Title: Attitudes%20and%20Attitude%20Change
1Lecture 6
- Attitudes and Attitude Change
2Outline
- What is an attitude?
- Definitions
- 3 categories of evaluative response
- Attitude functions
- Values
- Attitudes and behaviour
- Attitude formation and change
- Persuasion
- Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
3Definitions of Attitudes
- An attitude is a mental and neural state of
readiness, organized through experience, exerting
a directive or dynamic influence upon the
individuals response to all objects and
situations with which it is related. G. W.
Allport (1935) - The intensity of positive or negative affect for
or against a psychological object. Thurstone
(1946) - An attitude is a psychological tendency that is
expressed by evaluating a particular entity with
some degree of favor or disfavor. Eagley
Chaiken (1993) - Attitudes are enduring mental representations of
various features of the social or physical world.
They are acquired through experience and exert a
directive influence on subsequent
behavior. Breckler Wiggins (1989) - An attitude is a predisposition to react in a
certain way to an object or experience. Alcock,
Carment, Sadava (1991)
4(No Transcript)
5Functions of Attitudes(Katz, 1960 Katz
Stotland, 1959)
- 1. Knowledge
- - organize and simplify peoples experience
- 2. Instrumental
- - maximize rewards or minimize punishment
- 3. Ego-defensive
- - protect ourselves from unpleasant realities
- 4. Value expressive
- - allow the expression of personal values and
self-concept
6Values
- Values are principles that guide our lives. They
are designed to lead us to our ideal world
(Schwartz, 1992) - Transcend specific situations
- Guide selection or evaluation of behaviour and
events - Ordered by relative importance
7Value Dimensions (Schwartz, 1992)
Self-transcendence
Openness to change
Self- Direction
Universalism
Benevolence
Stimulation
Hedonism
Tradition
Achievement
Conformity
Security
Power
Self-enhancement
Conservation
8Value Dimensions (Hofstede, 1980)
- Power Distance
- the tendency to see a large social distance
between those in the upper part of a social
structure and those in the lower part of the
social structure. - Control of others behaviours
- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Avoidance of situations where the outcome is
uncertain - Security, low risk-taking, state religion
- Masculinity-Femininity
- The tendency of members of a culture to value
activities that are more common among men than
women. - success vs. caring for others and quality of
life - Individualism-Collectivism
- Tendency to give priority to personal goals even
when they conflict with the goals of important
groups.
9Chinese Culture Connection (1987)
- CBC
- Integration
- Human-heartedness
- Confucian work dynamism
- Moral discipline
- --
- Hofstede
- Collectivism
- Masculinity
- --
- Power distance (high)
- Uncertainty avoidance
10Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen Fishbein,
1980) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen,
1985, 1987)
Attitude toward the behaviour
Behavioural Intentions
Behaviour
Subjective Norms
Perceived Behavioural Control
11How are Attitudes Formed?
- 1. Direct experience
- a. with the attitude object
- b. with associated object
- 2. Experience with others
- a. classical conditioning
- b. instrumental conditioning
- c. modelling others behavior
12PERSUASION
- The process of getting others to agree with (or
change their attitude regarding) an advocated
position by means of a rational or an emotional
appeal. - Who says what to whom under what circumstances?
13WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?
- Source (WHO?)
- a. Credibility Are they an expert and are they
trustworthy? - b. Physical attractiveness
14WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES
- Message (WHAT?)
- a. primacy-recency effects
- b. one- vs. two-sided arguments
- c. fear arousal
15WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?
- Five factors are important in any fear appeal
- 1.) the magnitude of the unpleasantness of the
event - 2.) the probability that the negative event will
occur if the recommended action is not taken - 3.) the perceived effectiveness of the
recommended action - 4.) the perceived ability to perform the
recommended action - 5.) how afraid you already are of the topic
16WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES
- Recipient or Target (TO WHOM?)
- a) personality traits (self-esteem and
intelligence) - b) gender
- c) mood
17WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?
- Context (UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?)
- a. Situational distractions (noise)
- b. overheard message
18Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger, 1957)
- Types of Cognitions
- Irrelevant two cognitions have nothing to do
with each other - Consonant one cognition follows from, or fits
with another - Dissonant one cognition follows from, or fits
with, the opposite of another discrepant
19Attitude change following induced compliance
(Festinger Carlsmith, 1959)
20Mean attitudes toward police actions (Cohen, 1962)