Attitudes

Session 9-10
Attitudes
 Definition: Attitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SQIVslZIMXI

 Learned tendency to respond

 to an object in
 positive or negative way
 Attitudes
◦ Attitudesinfluence:
 Behavior
 Attention

Attitude Object: Anything

toward which we have an
attitude
 List Your Attitudes
 List 5 of your positive  List 5 of your negative
attitudes attitudes
 1.  1.
 2.  2.
 3.  3.
 4.  4.
 5.  5.

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

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 Components of Attitudes
Affective (Emotional)
◦ Positive or Negative
◦ Very Strong to Very Weak
Cognitive (Thinking)
◦ Thought
◦ Beliefs
Behavioral (Acting)
◦ Act or not act
 Three-component model

Component Characteristics Examples

Affect Emotional reactions "I like/hate ..."

“I think the
Internalized beliefs,
Cognition world
thoughts
should..."

Tendency to respond
Behavior in particular way "I always do...”
toward attitude object
 Attitude
Object:
Ice Cream
Ice cream is good.
(Cognitive)

I like ice cream.

(Affective)

I eat ice cream.

(Behavioral)
 Quiz Question
 Which of the following is an example of the
evaluative component to the attitude, “I
can’t stand punk rock”?
a. negative emotion
b. not attending a punk rock concert
c. rules for applying a label

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 Attitude Formation
Socialization

Reinforcement

Associations of stimulus response

Observing others
Direct contact with attitude object
Media
 Functions of Attitudes
Whydo we retain attitudes for
months, years, or even a lifetime?

Oneanswer is that they serve at least

some important functions for us.

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 Functions of Attitudes

1. Heuristic or instrumental function

 Simple and efficient means of evaluating
objects
 Action movies
 Big Band music

2. Schematic or knowledge function

 Attitudes about a category provide basis for
making inferences about members.
 Conservatives, Liberals
 Northerners, Southerners

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 Functions of Attitudes

3. Value expression
 Express the individual’s basic values
 Reinforce self-image

4. Ego Defense
 Protect from thoughts or feelings that
threaten self-image or adjustment
 Measurement
3Methods
◦Single item scales
◦Likert Scales
◦Semantic Differential Scales
 Measurement
Single item:
◦ Do you like action movies? Yes or No
Likert Scale:
◦ I like action movies.
◦ Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree

Semantic Differential
 Relationship Between Attitudes and
Behavior
 Can be discrepancy between
what people do and what they
say.

 Studies find only modest

correlation between attitude and
behavior.

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 Relationship Between Attitudes
and Behavior
 Four variables (reasons) why
correlation is not stronger:
1. Activation of the attitude
2. Characteristics of the attitude
3. Correspondence between attitude
and behavior
4. Situational constraints on behavior
 Activation of the Attitude

Brought from memory into

conscious awareness

Usually activated by exposure

to attitude object

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 Characteristics of the Attitude
1. Affective-Cognitive Consistency
◦ Greater consistency between cognition and
evaluation, greater strength of attitude-
behavior relation.

2. Direct Experience
◦ Attitudes based on direct experience are
more predictive of subsequent behavior.

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 Characteristics of the Attitude
3. Strength
◦ Greater strength of an attitude, more
likely to influence behavior.

4. Temporal Stability
◦ To predict behavior from attitudes,
the attitudes must be stable over time.

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 Correspondence
Measured at same level of specificity
Greater degree of correspondence,
(number of elements the same in the
two measures)
◦ Better can predict behavior from attitudes

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 Attitude-Behavior Correspondence

Every behavior involves a:

◦Target
◦Action
◦Context
◦Time

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 Attitude-Behavior Correspondence
To predict behavior from attitude
◦ Measures of attitude and behavior should
involve same elements
◦ Target
◦ Action
◦ Context
◦ Time
Larger number of elements in common,
greater the correlation between attitude
and behavior
 Situational Constraint
An influence on behavior due to
likelihood that other persons will learn
about 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 Reasoned Action Model
Model is based on the assumption that
behavior is rational.
Incorporates factors that have been shown to
affect consistency between attitudes and
behavior.
Behavior is determined by behavioral
intention.
Behavioral intention is influenced by attitude
and subjective norms.

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 ***The Reasoned Action Model

A broad definition of perceived or subjective norm is "the perceived social pressure to perform or not to
perform the behavior" in question. Subjective norm is also measured as normative belief without including
motivation to comply.
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 Assessment of the Reasoned Action Model
Model used to predict behaviors like
whether a mother will breastfeed her baby

Model criticized because it assumes

behavior is determined largely by our
intentions
In fact, past behavior may be more
influential than our intentions

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ELM Model
 The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) is a dual process theory describing the change of
attitudes. The ELM was developed by Richard E. Petty and John Cacioppo in 1980.

 The model aims to explain different ways of processing stimuli, why they are used, and
their outcomes on attitude change. The ELM proposes two major routes to persuasion: the
central route and the peripheral route.

 Under the central route, persuasion will likely result from a person's careful and thoughtful
consideration of the true merits of the information presented in support of an advocacy.
The central route involves a high level of message elaboration in which a great amount of
cognition about the arguments are generated by the individual receiving the message. The
results of attitude change will be relatively enduring, resistant, and predictive of behavior

 On the other hand, under the peripheral route, persuasion results from a person's
association with positive or negative cues in the stimulus or making a simple inference
about the merits of the advocated position. The cues received by the individual under the
peripheral route are generally unrelated to the logical quality of the stimulus. These cues
will involve factors such as the credibility or attractiveness of the sources of the message,
or the production quality of the message. The likelihood of elaboration will be determined
by an individual's motivation and ability to evaluate the argument being presented.