Chapter 7 - Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency

1. Chapter 7 - Attitudes, Beliefs, and Consistency What Are Attitudes and Why Do People Have Them? How Attitudes Are Formed? Consistency Do Attitudes Really Predict Behavior? Beliefs and Believing This is an overview of the topics of the chapter. Before beginning the chapter there is a slide based on the chapter introduction that can be used to stimulate classroom discussion.This is an overview of the topics of the chapter. Before beginning the chapter there is a slide based on the chapter introduction that can be used to stimulate classroom discussion.

2. Attitudes and Beliefs Attitudes Global evaluations toward some object or issue Beliefs Information about something; facts or opinions

3. Attitude Attitude = one's evaluative orientation toward a person, thing, idea, etc. Do you like Shredded Wheat? Do you prefer lecture course or seminars? What's your favorite Friday evening activity? Is Seinfeld funny?

4. Three Parts of Attitudes Cognitive Our knowledge of the attitude target Affective Our feelings or beliefs toward the attitude target Behavioral Our intention to act toward the attitude target

5. Dual Attitudes Different evaluations of the same target Implicit attitude Automatic evaluative response Explicit attitude Conscious evaluative response

6. Dual Attitudes Some attitudes are not shared with others Stigma We may not be aware of all our own attitudes We may unconsciously dislike something we consciously like.

7. Measuring Attitudes Self-Report Measures Open Ended Scales Likert Scales Issues with Self-Report Reliability / Validity Assumes you know your attitudes Ambivalent Attitudes Self-Report Biases

8. Non-Verbal Measures Behavioral Measures � Overt behavior to infer attitude Physiological Measures � Arousal and muscle action Implicit Attitudes � Reaction time

9. Implicit Association Test (IAT) Measures implicit attitudes Those we are unwilling or unable to report Attitudes about stigmatized groups Stigma an attribute that is perceived by others as broadly negative Technology Tip: Students can take a sample IAT test � but caution them that the results may be a bit disconcerting. Alternatively, you may wish to access this site in class to illustrate the structure of the test. (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/)Stigma an attribute that is perceived by others as broadly negative Technology Tip: Students can take a sample IAT test � but caution them that the results may be a bit disconcerting. Alternatively, you may wish to access this site in class to illustrate the structure of the test. (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/)

10. Why People Have Attitudes Attitudes help us deal with complex world Attitudes are evaluations (like or dislike) Initial evaluations are immediate and unconscious Attitudes are helpful in making choices Two Functions Object Appraisal Value-Expressive Teaching Tip: Students interested in the phenomenon of immediate evaluations can be directed to Malcolm Gladwell�s book Blink, in which he describes several examples of rapid initial evaluations. (http://www.gladwell.com/blink/index.html) Technology Tip: You may wish to reference the website �Rate My Professor� as an example of an additional means by which students form attitudes toward particular instructors (http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp).Teaching Tip: Students interested in the phenomenon of immediate evaluations can be directed to Malcolm Gladwell�s book Blink, in which he describes several examples of rapid initial evaluations. (http://www.gladwell.com/blink/index.html) Technology Tip: You may wish to reference the website �Rate My Professor� as an example of an additional means by which students form attitudes toward particular instructors (http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp).

11. Attitude Formation Genetic Affective Cognitive Behavioral

12. Attitude Formation - Genetic Genetic Tesser (1993) believed that some attitudes are heritable. Some possibilities: Sensory Body Chemistry Intelligence

13. Attitude Formation - Affective Mere-exposure effect - Zajonc (1968) Repeated exposure increases liking for an object Exception - If you dislike something initially, repeated exposure will not change that attitude Mere-exposure effect the tendency for people to come to like things simply because they see or encounter them repeatedly. Technology Tip: Check out a demonstration of the mere exposure effect. (http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/mere_exposure.htm ) Technology Tip: Photographers have caught onto this phenomenon (mere-exposure effect and mirror image). Visit the website, �The Mere Exposure Effect: for advice on increasing portrait sales. (http://www.photo-seminars.com/Seminars/MereImage/Mere%20Image.htm)Mere-exposure effect the tendency for people to come to like things simply because they see or encounter them repeatedly. Technology Tip: Check out a demonstration of the mere exposure effect. (http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/mere_exposure.htm ) Technology Tip: Photographers have caught onto this phenomenon (mere-exposure effect and mirror image). Visit the website, �The Mere Exposure Effect: for advice on increasing portrait sales. (http://www.photo-seminars.com/Seminars/MereImage/Mere%20Image.htm)

14. Attitude Formation - Affective Classical Conditioning Can form both explicit and implicit attitudes Develop a positive attitude toward the conditioned stimulus Helps explain prejudiced attitudes Negative information in the media linked to social groups Advertisers link celebrities and products Classical Conditioning a type of learning in which, through repeated pairings, a neutral stimulus comes to evoke a conditioned response. Teaching Tip: To emphasize the way that classical conditioning can shape attitudes, ask students to recall the last time they were nauseous and vomiting. Then ask them to reflect on their attitudes toward whatever they ate or drank just before getting sick.Classical Conditioning a type of learning in which, through repeated pairings, a neutral stimulus comes to evoke a conditioned response. Teaching Tip: To emphasize the way that classical conditioning can shape attitudes, ask students to recall the last time they were nauseous and vomiting. Then ask them to reflect on their attitudes toward whatever they ate or drank just before getting sick.

15. Attitude Formation - Affective Operant Conditioning Develop a positive attitude toward something being reinforced Social Learning Learn attitudes acceptable through observation (Bobo Dolls) Operant conditioning (instrumental conditioning) a type of learning in which people are more likely to repeat behaviors that have been rewarded and less likely to repeat behaviors that have been punished. Social learning (observational learning, vicarious conditioning) a type of learning in which people are more likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others rewarded for performing them, and less likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others punished for performing them.Operant conditioning (instrumental conditioning) a type of learning in which people are more likely to repeat behaviors that have been rewarded and less likely to repeat behaviors that have been punished. Social learning (observational learning, vicarious conditioning) a type of learning in which people are more likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others rewarded for performing them, and less likely to imitate behaviors if they have seen others punished for performing them.

16. Attitude Formation - Cognitive Evaluation of the merits of an object Polarization - Attitudes become more extreme as we think about them Especially true in strong initial attitude Evaluate evidence in a biased manner Accept evidence that confirms attitude Accept evidence from ingroup members Technology Tip: A host of television and print ads are available at the site �Best Ads on TV� (http://www.bestadsontv.com/main.php) Technology Tip: A host of television and print ads are available at the site �Best Ads on TV� (http://www.bestadsontv.com/main.php)

17. Attitude Formation - Behavioral Bem�s Self-Perception Theory At work when we don�t have a well-defined attitude �If I said it, it must be true� �If I ate it, I must like it� We are making an attribution about our behavior.

18. Consistency Commonalities in theories about consistency Specify conditions required for consistency and inconsistency Assume inconsistency is unpleasant Specify conditions required to restore consistency Technology Tip: Although the text does not detail the tripartite model of attitudes, if you wish to cover this model, Eugene Borgida presents a good visual depiction (http://www.psych.umn.edu/courses/spring06/borgidae/psy5202/images/tripartitemodel.jpg)Technology Tip: Although the text does not detail the tripartite model of attitudes, if you wish to cover this model, Eugene Borgida presents a good visual depiction (http://www.psych.umn.edu/courses/spring06/borgidae/psy5202/images/tripartitemodel.jpg)

19. Balance Theory P-O-X Theory Person � Other Person � Attitude Object Relationships among P-O-X Unit relationships � Things that belong together Sentiment relationships � Liking or Disliking (Attitudes)