Attitudes

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Chapter 6

• Attitudes

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What is an Attitude?

• A positive, negative, or mixed reaction to a
  person, object, or idea expressed at some level
  of intensity.

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How Attitudes Are Measured Self-Report Measures

• Self-report measures are direct and
  straightforward, but sometimes attitudes are too
  complex for a single question.
• Attitude Scale A multiple-item questionnaire
  designed to measure a persons attitude toward
  some object.
• e.g., Likert Scale
• Bogus Pipeline A phony lie-detector device that
  is sometimes used to get respondents to give
  truthful answers to sensitive questions.

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How Attitudes Are Measured Covert Measures

• Observable behavior
• Facial Electromyograph (EMG) An electronic
  instrument that records facial muscle activity
  associated with emotions and attitudes.
• Neuroscience research ongoing
• Appears attitudes may be measurable by electrical
  brain activity

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How Attitudes are Formed

• Our most cherished attitudes most often form due
  to exposure to
• Attitude objects
• History of rewards and punishments
• Attitudes of family, friends, enemies, etc.
• Social and cultural context
• Personal experiences
• Clearly, attitudes are formed through basic
  processes of learning but how much do they
  influence behavior?

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Attitudes in Context

• Theory of planned behavior attitudes toward a
  specific behavior combine with subjective norms
  and perceived control to influence a persons
  actions

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Strength of the Attitude

• Why do some attitudes have more influence on
  behavior?
• Depends on attitudes importance or strength
• Why are some attitudes stronger than others?
• Because of our genetic make-up?
• Does it directly affect ones own outcomes and
  self-interests?
• Is it related to deeply held philosophical,
  political, and religious values?
• Is it of concern to ones close friends, family,
  and social ingroups?

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Factors That Indicatethe Strength of an Attitude

• The more well informed on a topic, the more
  consistent behavior is with attitude
• Not only amount of information, but also how that
  information was acquired
• An attitude can be strengthened by an attack
  against it from a persuasive message
• Strong attitudes are highly accessible to
  awareness, how quickly and easily they are
  brought to mind.

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Two Routes to Persuasion

• Central Route Person thinks carefully about a
  message.
• Influenced by the strength and quality of the
  message
• Peripheral Route Person does not think
  critically about the contents of a message.
• Influenced by superficial cues

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The Central Route (contd)

• Assumption that the recipients are attentive,
  active, critical, and thoughtful.
• Assumption is correct only some of the time.
• When it is correct, the persuasiveness of the
  message depends on the strength of the messages
  content.
• The central route is a thoughtful process.
• But not necessarily an objective one

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The Peripheral Route

• People are persuaded on the basis of superficial,
  peripheral cues.
• Message is evaluated through the use of
  simple-minded heuristics.
• People are also influenced by attitude-irrelevant
  factors.

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What Makes an Effective Source?

• Believable sources must be credible sources.
• To be seen as credible, the source must have two
  distinct characteristics
• Competence or expertise
• Trustworthiness
• How likable is the communicator?
• Two factors influence a sources likability
• The similarity between the source and the
  audience
• The physical attractiveness of the source

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Is the Source MoreImportant Than the Message?

• It depends
• How personally relevant is the message for the
  recipient?

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What Makes an Effective Message?

• How should the argument be presented to maximize
  its strength?
• Are longer messages better?
• If peripheral, the longer the message, the more
  valid it must be.
• If central, message length is a two-edged sword.
• Does presentation order matter?

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Subliminal Influence
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Regulatory Fit

• To what extent does the message meet the
  psychological needs of the audience?
• Does the message fit the frame of mind of the
  audience and feel right?
• Promotion-oriented vs. prevention-oriented

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Forewarning and Resistance

• Advanced knowledge allows time to develop
  counterarguments.
• Inoculation hypothesis
• Being forewarned elicits a motivational reaction.
• Psychological reactance
• Effects of forewarning depends on personal
  importance of message.

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Cognitive DissonanceTheory The Classic Version

• We are motivated by a desire for cognitive
  consistency.
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory Inconsistent
  cognitions arouse psychological tension that
  people become motivated to reduce.
• Can lead to irrational and sometimes maladaptive
  behavior

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Alternative Routes to Self-Persuasion

• Self-Perception Theory Self-persuasion through
  observation of own behavior.
• Impression Management Theory What matters is not
  a motive to be consistent but rather a motive to
  appear consistent.
• Self-Affirmation Theory Dissonance situations
  create a threat to the self.