What are the ABCs of attitude formation?
Affect, Behaviour, Cognition
Attitude, Behaviour, Cognition
Affect, Behaviour, Construction
Attitude, Behaviour, Construction
In relation to an attitude object what is "affect"?
Feelings/emotions influence attitudes
The affect the attitude has on others areas
The feelings/emotions that derive from the attitudes
The feelings other individuals have towards an attitude object
What are behavioural attitude sources? - MORE INFO IN NOTES
Infer attitudes based on own behaviour
Infer attitudes based on other's behaviour
Form attitudes based on own behaviour
Form attitudes based on other's behaviour
What are cognitive attitude sources?
Based on rational arguments for and against the attitude object
Based on reflections of feelings related to attitude object
Attitudes formed based on reliable sources, such as research papers
Based on rational arguments presented to the individual for/against the attitude object
Affective attitude source: What is the mere exposure effect?
The more the exposure toward an attitude object, the more favourable the attitude towards it
The more to exposure to an attitude object, the less favourable the attitude towards it
The more exposure to an attitude object the more likely the opposite attitude towards it is to form
The more exposure to an attitude object the more likely the current attitude towards it is to strengthen
Behavioural attitude source: Outline Bem's self-perception theory
When unable to directly access an attitude an individual will infer it based on their behaviour
When unable to directly access an attitude an individual will infer it based on others' behaviour
When unable to directly access an attitude an individual will form a new attitude based on logical reasoning
When unable to directly access an attitude an individual will form a new attitude based on their current social situation
Affective attitude source: What did Zajonc (1968) find regarding the mere exposure effect?
Individuals more likely to say that familiar nonsense words/characters (exposed to earlier in experiment) meant something positive
Individuals more likely to say that familiar nonsense words/characters (exposed to earlier in experiment) meant something negative
Familiar objects are perceived more fluently
Familiar objects are perceived less fluently
Affective attitude source: What two processes did Bornstein & D'Agostino (1992) argue resulted in the mere exposure effect?
Familiar objects perceived more fluently
Individuals make incorrect attribution for this perceptual fluency
The more people around the individual that "likes" the AO leads to the individual believing they should "like" it too
The individual will construct for and against opinions of the AO based on others' reactions to it
What is the Social Learning approach to how attitudes form?
Individuals acquire attitudes/behaviours from others
Individuals are told by others how to behave and what their attitudes should be
Individuals construct their own attitudes and bahviours based on information they observe from significant others
Individuals act in a similar way to others and adopt others' attitudes in order to gain social acceptance
Social Learning: Outline Classical Conditioning
A stimulus is associated with AO that elicits pos/neg response, then pos/neg attitude forms to stimulus
A behaviour is met by positive or negative reinforcement or punishment, therefore the behaviour is then associated with a pos/neg attitude
The behaviour is repeated due to praise from a significant other, pairing a positive attitude to the behaviour
The behaviour is stopped due to criticism from a significant other, pairing a negative attitude to the behaviour
Social Learning: What is subliminal conditioning?
Unconscious classical conditioning
Conditioning of a pos/neg attitude towards an AO under hypontism
Conditioning of a pos/neg attitude towards an AO in experimental conditions using deception
Conditioning of a pos/neg attitude towards an AO whilst the individual is asleep
Social Learning: What is instrumental conditioning?
Attitudes can be reinforced/diffused via pos/neg reinforcement and punishment
Stimulus associated with AO that elicits pos/neg response, then pos/neg attitude forms to stimulus
Attitudes/behaviours influenced by observing others
Conditioning that occurs unconsciously through observing others
Social Learning: What is observational learning?
Attitudes/behaviours formed due to wanting to "fit into" observed social group
Attitudes/behaviours formed through observation due to not wanting to be socially excluded
The majority influences the individuals attitude/behaviours
What do innate factors assume about forming attitudes?
Some important attitude features are inherited
Some important attitude features develop naturally despite genetics or the social world
Some innate brain features lead to behaviours to occur that lead to attitude formation
Forming attitudes is an innate factor that every individual completes in approximately the same way
Innate Factors of Attitude Formation: What have studies with monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic twins shown?
Attitudes of monozygotic twins are more strongly related even if they are brought up apart
Attitudes of monozygotic twins are more strongly related only if they are brought up apart
Attitudes of dizygotic twins are more strongly related even if they are brought up apart
Attitudes of dizygotic twins are more strongly related only if they are brought up apart
Attitude constancy and balance: Outline Heider's (1958) balance theory MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, READ NOTES
Consistent attitudes are in balance and form coherent whole
Individuals balance arguments for and against the AO before fully adopting an attitude
The attitude an individual has tends to remain constant throughout their life time
The individual only adopts new attitudes if they are constant, and in balance with current attitudes
Outline social representations: The social formation of attitudes
Attitudes are built up by groups via social interaction
Individuals adopt attitude based on what others' around them think
Individuals use social representations in order to form attitudes
Attitudes are formed through observations of the social world