Intro to Attitudes
What makes up an attitude?
Beliefs, feelings, and behaviours
Who developed the theory of cognitive dissonance?
Leon Festinger
What is the social identity theory?
A person’s sense of self- how they fit into society and/or a group within society
What are the internal and external attributions?
Internal (personal/dispositional factors) and external (situational factors)
What is bias?
Refers to our inclinations or prejudice for or against a person or group based on quick decision-making processes. It helps explain why attitudes are maintained.
What is sexism an example for?
Stereotype
This is the general term for treating a person or group unfairly because of a personal characteristic...
Discrimination
What does the ABC stand for?
Affect, behaviour, cognition
When was the theory developed?
1957
What are the two types of groups within social identity?
In group and out group
What is fundamental attribution error?
When people place too much emphasis on dispositional factors and not enough on situational factors when explaining someone else's behaviour
What is self-serving bias?
Self serving bias is a cognitive process that maintains our self-esteem by crediting ourselves for our successes while blaming external factors for our failures
Why do people use stereotypes?
To form quick judgements on people- like a shortcut for the mind
This type of discrimination occurs when someone is judged or treated unfairly because of their age...
Ageism
What is an example of explicit attitudes?
Exercise is good for my health (attitude) Goes to the gym often (action)
What are the three ways people can reduce cognitive dissonance?
Changing their behaviour, changing beliefs, and developing attitude to rationalise
Who developed the social identity theory?
Henri Tajfel
What is the name of the experiment that tested fundamental attribution error?
Ross et al (1977)
What is confirmation bias?
The tendency to search for, recall and interpret information to affirm pre-existing bias
How are prejudices formed?
Through a direct encounter which influences our behaviour towards it
A highly qualified older applicant is overlooked for a job because the employer assumes they will struggle with technology. What is this an example of?
This is an example of Ageism
What are implicit attitudes?
An involuntary, uncontrollable and sometimes unconscious. Were a person may not be aware of the attitude until it influences their behaviour.
What does the theory of cognitive dissonance suggest?
The theory suggests that we all have an inner drive to hold attitudes and beliefs in harmony (in alignment) and avoid disharmony (dissonance).
What is the social identity formula?
Social categorisation + social identity + social comparison = group membership
What is actor-observer bias?
Why people attribute their own behaviour to situations (external) but other people's behaviour to their personality (internal)
How does self-serving bias help maintain self-esteem?
Helps maintain self-esteem by allowing us to take credit for success while attributing failures to external factors.
What is the difference between personal prejudice and group prejudice?
Personal is held by an individual to another person or group, whereas group is held by a number of people towards a group or individual
A female employee is repeatedly passed over for leadership roles because her manager believes men are naturally better leaders...Example of what?
Sexism
What are the 3 functions of attitudes and explain them?
Attitude specificity, an attitudes and behaviour are highly aligned (congruent). Information, attitudes are confirmed by our existing knowledge and experiences. Situation, situational context can influence our behaviour.
What are the reasons for cognitive dissonance, and explain each?
Forced compliance, decision making and effort
What is the difference between social categorisation and social identification?
Social categorisation is the process of grouping people into categories in society, whereas social identification is the attachment to those groups where an individual adopts group beliefs as their own.
Give an example of internal attribution
Getting a bad grade because you didn't study
How are self-serving bias and confirmation bias different?
Self serving protects self esteem by taking credit for success and blaming failures on external factors, while confirmation bias involves searching for and interpreting information that supports existing beliefs
How is scapegoating used to justify prejudicial thoughts?
Validates existing thoughts by labelling an innocent group as a threat
Ageism and sexism are both examples of this broader concept, which involves unfair treatment of individuals based on characteristics that are unrelated to their ability. What is it?
Discrimination