ATTITUDES Trovens: Attitude is a readiness to respond in such a way that behaviour is given a certain direction. Meheachic & Doyle: Attitude is an organization of concepts, beliefs, habits and motives associated with a particular object. Sorenson: Attitude is a particular feeling about something. If these involve a tendency to behave in a certain way, in a situation which involves the something whether idea, person, or deficit. It is partly rational and partly emotional and is acquired and not inherited in an individual

Characteristics of Attitudes Subject-object relationship (relation of individual to specific objects, persons, groups, institutes, values or norms related to environment) Attitudes are learned Attitudes are relatively enduring states of readiness(response to a certain stimuli) Attitudes have motivational-affective characteristics Attitudes are varied & numerous as the stimuli to which they refer Attitudes range from strongly positive to strongly negative

Formation of Attitudes Integration of experiences Differentiation of experiences Trauma and Dramatic experiences Adaptation of the available attitudes Modeling(learning by examples) Social comparison and attitude formation Genetic factors Social learning

Factors affecting formation of Attitudes Factors within individual  Physical development  Intellectual development  Emotional development  Social development  Ethical and Moral development Factors in individual’s Environment Home & Family Social environment

Change of Attitudes Experiences: direct or indirect Attitude formation is conditioned by growth & development of individual(efforts for harmonious development) Home & family establishes the formation of early attitudes(education of parents & guidance by parents) Attitudes are very largely conditioned by desire to preserve or to enhance one’s feeling of self- esteem(self-respect should always be given due consideration

Change of Attitudes Easier to develop attitude positively than negatively Attitudes are never taught rather caught through experiences Modification in social environment for development of desirable attitude Group interest plays key role in attitude formation

Change of Attitudes Persuasion (mass media- books, journals, magazines, radio, TV, advertisement, speeches, appeals) Traditional Approach(who says what to whom and with what effect?)  Experts are more persuasive than non experts  Messages given in a casual manner are successful than intended  Attractive communicators are more effective  Distraction by some event  Low self-esteem people are easy to persuade

Change of Attitudes  Two sided approach(both sides of the arguments)  Persons who speaks fast are more influensive  Messages that arouse strong emotions, especially fear, are highly effective Persuasion: The Cognitive Approach (how persons are actually persuaded) Elaboration Likelihood Model(ELM):  People who find the message interesting(central route)  People who find the message not interesting(peripheral route)

Change of Attitudes Other factors affecting persuasion:  Attitude functions  Reciprocity  Message Framing