Behavior & Attitudes

DR. FARZANA ASHRAF

Contents
1. How well do our attitudes
predict our behavior?
2. When does our behavior
affect our attitudes?
3. Why does our behavior
affect our attitudes?
4. Postscript: Changing
ourselves through action

Behavior and Attitudes

 Attitudes  evaluative
What are reactions toward an entity
behaviors & that are exhibited in your
attitudes? beliefs, feelings, and/or
actions

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Do Attitudes Determine
Behavior?
 1. Do Attitudes Determine Behavior or Are We,
Hypocrites?
• Most incorrectly feel that to change
behaviors you must first change attitudes
• Studies show that people’s attitudes don’t
predict their actions very well
1- Religion
2- Honesty
3- Race
4- Sex

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 When Do Attitudes Predict Behaviors?

When Situational
Minimizing Social Influences are Potent Attitudes
Specific Attitudes  are
Influences When Social Minimal attitudes are stronger accessible
better predictors of
Influences are Minimal better predictors of average attitudes are better
behavior than general ones
(e.g. conformity) behaviors rather than predictors of behavior
isolated acts

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 Do Behaviors Determine
Attitudes?
Festinger’s Attitude Theory  changing one’s
behaviors will lead to changes in attitudes •
Roles  can lead to dramatic changes in
attitudes
Stanford Prison Experiment

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Cognitive Dissonance Theory

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 Dissonance & Decisions –
choosing between equally
appealing options causes
dissonance • Reduce
dissonance by upgrading
your choice and
downgrading the unchosen
option

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 Do Behaviors Determine
Attitudes?
Saying Becomes Believing Effect  we adjust our message
to the audience and then believe it more ourselves
• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon  the tendency to
comply with a larger request after having previously
agreed to a small request
• Cialdini’s Low-Ball Technique  people who agree to
an initial request will still agree when the stakes are
higher

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 Evil and Moral Acts and
Attitude Change
• Harmful/Evil Acts  minor acts of harm
makes it easier to commit larger acts later
on • Moral Acts  chosen moral action
also leads to attitude change
• Interracial Attitudes & Behaviors
• Social Movements

Behavior and Attitudes 12

 Why Do Actions
Affect Attitudes?

Self Self-
Presentation justification
Theory Theory

Cognitive Dissonance  we are motivated to

Impression Management we express
attitudes that match our actions in order
to appear consistent
Self-monitoring  attention one gives
to situations and corresponding self-
presentations
maintain cognitive consistency
Festinger ‘s Cognitive Dissonance Theory – we
feel tension when two thoughts or beliefs are
inconsistent with one another
Insufficient Justification  altering one’s
attitude when there is a lack of justification for a
behavior
Behavior and Attitudes
 Why Do Actions Affect
Attitudes?
Self-Perception Theory  when unsure of our
attitudes we infer them by self-observation
Expressions and Attitudes  manipulating facial
muscles causes students to report anger or happiness
Mimicry Mirroring others allows us to experience
their feelings
Overjustification Effect  rewarding someone for
doing something they like will cause them to lose
interest
Unanticipated rewards or rewards that make one feel
good don’t diminish intrinsic appeal or motivation
Behavior and Attitudes 14
Thank you
Quiz Will be in Next Class