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Lesson 4

Attitudes

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Lesson Outline

Last class, the self and its presentation

What are attitudes? Where do attitudes come from How are they formed? How do attitudes influence behavior How do they relate to the self?

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Attitude Attitude is a predisposition to respond to a

particular object in a favorable or unfavorable way.– What is a predisposition to respond?

A person’s attitude influences the way in which he/she perceives and responds to the world.– Attitudes influence:

• Behavior

• Attention

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List Your Attitudes

List 5 of your positive attitudes

List 5 of your negative attitudes

Which type was easier to put on your list? Why do you think that is?

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Three Components of Attitude

1. Beliefs or cognitions: An object label, rules to apply the label, and a set of cognitions associated with that label.

2. Evaluation: A direction (positive or negative) and an intensity (very weak to very strong).

3. Behavioral predisposition: A predisposition to respond or a behavioral tendency toward the object.

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Relationships Among Components Cognitive, evaluative, and behavioral components

all have the same object.– These three components are distinct.

– Therefore each can be independently measured.

– We find relationships among them.

The degree of consistency between components is related to other characteristics of the attitude.– For example, attitudes about contraceptives are related

to feelings, beliefs, and actions.

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Attitude Formation

Where do attitudes come from? How are they formed?

Socialization holds the key to answering these questions.– Also the answer to how the self forms…

Attitudes may be formed through:– reinforcement (instrumental conditioning)– associations of stimuli and responses (classical

conditioning)– observing others (observational learning)

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Functions of Attitude

Why do we retain learned attitudes for months, years, or even a lifetime?

They are tied into our conceptions of self One answer is that they serve at least some

important functions for us.– We will examine four (4) functions that

attitudes serve.

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Functions of Attitude

1. Heuristic or instrumental functionAttitudes provide a simple and efficient means of evaluating objects.

2. Schematic or knowledge functionAttitudes about a category provide us with a basis for making inferences about its members.

3. Attitudes define the self and maintain self-worthSome attitudes express the individual’s basic values and reinforce his or her self-image.

4. Attitudes protect the person Attitudes protect us from recognizing certain thoughts or feelings that threaten our self-image or adjustment.

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Cognitive Consistency

The elements of a cognitive structure are called cognitions. – A cognition is an individual’s perception of

personal attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Consistency among a person’s cognitions (beliefs and attitudes) is widespread.

Consistency theories hypothesize:– If an inconsistency develops between cognitive

elements, people are motivated to restore harmony between those elements.

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Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

Dissonance theory deals with consistency

between two or more elements (behaviors and attitudes).

There are two common situations in which dissonance occurs:

1. After a decision.

2. When one acts in a way that is inconsistent with one’s beliefs.

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Post-decisional Dissonance Whenever we make a decision, there are some

cognitions (attitudes, beliefs, knowledge):– that are consonant with that decision.

and– other cognitions that are dissonant with it.

Dissonant cognitions create an unpleasant psychological state that we are motivated to reduce or eliminate.

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Quiz Question

True or False?

After choosing between getting a new shirt and new shoes the attractiveness of the item chosen will increase and the attractiveness of the item not chosen will decrease.

Provide an example of postdecisional dissonance in your own life.

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Relationship Between Attitudes and Behavior

There can be a great discrepancy between what people do and what they say.

Many studies find only a modest correlation between attitude and behavior.

Four variables (reasons) why the correlation is not stronger:

1. The activation of the attitude. 2. The characteristics of the attitude. 3. The correspondence between attitude and

behavior.

4. Situational constraints on behavior.

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Reasons why what we say is different than what we do: #1

Activation of the Attitude When an attitude is activated, it is brought

from memory into conscious awareness. An attitude is usually activated by exposure of

the person to its object, particularly if the attitude was originally formed through direct experience with the object.

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Reasons why what we say is different than what we do: #2/#3 – Characteristics of the attitude and relationship between

the characteristics

Characteristics that Influence the Attitude/Behavior Relationship:

The extent to which the attitude is grounded in personal experience

The strength of the attitude The stability of the attitude over time

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Characteristics of the Attitude

Direct Experience– 1. Attitudes based on direct experience are

more predictive of subsequent behavior.

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Characteristics of the Attitude

• 2. Strength• The greater the strength of an attitude,

the more likely it is to influence behavior.

• 3. Temporal Stability– To predict behavior from attitudes, the

attitudes must be stable over time.

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#4 - Situational Constraint

Situational Constraint: an influence on behavior due to the likelihood that other persons will learn about the behavior and respond positively or negatively to it. – Situational constraints often determine

whether our behavior is consistent with our attitudes.

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The Influence of Attitude and Situational Constraints on Behavior

A strong relationship exists between behavior and attitude when:– the individual has a strongly held attitude and

situational influences encourage behavior consistent with that attitude..

Behavior and attitude are less likely to be consistent when:– situational influences produce pressure to behave

in ways inconsistent with one’s attitude or when the attitude is weak.

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The Reasoned Action Model

This model is based on the assumption that behavior is rational.

This model incorporates factors that have been shown to affect the consistency between attitudes and behavior.– Behavior is determined by behavioral intention.

– Behavioral intention is influenced by attitude and subjective norms.

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Assessment of the Reasoned Action Model

The reasoned action model has been used to predict behaviors like whether a mother will breastfeed her baby.

This model has been criticized because it assumes our behavior is determined largely by our intentions.– In fact, our past behavior may be more

influential than our intentions.

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Assessment of Reasoned Action Model

Research suggests that our behavior may

be affected by intentions AND also by whether we have the resources or the ability to carry out the intention.

Therefore, an additional variable, perceived behavioral control, should be added to the model.