Attitude Formation
Define 'attitude'
Attitudes are long-lasting evaluations we hold about ourselves, other people, objects and issues.
Identify the theorist assioted with cognitive dissonance 'cognitive dissonance'
Leon Festinger
Define 'attribution'
Attribution is the process of attaching meaning to our behaviour, or the behaviour of others, by looking for causes to explain the behaviour.
Identify the theorist/s for the social identity theory.
Tajfel and Turner (1979)
Define 'sterotype'
An oversimplified form of social categorization based on what others think are shared features.
Identify the two main components of an attitude.
1) Strength (i.e. strong, weak)
2) Direction (i.e. positive vs. negative)
Define 'cognitive dissonance', using an example.
Cognitive dissonance is a feeling of mental discomfort when contradictory information is perceived by a person. For example, a smoker who believes smoking is bad for them.
Outline the two types of attribution
1 mark - Internal attribution (Assigning the cause of behaviour to internal factors within the person i.e attitude, ability, motivation or personality).
1 mark - External attribution (Assigning the cause of behaviour to environmental factors external to the person i.e. peer pressure, threats, social situations).
Describe 'social categorisation'
1 mark - the often unconscious process of identifying a person as a member of a certain group because shared characteristics.
1 mark - This categorisation saves us from having to deal with unique aspects of every individual, when they may not be relevant to the interaction.
Name two (2) places where people can learn stereotypes from:
1) Social media
2) Parents
3) Family
4) Friends
5) Traditional Media
6) Personal experience
State three (3) components of the Tripartite model
1) Affective component
2) Behaviour Component
3) Cognitive component
Identify three (3) effects that cognitive dissonance can have on behaviour.
Avoidance
People are inclined to avoid situations and new information that could increase cognitive dissonance
Reduction
When there are conflicts between cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, and opinions), people will take steps to reduce the dissonance and feelings of discomfort.
Rationalisation
When individuals experience cognitive dissonance, they tend to rationalize or justify their behaviour
Distinguish between dispositional and situation attributions:
1 - The difference is whether the attribution is internal or external.
1 - dispositional - Explanations in terms of personal characteristics. For example: “The baby must be a happy baby.”
1 - situational: Explanations in terms of situational factors. For example: “Someone must have just played with the baby .
Explain how social categorisation, social identification and social comparison are connected.
1 mark - Social categorisation is where people are mentally organised to belonging to certain groups.
1 mark - Explains social identification as adopting the identity, values or behaviours of the group they belong to.
1 mark - Explains social comparison as comparing their in-group with other groups, often favouring the in-group, and clearly links it as the next step after categorisation and identification.
What is the function of stereotypes in social cognition? How do they help us process information about others more efficiently?
1 - The function of stereotypes in social cognition is to help us process information about others more efficiently.
1 - They serve as mental shortcuts or heuristics that allow us to quickly categorize and make assumptions about individuals based on limited information.
1 - Stereotypes help us navigate the complex social world by providing a cognitive framework to understand and interpret the behavior of others.
Using examples, distinguish between explicit and implicit attitudes.
1 mark - The difference bewteen them is people's awareness of their attitude.
1 mark - Explicit attitudes are when people openly state their attitude and behave in a way that reflects this attitudes.
1 mark - Implicit attitudes: Involuntary , uncontrollable and sometimes unconscious.
1 mark - Relevant examples for each
Describe two (2) ways that cognitive dissonance can be managed.
1 - Identifying - Changing their beliefs
1 - explain - If a person often behaves in a way that contradicts their beliefs, they may come to question how important that belief is or find that they no longer believe it.
1 - identify changing their behaviour
1 - •This involves changing behavior so it matches a person’s beliefs. Where a full change is not possible, a person could make compromises.
OR
1 - Changing perception of importance
1 -
•If a person cannot or does not want to change the behavior or beliefs that cause dissonance, they may view the behavior differently instead.
•For example, a person who cannot afford to buy from sustainable brands might forgive themselves for this and acknowledge that they are doing the best they can.
Using examples, describe two types of attribution bias.
1 mark - self serving bias is where people attribute their own successes to internal factors and their failures to external ones
1 - e.g. “I aced it because I’m smart. I failed because the teacher didn’t explain it.”
1 - group serving bias - Attributing our groups successes to internal factors and our groups failures to external ones
1 - This Psych class is failing because Miss Marcionni is a better teacher than Mr Donald
After the popularity of a new fantasy series, students at a college have split into two groups. One group identifies as “Gryffindor fans” while the other group identifies as “Slytherin fans.” This has led to tension between students, including name-calling and ongoing hostility. College staff are concerned about the impact this is having on relationships at school.
Using your knowledge of social identity theory, explain the conflict between the students and what the college staff can do about it.
1 mark - Explains social categorisation: students are divided into groups (Gryffindor fans vs Slytherin fans), forming in-groups and out-groups.
1 mark - Explains social identity: students adopt the identity of their group, which becomes part of how they see themselves.
1 mark - Explains social comparison: groups compare themselves to each other, often favouring their own group, which can lead to discrimination and name-calling.
1 mark - Explains a strategy to reduce conflict using SIT: staff reduce rivalry by creating a superordinate identity (e.g. all students / shared fandom) or redirect competition toward an external out-group (e.g. another college), encouraging unity within the group.
Discuss two (2) potential consequences of relying on stereotypes when forming judgments and making decisions about individuals or groups.
1 mark - identification
1 mark - link sterotype to consequence
For example:
1 - It can lead to oversimplification and oversights of individual differences, perpetuate biases and prejudices
1 - contribute to discrimination and inequality, and hinder accurate understanding and empathy towards others.
Identify the ABC Components in the following scenaio:
Miss Marcionni is not a “morning person” who likes to wake up early. She believes that she can still get things done, even if she doesn't wake up early day if she wakes up early, so she only sets an alarm on weekdays for work, but not on weekends.
1 mark - Affective = Miss Marcionni does not enjoy waking up early
2 marks - Behaviour = Does not set an alarm
2 marks - Believes that she can still be productive without an alarm
Describe the study of Cognitive consequences of forced compliance (Festinger and Carlsmith 1959).
1- Aim: •To investigate whether making people perform a dull task would create cognitive dissonance through forced compliance behavior (performing an action that is inconsistent with personal beliefs)
1 - IV – The IV is the amount of reward used to encourage the participants to make a statement conflicting with their personal belief
1 - DV –DV is strength of attitude.
1 - Method -
•71 male students were put through a boring experience and afterwards split into three groups:
–the first group were paid $20 and told to tell others their experience was enjoyable;
–the second group that were only paid $1 to do the same thing;
third which were the control and got nothing and were told to do nothing
1 - Findings: •The $1 condition rated significantly more enjoyable than the control condition.
Classify the following attributions as internal, external, situational or dispositional:
5-Mark Question (Social Identity Theory)
At a large college, first-year students are placed into different tutorial groups at orientation. Over time, students begin to strongly associate with their tutorial group, refer to themselves by their group name, and compare their group’s performance and behaviour to other tutorial groups. Some groups begin to develop rivalry and negative attitudes toward others.
Using your knowledge of Social Identity Theory, explain how in-groups and out-groups form, how social comparison influences behaviour, and what the consequences of this may be for student relationships.
1 mark - Explains social categorisation: students are placed into tutorial groups and begin to see themselves as part of a specific group.
1 mark – Explains social identification: students adopt their tutorial group as part of their identity (e.g. group name, sense of belonging).
1 mark - Explains social comparison: students compare their group to other tutorial groups, often viewing their own group more positively.
1 mark - Explains formation of in-groups and out-groups: this comparison leads to “us vs them” thinking and group rivalry.
1 mark - Explains consequences for behaviour/relationships: may include prejudice, stereotyping, reduced cooperation, or conflict between groups.
Provide an example of a stereotype and explain how it might impact behavior and interactions within a particular context or setting.
1 mark - EXAMPLE An example of a stereotype is the belief that all engineers are socially awkward and lacking in interpersonal skills.
1 Mark - LINK TO A SPECIFIC SETTINGThis stereotype might impact behavior and interactions within a workplace setting
1 -3 marks: IMPACTS
- by leading to biases in hiring and promotion decisions.
- It can also create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where engineers who internalize this stereotype may exhibit socially awkward behaviors due to the expectation placed upon them.
- This stereotype can hinder effective teamwork and collaboration, as it may lead to misunderstandings and a lack of appreciation for the diverse skills and qualities that engineers can possess.