14.4 Forming and Changing Attitudes

Which of the following statements concerning the dimensions of attitudes is not correct? A. The easier an attitude is to access, the stronger the attitude usually is. B. An individual with an ambivalent attitude is often more difficult to persuade. C. Research indicates that a highly ambivalent attitude is easier to change. D. Research indicates that strong attitudes are more resistant to change.

B. An individual with an ambivalent attitude is often more difficult to persuade.

An individual who possesses a highly ambivalent attitude may __________ . A. remain consistent B. be more susceptible to persuasion C. be resistant to change D. be less susceptible to persuasion

B. be more susceptible to persuasion

The theory stating that we form attitudes through observing another's behavior or through conditioning is the __________ theory. A. elaboration B. learning C. dissonance D. self-perception

B. learning

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows. Brady is a student in a math course. She has a lot of homework, but it seems like she is also learning a lot. When someone asks her whether she likes her math course, she claims to have mixed feelings. Which of the following statements would best describe Brady's attitude? A. Brady has a strong attitude toward her math course. B. Brady has an unambivalent attitude toward her math course. C. Brady has a highly ambivalent attitude toward her math course. D. Brady has an inaccessible attitude toward her math course.

C. Brady has a highly ambivalent attitude toward her math course.

Which of the following are examples of source factors that influence the strength of an individual's argument when attempting to persuade another? A. audience characteristics and attitude B. media and distractions C. level of expertise and credibility D. tone and structure of message

C. level of expertise and credibility

Which factor in persuasion would be concerned with the message's audience? A. channel factors B. message factors C. receiver factors D. source factors

C. receiver factors

__________ tends to create an uncomfortable feeling in an individual experiencing conflicting emotions about another person or situation. A. Cognitive dissonance B. Classical conditioning C. Operant conditioning D. Observational learning

A. Cognitive dissonance

The cognitive component of an attitude may consist of one's __________. A. overt actions directed at an object B. emotional response toward an object C. feelings one has toward an object D. beliefs or thoughts about an object

D. beliefs or thoughts about an object

Research indicates that attitudes are generally very good predictors of behavior. Please select the best answer from the choices provided T F

F

section one

Section 1 00:00:01 PROFESSOR: There aren't many things that we experience that we don't form an idea or opinion about. But what exactly are attitudes? Is there more to it than just having a feeling about something? We'll discuss this question more in Section 1 of Forming and Changing Attitudes. Our objectives are to describe attitudes and discuss factors 00:00:23 influencing attitude variation, to explain theories of attitude formation and change, and to discuss various factors impacting methods of persuasion. In this section, we'll be describing attitudes, and we'll be discussing factors influencing attitude variation. An attitude is a positive or negative evaluation that influences an individual's response towards objects, 00:00:47 people, or events. Attitudes can influence intention, behavior, emotion, or assumptions. Attitudes are not always perfect indicators of behavior. One can have a negative attitude but not act on it. And attitudes often undergo change. For example, one who has a strong negative attitude 00:01:07 towards divorce may change their attitude after experiencing one themselves. What we form an attitude about can be a variety of things. It could be about a person, a concept, an animal, an event, or an idea. Attitudes may include three components. There's a cognitive, affective, and behavioral component. 00:01:31 An attitude doesn't have to always include all three elements. For example, one may have an attitude about something but never express it behaviorally. Let's discuss each of these components. Let's look at how the three components of attitudes help to form one's attitude about a job. The cognitive component of an attitude consists of the 00:01:53 beliefs or thoughts one possesses about the object. So one might think, I'm a factory manager. I manage 50 people. I believe this is a secure job. The affective component of an attitude consists of feelings or emotional responses one has toward the object. So do you like the job? Or is the job difficult? 00:02:15 Possible feelings about this man's job could include I have good days and bad days. I think we do an important job, or I'm proud of my work. These statements make up the affective elements to the man's overall attitude about his job. The behavioral component of attitudes could be overt actions directed toward an object or intentions to act in a certain way. 00:02:40 These statements would make up the behavioral element of this man's overall attitude about his job. I come in to work every day. I arrive early, and I stay late. Even though this man may love his job currently, forming attitudes is really straightforward and analytical. Attitudes grow and evolve throughout a lifetime. 00:03:03 Individuals have variations about their attitudes about things. Attitude strength determines how easy one's attitude will change despite surrounding influences. Attitude accessibility is how strong or weak one feels about something. And attitude ambivalence is how consistent or inconsistent one's attitude is. 00:03:22 Let's discuss these. An attitude that's strong is resistant to change and has a strong effect on one's behavior. If you had a strong negative attitude, for example, you'd be less likely to change that attitude towards a person even if the person was being nice. An attitude that's weak is easier to change and has minimal effect on one's behavior. 00:03:46 An attitude that's accessible comes to mind easily and is often thought about. An attitude that's inaccessible doesn't come to mind easily and is often thought about. If you had an accessible attitude towards rush hour traffic, it wouldn't take long to determine what your attitude is. It will come to mind very easily. 00:04:07 A highly ambivalent attitude is an attitude that's more uncertain or conflicting. For example, an attitude that's ambivalent usually forms when a person has experienced both positive and negative things about the object in question. An attitude with low ambivalence is more certain and consistent. For example, one's attitude about baseball that's low in 00:04:29 ambivalence would be one you are certain of. For example, you either love it, or you hate it. Taken altogether, these measures of attitude can help us predict behaviors. So to review this section, we discussed the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of attitudes. We also discussed how attitudes vary in their strength, accessibility, and ambivalence. 00:04:54 Next, we'll discuss various theories of attitude-- formation and change.

section four

Section 4 00:00:01 PROFESSOR: Have you ever been told to check your attitude or to change your attitude? Many of us have most likely heard this expression at some point in our lives. Some attitudes remain the same over time, while others change. In this section, we're going to discuss the question, how and why do attitudes change? 00:00:20 This is section two of Forming and Changing Attitudes. Our objectives are to describe attitudes and discuss factors influencing attitude variation, to explain theories of attitude formation and change, and to discuss various factors impacting methods of persuasion. In this section, we'll be explaining theories of attitude formation and change. How are attitudes formed? 00:00:44 Some feel individuals develop attitudes by observing and learning from others, while others feel that individual attitudes are conditioned through reinforcement. Still others feel that individual attitudes are formed by reflecting and evaluating experiences. There are different theories of attitude formation and change. We'll discuss learning theory, dissonance theory and 00:01:08 self-perception theory in this section. Learning theorists claim that one way attitudes can be formed is through classical conditioning. This is when attitudes are formed when emotions are linked to surrounding environmental stimuli. Therefore, whenever that stimulus is encountered, our attitude is experience or felt with it. Theorists also claim our learning is shaped through 00:01:31 operant conditioning, so attitudes are formed through methods of reinforcement or punishment. This strengthens or weakens a viewpoint. When someone approves of or agrees with your attitude about something, your attitude is often strengthened. But if someone disagrees with your view, your attitude has the potential to weaken or change. Still others feel that our attitudes can be influenced by 00:01:54 observational learning. So, attitudes can be formed by watching other people such as our family, our peers, authority figures or those in our culture. For example, if your family prefers one political party over another and stresses the perceived strengths of that party through conversation throughout your childhood, you may have a strong attitude in favor of that 00:02:14 same party as an adult. Now, let's look at the theories on how attitudes might change. Cognitive dissonance is a cognitive tension that exists when a person has conflicting attitudes or cognitions. For example, there are many things you like about your friend. But after learning that they're unkind to people who 00:02:34 are different from them, you may experience emotional conflict about your friend. Those suffering from cognitive dissonance are motivated to bring their attitudes into alignment. Dissonance theory was proposed by Leon Festinger. It's a theory stating that inconsistent attitudes initiate attitude change. So, cognitive dissonance or conflict 00:02:55 leads to altered attitudes. For example, if you've heard seven negative reviews about a restaurant and seven positive reviews, you'll have a very high dissonance. It's uncomfortable to think of a restaurant as both good and bad, and you'll seek to reduce this dissonance. Dissonance can be relieved in various ways. You can change an attitude. 00:03:18 You can reduce the relative importance of an attitude. Or you can add beliefs that reinforce an attitude. Self-perception theory was proposed by Daryl Bem. It's a theory of attitude change that states attitudes will be formed and changed in response to actual behavior. Rather than understanding what one's attitude is and then acting on it, an individual will reflect on their own behavior and then determine their attitude. 00:03:44 So, if I give to charities all the time, then I must be a charitable person. This seems to happen when one is unsure of what their attitude is about a subject. Self-perception theory claims that behavior influences attitude. So, the reason for cognitive dissonance, or contradictions between attitude and behavior, is due to self-perception. 00:04:06 One reflects on what their attitude is after the behavior occurs. So, sometimes people don't even understand that they have attitudes about certain things, or they don't understand why they have those attitudes to begin with. In the traditional view, I like cats leads to I always feed stray cats. Self-perception theory predicts that the subject has 00:04:28 inferred their attitude from their behavior. So, I always feed stray cats must mean I like cats. To review this section, we discussed attitude formation and change. We talked about learning theory, dissonance theory and self-perception theory. Next, we'll discuss various factors used to persuade and change attitudes.

section seven

Section 7 00:00:01 PROFESSOR: Companies have been using billboards for ages, not only to grab your attention but also to influence your attitude. So, how is persuasion used to change attitudes? This is section three of Forming and Changing Attitudes. The objectives of this lesson are to describe attitudes and discuss factors influencing attitude variation, to explain 00:00:22 theories of attitude formation and change, and to discuss various factors impacting methods of persuasion. We'll be discussing various factors impacting methods of persuasion. Persuasion is the act of using arguments or reasons to influence an audience. A great example of this is if you have a late assignment. You're a little nervous about trying to get to the teacher 00:00:45 because you're not sure if they'll take it or not. Then it's up to you to convince that teacher to accept the assignment, a daunting task. Four main factors contribute to how persuasive one's argument is. There are source factors, message factors, channel factors and receiver factors. We'll be looking at each briefly, 00:01:07 starting with source factors. You're asking yourself, who is delivering the message? The strength of the persuasion is influenced by their expertise or how knowledgeable they are, their trustworthiness, and their attractiveness or likability. That influences how eager you are to actually listen to their argument, believe it or not. And the similarity between you and the person giving the 00:01:29 argument will help increase their chances of getting their argument through to you. In message factors, you ask, how is the information being communicated? The strength of the persuasion, in this case, is influenced by argument, tone and structure. Now, argument and tone, let's say there's a group that's anti-drunk driving. 00:01:51 They'll put out an ad that might have some happy teens driving down the road followed by some really nasty car crash pictures in order to strike that emotional chord. And if they've done so, they know that they have influenced the strength of their argument. With structure, you're looking more for a two-sided argument. They say that you really need to put both sides out there so it doesn't give them a chance to come back 00:02:18 against your argument. If you show them both sides, there's nothing left to be said. And also repetition of the main point. The more you repeat, the more it's viewed as being valid or true. The elaboration likelihood model is a model of attitude change that states that there are two basic paths of 00:02:39 persuasion, direct persuasion and peripheral persuasion. It emphasizes message, tone and structure of an argument. The way of delivering a message is that it influences audience level of engagement. Direct persuasion uses logic and focuses on message content. It encourages high elaboration and leads to longer lasting attitude change because it strikes a deeper level of 00:03:06 engagement. Now, if someone's giving a speech and they're focusing on the details, just the meat, then more than likely they're using a direct persuasion. It's the preferred type. A peripheral persuasion highlights source attractiveness, credibility or emotional response. It encourages low elaboration and leads to 00:03:27 weaker change in attitude. A great example of this would be a politician who's running for office and using celebrity endorsements to get more votes. Channel factors. With channel factors, you ask yourself, what method is being used to deliver the message? And the strength of persuasion, in this case, is 00:03:46 influenced by the type of channel method, whether it be media or in person, or the amount of distraction within the channel. You want to make sure that you have a focused audience. That's key in any argument. With receiver factors, you ask yourself, to whom is the message delivered? And the strength of persuasion, in this case, is 00:04:07 influenced by whether the audience is forewarned of persuasive attempts. A great example of this is when you're pulling up to a car dealership. You pull in and then all of a sudden they start gathering around your vehicle. You know from experience and from others' experiences that they're going to try to use persuasion on you to try to 00:04:26 get you to make that sale today. What can I do to put you in that car today? Also, characteristics and attitude of the audience are a factor here. And the stronger the opposing attitude, the less persuasive they are. Therefore, each audience varies in expectations, interests, knowledge base and beliefs. 00:04:47 The source and message must appeal to your audience. If your audience isn't behind you, then there's really no point because they're not going to pay attention and you're not going to persuade them. In closing, persuasion can be broken down in four categories here: source factors, message factors, channel factors and receiver factors. When we form and change attitudes, you have to look at 00:05:13 the word attitude itself. You have cognitive, affective and behavioral components that vary between individuals. They form as a result of learning and evaluation. And they change as a result of dissonance, self-perception and strength of persuasion. We study attitudes in psychology in order to understand behaviors and how behavior shapes our attitudes.

A person may have two conflicting attitudes. Please select the best answer from the choices provided T F

T

In persuasion, one-sided arguments are generally less effective than two-sided arguments. Please select the best answer from the choices provided T F

T

Most theories of attitude change seem to agree that conflicting attitudes lead to attitude change. Please select the best answer from the choices provided T F

T

One's cognitive dissonance can increase as the number of conflicting beliefs increases. Please select the best answer from the choices provided T F

T

According to self-perception theory, which of the following is the best indicator of a person's reported attitude? A. behavior B. intentions C. dissonance D. persuasion

A. behavior

Which of the following are examples of channel factors that influence the strength of an individual's argument when attempting to persuade another? A. audience characteristics and attitude B. media and distractions C. level of expertise and credibility D. tone and structure of message

B. media and distractions

The theory that attitudes will be formed and changed according to one's actual behaviors is the __________ theory. A. learning B. dissonance C. self-perception D. balance

C. self-perception