How to Be a Puppet Master

1
How to Be a Puppet Master
Persuasion
Effort to change attitudes through various kinds
of messages
Social Influence
Attempts to change behavior (and maybe attitudes)
X
2
Outcomes of Influence Attempts
Commitment
Compliance
Resistance
3
Attitudes

• Chapters 7 and 8

4
Why Study Attitudes?

• Attitudes are important because they
• strongly influence our social thought
• help to organize and evaluate stimuli (e.g.,
  categorizing stimuli as positive or negative)
• presumably have a strong affect on behavior
• help to predict peoples behavior in wide range
  of contexts (e.g., voting, interpersonal
  relations)

5
The Basics of Attitudes

• Attitude - evaluation of an object in a positive
  or negative fashion that includes the 3 elements
  of affect, cognitions, and behavior
• 1. The 3 Components of Attitudes
• affect, cognition, and behavior
• 2. Measuring Attitudes
• likert scale - used to assess peoples attitudes
  that includes a set of possible answers and that
  has anchors on each extreme

6
Attitude Structure
Gun Control
Affect Guns make me sick!
Affect
Behavior I vote for gun control whenever
possible.
Cognition
Cognition Guns in the house increase the
likelihood of children accidentally shooting
themselves.
Behavior
7
Attitude Formation

• social learning- acquire attitudes from others
• classical conditioning- learning based on
  association
• subliminal conditioning- without awareness
• instrumental conditioning- learn to hold the
  right views
• observational learning- learning by observing
  actions of others and exposure to mass media

8
Attitude Formation (cont)

• social comparison- compare ourselves to others to
  determine if our view of reality is correct
• attitudes are shaped by social information from
  others we like or respect
• genetic factors- inherited general dispositions
  (e.g., see world in a positive or negative light)
• highly heritable attitudes and gut-level
  preferences (music) are especially influenced

9
Summary

• Attitudes are evaluations of any aspect of our
  social world
• Attitudes are often learned
• Attitudes are also formed through social
  comparison
• New research suggests attitudes are influenced by
  genetic factors

10
The Functions of Attitudes

• 1. The Utilitarian Function of Attitudes
• serves to alert us to rewarding objects and
  situations we should approach, and costly or
  punishing objects or situations we should avoid
• 2. The Ego-Defensive Function of Attitudes
• enables us to maintain cherished beliefs about
  ourselves by protecting us from awareness of our
  negative attributes and impulses or from facts
  that contradict our cherished beliefs

11
The Functions of Attitudes

• Terror Management Theory - says that to ward off
  the anxiety we feel when contemplating our own
  demise, we cling to cultural worldviews and
  conventional values out of a belief that by doing
  so, part of us will survive death
• 3. The Value-Expressive Function of Attitudes
• 4. The Knowledge Function of Attitudes

12
Fig. 7.1
13
Fig. 7.2
14
Attitude-Behavior Link

• Attitudes do not always predict behavior
• LaPiere (1934) found that virtually all
  businesses served Chinese couple courteously, yet
  most owners held negative attitudes
• Sun-worshippers know the dangers of exposure to
  the sun, yet they tan anyway
• looking good attitude takes precedence over
  attitudes toward personal health

Forward
15
LaPiere Study
Would you serve Chinese people?
Back
16
Moderators of A-B Link

• Aspects of the situation
• situational constraints (e.g., sparing ones
  feelings) may prevent us from expressing our true
  attitudes
• often we choose situations where we can engage in
  behaviors consistent with our attitudes
• Aspects of attitudes
• origins- how attitudes were formed
• strength- intensity, importance, accessibility
• specificity- general vs. specific

17
How Do Attitudes Influence Behavior?

• Theory of planned behavior (considered)
• intentions are a function of attitudes toward
  behavior, subjective norms, and perceived
  behavioral control
• Attitude-to behavior process model (impulsive)
• attitudes spontaneously shape our behavior of
  situation
• Prototype/willingness model (risky)
• behavior is a function of attitudes toward
  behavior, subjective norms, behavior intentions,
  willingness to engage in specific form of
  behavior, and prototypes

18
Theory of Planned Behavior
Attitudes
Subjective Norms
Behavioral Intentions
Behavior
Perceived Behavioral Control
Back
19
Attitude to Behavior Process Model
Event
Attitude
Behavior
Back
20
Prototype/Willingness Model
21
Summary

• Several factors moderate the link between
  attitudes and behaviors.
• Situational constraints may prevent us from
  expressing our attitudes.
• We often engage in activities that allow us to
  express our attitudes.
• Attitude formation, attitude strength, and
  attitude specificity also moderate the A-B link.
• Attitudes influence behavior through several
  mechanisms.