1. Behavior and Attitudes
Chapter 4
David Myers

2. Behavior and Attitudes
How well do attitudes predict behavior?
When does behavior affect attitudes?
Why does behavior affect attitudes?

3. Behavior and Attitudes
Attitudes – evaluative reactions toward an entity that are exhibited in your beliefs, feelings, and/or actions
ABC’s of Attitudes - Affect, Behavior, Cognition

4. Do Attitudes Determine Behavior?
Do Attitudes Determine Behavior or Are We Hypocrites?
Most incorrectly feel that to change behaviors you must first change attitudes
Studies show that people’s attitudes don’t predict their actions very well
Politicians (2008 Election)
Religion
Honesty
Race
Sex (Abstinence Only Programs)

5. When Do Attitudes Predict Behaviors?
Minimizing Social Influences
When Social Influences are Minimal (e.g. conformity) - Bogus Pipelines, Implicit Association Tests
When Situational Influences are Minimal– attitudes are better predictors of average behaviors rather than isolated acts
Specific Attitudes - are better predictors of behavior than general ones
Potent Attitudes – stronger accessible attitudes are better predictors of behavior

6. Do Behaviors Determine Attitudes?
Festinger’s Attitude Theory – changing one’s behaviors will lead to changes in attitudes
Roles - can lead to dramatic changes in attitudes

7. Do Behaviors Determine Attitudes?
Stanford Prison Experiment

8. Do Behaviors Determine Attitudes?
Saying Becomes Believing Effect – we adjust our message to the audience and then believe it more ourselves
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon – the tendency to comply with a larger request after having previously agreed to a small request
Cialdini’s Low-Ball Technique – people who agree to an initial request will still agree when the stakes are higher

9. Evil and Moral Acts and Attitude Change
Harmful/Evil Acts – minor acts of harm makes it easier to commit larger acts later on
Moral Acts - chosen moral action also leads to attitude change
Interracial Attitudes & Behaviors
Social Movements

10. Why Do Actions Affect Attitudes?
Self Presentation Theory: Impression Management
we express attitudes that match our actions in order to appear consistent
Self-monitoring - attention one gives to situations and corresponding self-presentations

11. Why Do Actions Affect Attitudes?
Self-justification Theory: Cognitive Dissonance – we are motivated to maintain cognitive consistency
Festinger ‘s Cognitive Dissonance Theory – we feel tension when two thoughts or beliefs are inconsistent with one another
Insufficient Justification – altering one’s attitude when there is a lack of justification for a behavior

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13. Self-justification Theory: Cognitive Dissonance
Dissonance & Decisions – choosing between equally appealing options causes dissonance
Reduce dissonance by upgrading your choice and downgrading the unchosen option

14. Why Do Actions Affect Attitudes?
Self-Perception Theory - when unsure of our attitudes we infer them by self-observation
Expressions and Attitudes – manipulating facial muscles causes students to report anger or happiness
Mimicry -Mirroring others allows us to experience their feelings
Overjustification Effect – rewarding someone for doing something they like will cause them to lose interest
Unanticipated rewards or rewards that make one feel good don’t diminish intrinsic appeal or motivation

15. Self-Justification or Self-Perception?
Dissonance Theory appears to explain attitude change
Self-perception Theory explains attitude formations.