Attitudes do not predict behavior

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Attitudes do not predict behavior

• What behavior? Any behavior
• Racial attitudes, attitudes toward attending
  church, cheating on tests, getting divorced, etc.

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Changing your attitude

• Doesnt really matter
• Change your behavior and your attitude will
  follow
• In text as behaviorally based attitude

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Why do Attitudes follow Behavior?

• 1. Self presentation theory
• We adjust our presentation of self in order to
  please people, not offend them.

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2. Self-justification

• We adjust our thinking to match our actions.
• Cognitive dissonance

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Cognitive Dissonance

• Leon Festinger we feel tension (dissonance) when
  2 thoughts are psychologically inconsistent
• E.g. we know that smoking may kill us, we dont
  want to die

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3. Self Perception

• We may look at our own behavior to infer our
  attitudes.
• Daryl Bem p.145 text (Chap.5)

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3 Components of Attitudes

• ABC of Attitudes
• 1. Affect (feelings)
• 2. Behavior (intentions)
• 3. Cognition (thoughts)

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Cognitively based attitudes

• Attitudes based on logic, relevant facts
• Beliefs about the properties of an attitude object

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Affectively Based Attitudes

• Based on feelings and values, not logic
• And very resistant to change (persuasive
  arguments dont work)

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Behaviorally Based Attitudes

• This is Bems self-perception theory again
• Observe our own behavior toward an object

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Explicit vs implicit attitudes

• Explicit attitudes-one you consciously endorse
  and can easily report
• Implicit attitudes-involuntary, uncontrollable,
  possibly unconscious evaluations

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Can we legislate morality?
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YES!

• Our attitudes toward things closely follow what
  is legal
• Thus, people didnt want integration
• It became the law
• People favoring integration went from 65 to 87

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It also explains why we are

• very concerned about a drug that
• Kills about 18 people a year and is ILLEGAL
• are unconcerned about one that kills 400,000 a
  year yet remains LEGAL

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3 Predictors

• Attitude may predict behavior in very specific
  circumstances.
• 1. When we minimize other influences upon our
  attitude statements and our behavior.

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2

• When the attitude is specifically relevant to the
  observed behavior.

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3

• When the attitude is potent.

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Principle of Aggregation

• The effects of an attitude on behavior become
  more apparent when we look at a persons
  aggregate behavior rather than isolated acts.

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Persuasion

• Attitude Change

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Changing Attitudes

• Counterattitudinal advocacy
• Induced to say something against your own
  attitudes, you come to believe it more

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Persuasion

• Education when we believe the message
• Propaganda when we dont

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Central route to persuasion

• Audience analytical motivated
• Processing the message requires high effort
• Arguments may evoke enduring agreement

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Peripheral route

• Cues trigger acceptance thinking not required
• Audience is not involved or analytical
• Processing is low
• Persuasion triggers liking acceptance, although
  may be temporary

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Persuasive Communications

• 3 elements in p communication
• 1. who says it (source)
• 2. communication itself (quality of arguments/
  both sides presented?)
• 3. nature of the audience

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1. Who the source

• Credible speakers (e.g. experts) persuade people
  more than those lacking in credibility
• Attractive people do better

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2. What The Nature of the Communication

• Should you present what the opposition will say?
• Yes, IF IF IF they will be hearing it anyway
• Yes, if you can successfully counter it

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3. Whom The Nature of the audience

• A distracted audience is often more persuaded
• Low in IQ, more influenceable
• Low or high self esteem resistant
• Best ages? 18-25

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The Message Reason or Emotion?

• Remember that emotionally held attitudes are
  resistant to change
• But it depends.educated people more responsive
  to rational appeals

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Good feelings enhance a msg

• How to induce good feelings? Serve food
• Ex. New Mayor had free beer session
• Ex. 2 Estate planning seminars serve food

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Arousing Fear

• Use of this negative emotion can backfire
• Use of it alone is NOT effective but
• When used paired with how to protect yourself, it
  can be effective

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Advertising

• In N. America, they spend 500 a person to
  persuade you

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The Case of Advertising

• Best evidence is split cable tests
• For new products, about 60 effective
• For old 46

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Ads

• Create a problem, then solve it
• G. Lambert inherited a surgical antiseptic used
  to treat throat infections
• To get rid of it, created the severe problem of
  bad breath
• Invented mouthwash, in other words

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Ads work best when

• We arent paying much attention
• E.g. channel surfing
• No counter-arguing
• No active thinking allowed

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Ads work well with children

• Children under 8 years old
• 1. have trouble telling ads from programs
• 2. trust TV ads rather indiscriminately
• 3. desire badger parents for products

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Mere exposure effect

• The more we see something, the more we like it
• Develop favorable response w/ repetition

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The short history of subliminal ads

• 1957, James Vicary
• During the movie Picnic, spliced in Drink
  Coca-cola eat popcorn
• Coke sales rose 18, popcorn 58

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Current usage

• Audio tapes to stop smoking, lose wt, raise
  self-esteem and so on
• In 1990, sales of self-help tapes were estimated
  to be 50 million
• So, do they work?

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Product placement

• Advertisers pay a lot to put a product into the
  film
• In E.T., Reeses Pieces were used to lure ET and
  sales boomed
• 007 drove a BMW Z3 (paid 3 mill) and got 240
  mill in advance sales

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Stereotype Threat

• Apprehension experienced by members of a group
  that their behavior might confirm a cultural
  stereotype
• Ads that confirm negative gender stereotypes
  affected performance of women

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Resistance

• Attitude inoculation-being exposed to small doses
  (attacks on your position) helps solidify it

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Reactance Theory

• When we feel our freedom is threatened, we react
  by doing what we arent supposed to
• The Please dont write study

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Reaction Paper

• 1. Attempt to locate an instance where you or
  someone you know said one thing but did another.
  That is, when you were surprised by their
  behavior knowing (or thinking you knew) their
  attitude.

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Reaction Paper

• 2. Explain how you think you yourself are
  impacted by advertising. Does it influence you?
  Or are you immune? Why do you think this (e.g.
  justifications for either side)? If you dont
  believe advertising influences you, what does?

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Reactance

• 3. Define this term and then describe a situation
  where you believe reactance explains what
  happened to the people in the situation.