Interacting with patients: Attitude and impression formation

Attitudes What are attitudes? –evaluative social judgements -orientations that locate objects of thought on dimensions of judgement Mixtures of components –cognitive: beliefs –emotional: feelings –behavioural: predispositions to act

Do attitudes predict behaviour? Research shows giving information which changes attitudes doesn't always change behaviour Usually not very well. Why? –attitudes are generalisms, behaviours more specific –attitudes are only predispositions to act

Changing attitudes To effectively change attitudes you need: –credibility (expertise / trustworthiness) –likeability (physical attractiveness) –persuasive arguments (health messages are usually fear arousing) –listener’s original position

Attitude formation and change Dissonance theory –dissonance exists when related cognitions contradict each other. Conformity and obedience Group influences on behaviour –polarization –groupthink

Social perception: impression formation and attribution Is the perception of people and their behaviour unbiased? –no: There are characteristic influences on the way we form impressions of one another. –attributions are the explanations we offer for why things (people, events) are the way they are.

Concept-driven processing bias: Stereotypes Stereotypes are generalised beliefs about people based on one or a few defining characteristics possessed by some members of their group which are extended to all members. Prejudice is the holding of negative attitudes towards a member of a group. Discrimination involves behaving differently towards members of a group

Assumption that beautiful people possess more desirable traits. Expectation bias Self-fulfilling prophecy Effects of mood

Data-driven processing bias First - impressions Recent impressions Halo effects Negativity bias Attribution bias Fundamental Attribution Error – blame person not circumstance Actor-observer bias –different explanations for you and me

Attibution bias for performance: gender difference

General attributions Locus of control –internal / external –stable / unstable –global / specific Control refers to a person’s ability to achieve the outcomes they desire. Predictability facilitates control

Other influences See also: Self-efficacy (link to KAP lecture)Self-efficacy