ATTITUDES & ATTITUDES CHANGE
The Nature & Origin of Attitudes
An attitude is a person's enduring evaluation of people, objects, and ideas.
Where do attitudes come from?
Genetic component
From our experience
What are the different kinds of attitudes & what are they based?
Cognitively Based Attitudes
An attitude based primarily on people’s beliefs about the properties of an attitude object
Behaviorally Based Attitude
Affectively Based Attitudes
An attitude is based more on people's feelings and values than on their beliefs about the nature of an attitude object
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
An attitude based on observations of how one behaves toward an object
Attitude has to be weak or ambiguous
Only when there is no plausible explanation available
The phenomenon whereby a stimulus that elicits an emotional response is repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus that does not, until the neutral stimulus takes on the emotional properties of the first stimulus
Pavlov's Theory - the dog and food
The phenomenon whereby behaviors we freely choose to perform become more or less frequent, depending on whether they are followed by a reward or punishment
The rat in the cage
Explicit VS Implicit Attitudes
Explicit Attitude
Implicit Attitude
Attitudes that we consciously endorse and can easily report
It's the kind of attitude that you deliberately think about and report
Exp: Do you like dark chocolate? (No)
Attitudes that exist outside of conscious awareness
Less accessible to our conscious awareness
Exp: I had a great day in my job. What was new that happened? (Nothing) Then why? (Idk) The reason is, she listened to her favorite song in the morning on the radio that boost her mood. You have no idea abt that so you really cant explain.
When Do Attitudes Predict Behaviors
Predicting Spontaneous Behavior
Predicting Deliberative Behavior
Spontaneous Behavior
Behavior that is performed without any planning or effort
Unintentionally
Deliberate Behavior
Showing careful thoughts
Intentionally
Predict only when relatively accessible
Attitude Accessibility
The strength of the association between an object and an evaluation of it, which is typically measured by the speed with which people can report how they feel about the object or issue
In simple - The likelihood that an attitude will be automatically activated from memory on encountering the attitude object.
Exp: Cigarette smokers have been found to have highly accessible pro-smoking attitudes, and these attitudes serve to maintain their smoking behavior: The more people smoke, the more frequently they think about their reasons for smoking, and the more strongly entrenched/ long established their attitudes and their smoking behavior is
How attitude predicts is by the theory of planned behavior
The idea that people's intentions are the best predictors of their deliberate behaviors, which are determined by their attitudes toward specific behaviors, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control
Subjective norms
Perceived behavioral control
Attitude toward the behavior
People's specific attitude toward the behavior, not their general attitude
Exp: I'm afraid of spiders. If I see one, I'll scream and run away
Cognitive component: this involves a person's belief / knowledge about an attitude object.
People's beliefs about how other people they care about will view the behavior in question
Exp: Let's say I smoke. So what do my friends and family think about my behavior
The ease with which people believe they can perform the behavior
Exp: Let's say my friend tells me she can run the entire field in 10mins, she will form a strong intention to do so and vice versa.
How Do Attitudes Change?
Changing Attitudes by Changing Behavior
One way that attitudes change is when people engage in counter attitudinal advocacy for low external justification. When this occurs, people find internal justification for their behavior, bringing their attitudes in line with their behavior.
External Justification
Internal Justification
Counter attitudinal advocacy
Voicing an opinion that is different from what you actually believe
It is related to internal justification because they both have to do with changing one's true self or true beliefs
Internal justification is the act of changing one's behaviors to reduce dissonance
Refers to the process of identifying reasons outside of one's own control to support one's behavior, beliefs, and attitudes
Occurs when someone voluntarily changes a behavior, belief, or attitude to reduce cognitive dissonance
Exp: iPhone or android. When people around you say iPhone, you just go with it even if you believe android is better
Exp: You are called to give a speech about anti-smoking speech, but you are someone who smokes. What happens is you will start to engage in counter attitudinal advocacy, which means giving out opinions apart from what you believe, like stop smoking, it's dangerous for health. These are also reasons outside their beliefs, which is external justification. Now because of this, they start to see the internal justification and try to bring their attitude in line with their behavior.
Persuasive Communications and Attitude Change
According to Yale Attitude Change Approach the effectiveness of a persuasive communication depends on 3 aspects
Aspects of the message itself, which is the content
Aspects of the audience
Aspects of the communicator, which is the source of the message
Elaboration likelihood model
Specifies when people are persuaded more by the strength of the arguments in the communication and when they are persuaded more by surface characteristics.
For example there might be some advertisements that we hate, we don't want to learn or remember the message from the advertisement and we are not being persuaded by it. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) explains how persuasion message works in changing the attitude of reader or viewer
Central route to persuasion
Peripheral route to persuasion
People have both the motivation and ability to pay attention to a message
People pay close attention to the strength of the arguments
Exp: While watching television, a person who is interested in cars sees a car advertisement. Though the person has a car, the person gets influenced by the features shown of a new model of car
They have low motivation and ability
People are swayed by surface characteristics, such as the attractiveness of the speaker
Emotion and Attitude Change
Fear-arousing communications
It can cause lasting attitude change if a moderate amount of fear is aroused and people believe they will be reassured by the content of the message
Confidence in One's Thoughts and Attitude Change
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How Does Advertising Wok to Change People's Attitudes?
Advertising both reflects and shapes the gender roles present in a society. Women in ads are often depicted as wives or mothers–very important roles, of course! But these are usually depictions of women placing the needs of others before their own. Men, on the other hand, are portrayed in a wider range of roles, including many that convey an impression of power over others.
culture
Exp: Ad for shoes
“It’s easy when you have the right shoes” or interdependence “the shoes for your family”
The Americans were persuaded most by the ads stressing independence, and the Koreans were persuaded by the ads stressing interdependence
Advertisements, like other forms of persuasive communication, work best if they are tailored to the kind of attitude they are trying to change and the expectations and thinking styles of the target audience.
product placement
To counteract these efforts to avoid ads, advertisers look for ways of displaying their wares during the show or movie itself
If you have ever watched American Idol, you’ve probably noticed that ever-present Coca-Cola cup in front of each judge.
One reason product placement can work is that people do not always realize that someone is trying to influence their attitudes and behavior.
When people are forewarned, they analyze what they see and hear more carefully and as a result are likely to avoid attitude change.
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Attitude object - Let's say it's the Grammy's. There are alot of nominees for the best artist/singer award. but you have your pick and you think their gonna win amongst the others. In this case, you made a judgement on why this artist is the one that will win. That judgement(feeling) is what we call an attitude. And your choice of nominee is the target, meaning the object, of the attitude. Thus, that nominee is the attitude object. Attitude objects are what you make a judgment about and/or what you have feelings toward
Vacuum cleaner - if wanna buy what do you normally do?
panasonic
Pro-smoking - they feel good abt it.
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