Attitudes%20and%20Attitude%20Change

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Lecture 6

• Attitudes and Attitude Change

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Outline

• 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

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Definitions 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)

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Functions 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

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Values

• 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

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Value Dimensions (Schwartz, 1992)
Self-transcendence
Openness to change
Self- Direction
Universalism
Benevolence
Stimulation
Hedonism
Tradition
Achievement
Conformity
Security
Power
Self-enhancement
Conservation
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Value 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.

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Chinese Culture Connection (1987)

• CBC
• Integration
• Human-heartedness
• Confucian work dynamism
• Moral discipline
• --

• Hofstede
• Collectivism
• Masculinity
• --
• Power distance (high)
• Uncertainty avoidance

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Theory 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
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How 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

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PERSUASION

• 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?

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WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?

• Source (WHO?)
• a. Credibility Are they an expert and are they
  trustworthy?
• b. Physical attractiveness

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WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES

• Message (WHAT?)
• a. primacy-recency effects
• b. one- vs. two-sided arguments
• c. fear arousal

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WHO 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

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WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES

• Recipient or Target (TO WHOM?)
• a) personality traits (self-esteem and
  intelligence)
• b) gender
• c) mood

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WHO SAYS WHAT TO WHOM UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?

• Context (UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES?)
• a. Situational distractions (noise)
• b. overheard message

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Cognitive 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

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Attitude change following induced compliance
(Festinger Carlsmith, 1959)
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Mean attitudes toward police actions (Cohen, 1962)