Attitude Formation

A – B – C Model of Attitudes Components of Attitudes Behavior Affective Cognitive I buy country music CDs every chance I get. I think country music is better than any other kind of music. I like country music; it's fun and uplifting.

Attitude Formation 1 Direct contact 2 Direct instruction 3 Attitude formation can be the result of several processes: 1 2 3 4 Direct contact Direct instruction Interaction with others Vicarious learning

Attitude Formation

“I love this _______________.” “I hate this _______________.” Attitude Formation Create a mind map similar to the one I just showed you, of an attitude you have formed. In the center of the page complete the sentence: “I love this _______________.” Or “I hate this _______________.” Your mind map will display how you came to hold this attitude.

Question: 5 4 3 2 1 Strongly Strongly Agree Disagree 5 4 3 2 1 Strongly Strongly Agree Disagree Using a 5-point likert scale, on a blank sheet of paper, rate your opinion about the following statements: Poverty and hunger are serious problems that need attention. Bullying (cyber or otherwise) is one of the most important and difficult issues teens face in school, and something must be done about it.

Question: Flip your paper over and answer the following questions with a “yes” or “no.” Do you volunteer in homeless shelters, donate items or money to these causes, or take action to lessen the issues of poverty and hunger? [ ] yes [ ] no Have you personally taken action to stop bullying if you see it occurring? [ ] yes [ ] no

Question: What are some examples of someone who has a particular attitude, but their behavior doesn’t match the attitude? Cognitive dissonance is a sense of discomfort or distress that occurs when a person’s behavior does not correspond to their beliefs.

After completing a boring task, some participants were paid $1 and some $20 to convince others waiting to do the same task that it was interesting and fun.

Ways to relieve the tension of cognitive dissonance: Take steps to bring your behavior more in line with your attitudes. Change your attitudes to more accurately reflect your behavior. A point to remember from research: Attitudes follow behavior – You might not be able to control all your feelings, but you can influence them by altering your behavior.