ATTITUDE

Definition:

It is and enduing pattern of feelings, beliefs and behaviour tendencies towards other people or
ideas or objects or values.

Characteristics:

 They are learned predisposition and not innate

 Tendency to favour or be negative or against something in advance
 It may be positive / negative or favorable / unfavorable
 Attitudes are what you perceive and how you think and feel more or less permanently
about something.
 Attitude can’t be changed easily. They do not change from moment to moment .
 Attitude are made up of different beliefs, and thus the beliefs are evolutionary feelings.
 Components of attitude are: 1. Cognitive 2. Belief 3.behavioural.

Formation of attitude:

 Attitude are learned or acquired from our social environment.

 You are not born with attitudes, but we from attitudes as we grow /develop.
 In our early period of life most of our attitude are of our parents.
 Direct experience with something in the environment which gives a strong attitude about
it.
 Attitudes are learned through our interaction with other people.
 Attitudes are influenced by mass media.

Theories of attitude:

1. Learning theories

Doob(1947) proposed that the principles of classical and operant conditioning could be used to
explain the formation and change of attitude.

Objects, people or events associated with pleasant experience may have favorable evaluation,
while those associated with unpleasant experience may be evaluated negatively.

Eg. Conducive class room environment favours effective learning.

In instrumental conditioning the reinforcement maintain the occurrence of any behaviour and it
is relvent to attitude formation and change.

Membership and acceptance in particular groups is often contigent upon the attitudes one
expresses. Eg. Church, peer group, clubs.

[Type text]
Dr.A.Enoch, Asst. Professor, Psychology, MSSW.
 2. Consistency theories.

Balance theory:

Peter Peter

+ + _ _

Binny + Preetha Binny _ Preetha

Balanced Balanced

Peter

+ +

Binny _ Preetha

Unbalanced

It explains how attitudes are consistent / stale and persistent. There is a tendency to maintain or
restore balance in once attitude structure. Unbalanced structurism uncomfortable and unpleasant.
People express a preference for balance structure and “fill in” incomplete structures in such a
way as to maintain balance. Thus is a tendency towards balance and the unbalanced structure
produces tension and discomfort.

Cognitive Dissonance:

Consonance = harmony, Dissonance = disharmony.

Like balance theory it assumes that every individual strive for harmony (consonance) among the
elements in their cognitive or thought or structure. The creation of dissonance(disharmony) is
stressful. The dissonance created, motivate the individual to restore the consonance. But
according to CD theory dissonance will occur under wider set of circumstances than the creation
of imbalance.

According to Fertinger any 2 related cognitive elements do not fit together if they violate general
logic or the persons expectation.
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Dr.A.Enoch, Asst. Professor, Psychology, MSSW.
Eg. For consonance

1. Foavouring a candidate in election and publically supporting him.

2. Smoking is injuries to health and I do not smoke.

Eg. For dissonance

1. Favouring a candidate in election and publically speaking ill about him.

2. Smoking is injuries to health and being a smoker.

The amount of dissonance or consonance decreases or increases based upon the importance of
cognitive element and individual possess.

How to reduce cognitive element?

Two major ways

1. By changing one cognitive element

2. By adding a new cognitive element

Cognitive response approach:

The formation or the change of attitude depends on how the recipient of the message deals with
the new information. It emphasis the roll of the person’s cognitive organisation in determining
how information is interpreted, remembered and retrieved. Eg. Soap add in TV and how a person
uses it.

Measurement of attitudes:

I. Self report methods:

1. Public opinion polls.

2. Standardized attitude scales.

II. Involuntary behavioural measures:

1. Physiological measures

Eg. GSR- Galvanic skin reponse

EMG- Electronic myographic

2. Based on classical conditioning.

[Type text]
Dr.A.Enoch, Asst. Professor, Psychology, MSSW.
Factors in attitude change:

1. Source of the message – from a person a group or an institution, the credibility of the
source and attractiveness is important.
Eg. Cine personalities, sports personalities used in advertisement.
2. Content of the message – mainly suggestive
Eg. Fair and lovely
3. Appeals to fear
Eg. Advertisement against cigarettes , alcohol.
4. Receiver of the message.
a. Influencibility
b. Selective attention and interpretation
c. Immunization

Attitude change:

1. Persuasion
2. When they become members of new group
3. Religious / cultural change
4. Travel and new experience.

[Type text]
Dr.A.Enoch, Asst. Professor, Psychology, MSSW.