Chap 8: Attitudes
and Attitude Change
Moral Dumbfounding
Incest
Attitudes
Levels
Implicit
measured with the
Implicit Association Test
Existing association
Attitudinal Changes
Elaboration
Likelihood Model
Peripheral Route
Central Route
effective when
audience believes issue is personally relevant
processed cognitively
processed emotionally
Characteristics
Resisting Persuasion
Reactance Theory
"evaluations of people,
objects, or ideas"
Origins
Genes
Experiences
identical twins share more attitudes than fraternal twins, even if raised in different homes
Exercise
organised religion
Jazz music
indirectly affect attitudes through
temperament and personality
Components
Affective
Behavioural
Cognitive
"based on emotions and
physiological reactions"
"based on observations of past
behaviour towards an object"
"based on logical analysis
of relevant facts"
Examples
topics that cannot be
discussed at the dinner table
Politics (attitudes
towards politicians)
Sex
Religion
Origins
Values
religious and moral beliefs
applies to attitudes on
abortion, death penalty
Physiological
Reactions
result of sensory reactions
like taste and touch
Eg. food
Aesthetic
Reactions
admiring paintings
prints and colours
of dresses
Conditioning
Classical
Operant
UCR that also elicits an
emotional response
paired with US
US becomes CS
Behaviour one is free to perform is linked with emotional
reward / punishment
Emotional reaction
is learned
Development of
racist attitudes
Characteristics
often linked to people's values
not a result of rational
examination or logic
tools for expressing and communicating
our identities to the world
Conditions
initial attitude is weak
and ambiguous
no external
justifications
Eg. No need to infer from behaviours
if a strong attitude already exists on exercise
Eg. Exercising because
of doctor's orders
Perceptions may not be objective
usually not the basis for attitudes
on important things in life
faster reaction time
Explicit
Breaking association
"attitudes we consciously endorse
and can easily think and talk about"
involuntary, uncontrollable and
beyond conscious awareness
Obesity
Attitudes
Results
implicit attitudes rooted more
in childhood experiences
explicit attitudes rooted more
recent experiences
Procedure
slower reaction time
students asked to report current weight and childhood weight
measured explicit and implicit
attitudes towards overweight people
Eg. consciously thinking
that racial bias is wrong
Eg. Growing up with ➖
stereotypes about black ppl
Poor eye contact
Feelings of
nervousness
signing hiring
inclusivity petition
Origins
mental associations
influence of negative stereotypes in
ways individual is unaware of
Predictions
LaPiere
Procedure
followed a Chinese couple on
a roadtrip in racist USA
observed service offered
at establishments
Results
Only 1 out of 251 establishments
refused to serve the Chinese couple
Only 1 out of 251 establishments responded
that they would serve Chinese visitors
wrote letters to establishments asking
if they would serve Chinese visitors
cannot be sure respondents were
same people who served Chinese couple
cannot be sure attitudes did
not change in the months
Spontaneous
Behaviour
attitudes predict behaviour only
when they are highly accessible
Attitude Accessibility
"strength of association between
object and its evaluation"
measured by speed people
can report their attitudes
Factors
Degree of experience
with the object
volunteering at
homeless shelter
reading about
homelessness
in newspapers
Deliberate
Behaviour
Theory of Planned
Behaviour
intentions predict behaviours
intentions have
three determinants
Specific
Attitudes
Subjective Norms
Perceived
behaviour control
increased specificity of attitude
linked with better prediction
Birth Control 💊
Results
General question:
attitudes towards birth control
low correlation
with behaviours
Specific question:
attitudes towards using
birth control pills
higher correlation
with behaviours
" beliefs about how others they
care about will view the behaviour "
Eg. going for a violin concert because you think friend will be disappointed if you don't go
"ease people believe
they can perform behaviour"
if behaviour perceived as hard,
weaker intention will be formed
TV
Reasons
Social
influence
Eg. entire premise
of advertising
people change attitudes
because of publicity
cognitive dissonance
Yale Attitude
Change Approach
persuasive
communication
Source 📢
Communication 📜
Audience 👥
who says what to whom
credible and has
subject-matter expertise
attractive physically or
personality-wise
Sleeper effect
messages from a source with negative connotations may be maintained longer
presenting a
two-sided argument
order effects in
sequence of speeches
Distracted audience more
easily persuaded
📉 IQ => 📈 persuasion
Moderate self esteem =>
📈 persuasion
Impressionable age of 18 - 25
Limitations
does not identify which aspects are
more important than others
complex
Determinants
"when audience is motivated and able to elaborate on message content and think about arguments"
"when audience lacks motivation and ability to attend to arguments and focuses on superficial cues"
length of message
characteristics of
the speaker
anything that influences
motivation and ability
Personal Relevance
Ability to pay
attention
College Students
Procedure
how relevant is the topic
to one's well being
asked to listen to speech advocating comprehensive exam before graduation
1/2 told university was seriously considering requiring comprehensive exams
1/2 told university was considering it but
not for the next 10 years old
varied strength of arguments
varied prestige of speaker
Results
📈 personal relevance
📉 personal relevance
📈 agreement when
arguments were strong
📈 agreement when
speaker was prestigious
low influence of
speaker identity
adoption of
central route
adoption of
peripheral route
low influence of
strength of arguments
Cooper
Procedure
showed mock jurors video of
product liability trial
varied level of qualification
of the witness
Results
focused on strength of arguments when
scientific testimony was easy to understand
Ignored credentials
focused on speaker's credentials when scientific testimony was complicated and technical
more resistant to
counter persuasion
more likely to behave
consistently
more likely to maintain
similar attitude over time
motivated but unable
Fear-Arousing
Communication
"persuasive message that attempts to change attitudes by arousing fear"
Effectiveness
Right amount of fear
leads to 📈 motivation
Smoking 🚬
Results
Watched film and
read pamphlet
📉 smoking significantly
Film raised fear and pamphlet
reassured them by providing a way out
More willing to analyse messages
Read pamphlet
Little motivation to
read it carefully
Watched film
People are scared but no ways
are provided to help reduce fear
Too much fear
Defensive
Unable to rationalise
Deny importance of the topic
Emotions 🌈
In a 😃 mood
In a 😒 mood
Relaxes us
More receptive to
heuristic cues
Puts us on alert
Pay more attention to
message quality
Body posture
Headphone 🎧
Participants asked to either shake or
nod head to test headphone durability
Listened to editorial arguing
for ID cards on campus
Half heard 💪 arguments while
half heard ♿ arguments
Results
Nodding heads increased confidence that argument was 👍 when arguments were strong
Shaking heads increased confidence that
argument was 👎 when arguments were weak
People do not like to be told what to do regarding fertility because it is a private matter
Attitude
Inoculation 💉
similar to concept of
immunisation
thinking about counterarguments
to one's own position
become more resistant
to further persuasion
weak arguments motivate us to
think about limitations of argument
strengthening
original attitudes
Awareness of
Product Placement
Why it works?
people don't realise attempt to
influence attitudes and behaviour
people don't attempt to
generate counterarguments
forewarning people about
attempts to change attitudes
Resisting Peer
Pressure
Why it works?
leverages on
fear of rejection
desire for freedom
and autonomy
importance source
of social approval
using attitude
inoculation
when people perceive their
freedom is threatened
arouses an unpleasant
state of reactance
people reduce reactance by
performing threatened behaviour
Graffiti on walls
Procedure
One sign says "Do not write…"
One sign says "Please don't…"
Results
Significantly more people vandalised bathroom with "Do not write"