Attitudes and Attitude Change Social Psychology Attitudes and Attitude Change

Attitudes Enduring orientations with cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. Cognitive Affective Behavioral A favorable or unfavorable evaluative reaction toward something or someone, exhibited in one’s beliefs, feelings or intended behavior

Attitude Development External Stimuli The Target Intervening Processes The Response

Intervening Process: Learning Attitudes as Habits – Carl Hovland (1953) Processes Association Reinforcement Imitation

Association Message Learning Transfer of Affect Weak relationships Motivation Transfer of Affect Associations between two objects

Reinforcement Rewarded for attitudes that fit with values of group, society, culture May initially change behavior Then accept the underlying value

Reinforcement: Incentive Theory Adopt attitude that maximizes gains Consider importance and value Cognitive response theory Respond to proposition with thoughts = attitude Expectancy value theory Consider likelihood & value

Imitation Model our behaviors (and related attitudes) after others Aronson & O’Leary Water conservation Cialdini Littering

Intervening Process: Cognitive Consistency Gestalt influence: Seek coherence Attitudes must be interpreted in context Balance theory (Heider, 1958) Cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957)

Balance Theory P O X Key Triads can be: + or - + or - + or - P = Person (self) O = Other X = Attitude Object (issue, person, etc.) Unit or Sentiment Relations + sign = Link/Like - sign = No Link/Dislike Triads can be: Balanced = signs multiply to positive (+) Unbalanced = signs multiply to negative (-) + or - P O + or - + or - X

Cognitive Dissonance (Leon Festinger) Cognitions can have 3 relations Irrelevant Consonant Dissonant

Dissonance Dissonance = A feeling of discomfort that is caused by holding 2 or more inconsistent cognitions Dissonance = # and importance

How do you get rid of it? How do you restore a sense of consistency? Change your behavior To be consistent To compensate Change your cognitions Add consonant cognitions (mis-remember things, rationalize your behavior) Alter importance of cognitions

Participants are asked to engage in a very boring task Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Study Example (Festinger & Carlsmith, 1959): Insufficient Justification Participants are asked to engage in a very boring task After that, they either: Were told the study was over Were paid $1 to lie to another participant about the task Were paid $20 to lie to another participant about the task Then, participants’ (real) attitudes about the task were measured

Applications Therapy Cults Daily situations Festinger – “When Prophecy Fails” Daily situations

Self Perception Theory Bem (1972) Rational cognitive process Behaviorist Infer attitudes for others Zanna & Cooper (1974)

Consistency: Reactions to Discrepancy Modes of resolution Derogating the source Distorting the message Blanket Rejection

Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) Two routes Central Based on thoughtful consideration of facts Peripheral Based on thoughtless affective evaluations Leads to acceptance of weak messages Route depends on motivation & opportunity

Controlling Cognitive Responses Counterarguing Active processing Implicit or explicit Verbal or nonverbal Depends on quantity and quality

ELM: Communicator Credibility Expert Trustworthy Reciprocity Reference

ELM: Communication Discrepancy Motive arousal Anger Fear

ELM: Target Ego involvement Defense – McGuire Commitment Issue involvement Response involvement Defense – McGuire Supportive Inoculation

ELM: Situation Forewarning of position Forewarning of intent Distraction

Cults Changed norms Gradual Powerful leader Unquestioned authority

Applications War Token economies Presentations Office politics