Attitudes & Attitude Change Chapter 7. What are attitudes? Evaluations of people, objects and/or ideas that often determine what we do.

Attitudes & Attitude ChangeChapter 7

What are attitudes?

Evaluations of people, objects and/or ideas that often determine what we do

Where do attitudes come from?

They may be indirectly linked to genes via temperament, personality, etc.

They definitely come from social experiences.

The social component of attitudes:

Has three sub-components:

Cognitive: rests on relevant factsAffective: connected to emotions,

valuesBehavioral: works by self-perception

only when the initial attitude is ambiguous

The affective component of attitudes:

May have gained its emotional values from:Values, morals or religionSensory

experiences/aestheticsClassical conditioningOperant conditioning

The affective component of attitudes:

Is not rationalIs not based on logic

Explicit vs. Implicit Attitudes

- are often contradictory

Explicit attitudes are consciously endorsed

Implicit attitudes are non-conscious and at times may be involuntary and/or uncontrollable

How do attitudes change?

By what others have to say

By changing behavior (Cognitive Dissonance/internal justification)

Persuasive communication

Yale Attitude Change Approach

SourceA credible source (expert) is more

likely to be believed that one less credible

An attractive source (physical or personality) is more likely to be believed than one less attractive

Nature of the Communication

People are more persuaded if they believe that the communication was not designed to persuade them.

A two-sided communication is generally more persuasive than a one-sided one. However, the communicator should be careful to refute the counterarguments.

The Nature of the Audience

A distracted audience is easier to persuade.

An audience of lower intelligence is easier to persuade than a more intelligent one.

The audience with moderate self-esteem is easier to persuade than one with high or low self-esteem.

People between the ages of 18-25 are easier to persuade. Attitudes will become more stable and resistant to change as we age.

Paying Attention

DistractionFatigueBoring SpeakerNeed for cognitionMotivation to pay attention

Speaker credibilityTopic relevance/ personal relevance

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Central Route to PersuasionListeners are likely to elaborate

Logic matters

Listeners must be able and motivated to pay attention

Peripheral Route to PersuasionListeners are not likely to elaborate

Logic does not matter

Listeners take mental shortcuts

Motivation to Pay Attention

Personal Relevance

With high personal relevance, arguments are important

With low personal relevance, sources are important (also when you are just unable to pay attention)

Targeting Your Ads

Is the attitude emotional or is the attitude cognitive?

Utilitarian productsSocial Identity productsThose with both aspects – and

possibly different for different people

Attitude Inoculation How do you resist attempts to change your

attitude?

Thinking about it beforehand

Small doses of arguments

Cultural truisms

Being alert to product placement

Peer pressure

Values and emotions

Fear of rejection

Reactance Theory

When persuasion attempts boomerang.Too much fear - dissociationStrong prohibitions -

resistance

When do attitudes predict behavior?

La Piere, 1934 - went cross-country with a young Chinese couple.

Did attitudes predict behavior?

Attitudes predict spontaneous behaviors only when they are highly accessible

When do attitudes predict behavior? Theory of Planned Behavior:

When people have time to contemplate how they are going to behave, the best predictor of their behavior is their intention

Intention is determined by three things:

Attitudes toward the behavior

Subjective norms

Perceived behavioral control

(Must be specific attitudes.)

Subliminal Advertising

Is this a form of mind control?Is advertising in general a form

of mind control?Hidden persuasionProduct placement

Confidence in Your thoughts and attitude Change

Headphone Study (Brinol & Perry, 2003) – Did you shake your head up and down or side to side?

Results differed for strong and weak arguments.