What is... an Attitude?
The modern definition of "attitude"
Overall evaluation of an object or position (could be based on affect, behavior, or consistency).
Direct measures are used when people are _______ and ______ to report their evaluations.
willing and able
What are the two factors that attitude strength related properties can be categorized into?
Embeddedness - tied to one's identity. Embedded within oneself (e.g.. moral basis, value basis, importance, centrality, extremity, affective basis, cognitive basis)
Consistency - maintenance of one's attitude (e.g. ambivalence, certainty, knowledge)
Provide an example of a peripheral cue and a central merit for the attitude object, "air fryer."
Peripheral cue example: Tom Brady endorses them!
Central merit example: They can cook faster than convection ovens due to preheat times.
What is the key difference between the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior.
The Theory of Planned Behavior includes Perceived and Actual Behavioral Control
True or False: According to Rosenberg and Hovland's Tripartite Model, if Isa likes Chanell, but Isa feels irritated around Chanell, Isa lacks an attitude toward Chanell.
True. In the Tripartite Model, a lack of consistency between affect, behavior, and cognition meant a lack of attitude
What are the three main scales used to directly measure attitudes?
Thurstone, Likert, and Osgood (Semantic-Differential)
What is the difference between subjective and objective ambivalence?
Subjective ambivalence is asking participants how conflicted/mixed their attitudes are toward an object.
Objective ambivalence is asking participants how negative and positive they view an attitude object.
Describe a way to increase motivation to process.
Increase involvement (personal relevance). Petty, Cacioppo, & Goldman (1981) manipulated involvement by saying the university would implement senior comprehensive exams either next year or in the next 10 years.
Simple associative learning processes (i.e. conditioning) are on which side of the elaboration continuum (low or high)
Low
What are the 4 parts of the attitude and behavior measures that need to be compatible to improve attitude-behavior consistency.
Action
Target (of the action)
Context
Time
Matcha is
bad (1) ......................................... good (7)
beneficial (1) ................................... harmful (7)
worthless (1) .................................. valuable (7)
Semantic Differential (Osgood)
What are structural attitude strength-related properties? Provide an example of one.
Structural attitude strength properties have memory structures in the brain. Ambivalence is the presence of positive and negative evaluations; Elaboration is forming connections to the attitude object; Knowledge is the amount of info you have about the attitude object; Accessibility is how quickly you locate your evaluation. You can think of them of having a physical location in the brain.
In contrast, properties like certainty and importance are mostly or only beliefs/perceptions. They can kind of be thought of as cognitions about the attitude.
Describe a way to decrease ability to process.
Through Distraction. Petty, Wells, & Brock (1976) flashed Xs at different frequencies while participants listed to an audio message to manipulate distraction.
What is the difference between classical and evaluative conditioning?
Classical conditioning is signal learning. The conditioned stimulus comes first (bell -> food).
Evaluative conditioning makes it harder to disentangle which stimulus one is responding to. It presents the conditioned stimulus either after the unconditioned stimulus (food -> bell) or at the same time (bell + food).
Accessibility moderates A-B consistency. What are some influences on accessibility?
Direct experience
Repeated Expression
A lot of thought about the attitude object.
This indirect measure involves the following tasks:
1. Classifying adjectives as good or bad.
2. Cover task where participants learn faces and are then tested on recognition.
3. Learn faces again while also classifying adjectives as good or bad.
If faster to classify adjective as good and slower to classify adjective as negative after face = positive attitude.
Evaluative Priming
According to the MODE model, controlled influences follow the Theory of Reasoned Action, while spontaneous influences are based on ______ attitudes.
accessible
How does need for cognition impact elaboration.
Cues can matter more for those low in need for cognition, while argument quality can matter more for those high in need for cognition.
True or False: Evaluative conditioning effects are stronger when attitudes toward the unconditioned stimulus are more accessible.
False. When attitudes toward the unconditioned stimulus are more accessible, its harder to misattribute feelings to the conditioned stimulus (I have very accessible positive attitudes toward cats, so I know the cat is making me happy, not this random shape).
Attitudes can have multiple roles for behavior. Describe what attitudes could do under low vs high elaboration.
low elaboration: can be used as cues for "correct behavior." I like alcohol, so I'll have another drink."
high elaboration: can bias effortful thinking about consequences of behavior. "I like alcohol, and I become more social when I drink. This could help me get closer to people at this party. I'll have another drink."
Indirect measures measure _________ attitudes.
Direct measures measure _________ attitudes.
indirect = accessible attitudes
direct = all attitudes
What are the three consequences that define a strong attitude?
1. Persists over time
2. resistant to counter persuasion
3. guides future thoughts and behavior
What are the 4 ELM principles discussed in class?
1. People are motivated to hold correct attitudes.
2. Motivation and ability affect amount of elaboration.
3. Cues have more impact as elaboration decreases; Central merits have more impact as elaboration increases.
4. Attitudes are stronger if based on high elaboration.
According to Berlyne's (1970) Two Factor Theory (on Mere Exposure), exposure is a function of _________ (which increases positivity) and ________ (which decreases positivity.
1. familiarity (habituation)
2. boredom (tedium/overexposure)