryAffirm themselves in another area

•Dissonance still exists

•Enhanced self-esteem decreases the “sting” of dissonance

Hypocrisy and Attitude Change

•Aronson (1992)

–Carried out at a swimming pool in CA

–Ss induced to urge other people to take shorter showers during the drought in CAOR not

–Ss reminded that they themselves had been wasteful in the past OR not

Heuristics and Attitude Change

•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

•Probability of message elaboration

–Argument strength and quality

–Central route

•Unmotivated tend to irrelevant cues

–Peripheral route

Resisting Persuasion

•Inoculation

•Selective Avoidance