Attitudes: What are they A learned, enduring and affective evaluation of an object that exerts a directive impact on social

l behaviour. Why are they important? Strongly influence t o major aspects of our lives, social thought and social behaviour. We hold attitudes about virtually all topics. !ange from major to minor issues. !esistant to change. "o ever, e are not al ays a are of them. # major components of attitudes: $ognitive, %motional, &ehavioural 'houghts feelings behaviour( intention to perform a behaviour. )unctions of attitudes: *at+ ,-./, fill a psychological need ,0 *no ledge: Summari+e information and ma1e responses easier 20 %go3defensive: 4rotect ourselves from self truths5 help us maintain positive self image #0 6alue3expressive: %xpresses values that are important to us 70 8nstrumental( social adjustment: %nable people to achieve goals, gain social approval. "o do e get our attitudes? ,0 'hrough mere exposure hypothesis idely used in mar1eting. 'endency to develop more positive feelings to ards object or individuals the more e are exposed to them. 20 'o satisfy psychological needs develop an attitude to fill a psychological need. #0 Social learning Ac9uiring ne information, forms of behaviour, and attitudes from other persons. Attitude )ormation $lassical conditioning through association :8van 4avlov0 8nstrumental conditioning 8f a child is praised for a certain attitude, they ill more li1ely to continue holding this attitude. ;n the other hand, punishment leads to rejecting attitudes. ;bservational learning attitudes learned from the media. 8ndividuals ant to imitate the people around them. Social comparison )estinger ,-<7. We compare ourselves to others in order to determine hether our vie of social reality is correct or incorrect. =enetic factors Small genetic component in attitude. "o is attitudes measured? Self3report measures >i1ert scale, 'hurstone scale, ;sgood?s semantic differential scale. $riticisms !eliability and validity of measure: 4eople do not al ays 1no hat their attitudes are, people don?t have direct access to implicit attitudes. 4eople aren?t al ays honest, problems of social desirability. Self3report measures only express positive and negative feelings, person can have both. ;bservation of actual behaviour, implicit measures :measuring response times and reaction times0 'a1ing longer time to associate positive ords ith blac1 Americans than hite Americans. 4sychophysiological measures: "eart rate, pupil dilution etc5 $ognitive @issonance @istress caused by inconsistency bet een a person?s t o beliefs, or a belief and an action, that creates psychological tension that people are motivated to reduce. $an be used to promote behavioural changes.

&efore $@': "eider?s &alance 'heory :,-7.0 Assumes people strive for consistency amongst their cognitions. 8nconsistencies that can arise bet een some of the beliefs that an individual might hold and ho they ill be motivated to change one or more contradictory beliefs to return to consistency. "o do e reduce dissonance? ,0 Aodify behaviour(thought or action 20 $hanging the perceived importance of one cognition #0 Adding additional cognitions : on?t happen to me0 70 @enying that cognitions are related. $ognitive @issonance: Aroused in a number of specific situations ,0 'he %ffort Bustification 4aradigm: 'endency to increase li1ing for something they have or1ed hard or suffered to obtain 20 )ree $hoice 4aradigm: ;nce a decision has been completed, dissonance ill be produced, and the more difficult the decision, the greater the dissonance. #0 8nduced or forced compliance: 8s aroused hen e are in situations here e are induced to say or do something inconsistent ith our true attitudes. :)estinger, ,-<-0 $ooper C )a+io :,-D70 !esults seen in dissonance studies ere the result of feeling personally responsible for creating undesriable situations or conse9uences. &ehaviour Eegative $onse9uence 4erceive self as responsible !evised version of dissonance Self 4erception 'heory :&em, ,-F.0 Subjects did not distort their vie s because of their behaviour, they infer their attitudes from their behaviour in the first place.