Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts and Feelings

Question 1

The Human Billboard

Answer 1

People have begun offering their bodies as venues for advertisers. A Utah woman,
shown here, received $10,000 to advertise Golden Palace casino on her forehead.
She plans to use the money to send her son to private school.

Question 2

Advertising Can Have Powerful
Effects (1 of 2)

Answer 2

Example
–Until early 20th century, men bought 99% of
cigarettes sold
▪Advertisers began targeting women
–Virginia Slims “You’ve come a long way, baby”—
connecting smoking to women’s liberation
–Lucky Strikes “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet”—
connecting smoking to weight control

Question 3

Advertising Can Have Powerful
Effects (2 of 2)

Answer 3

–In 1955
▪ 52% of adult men and 34% of adult women
smoked
–In 2015
▪21% of adult men 14% of adult women smoked

Question 4

Attitudes:

Answer 4

Evaluation of people, objects, and ideas

Question 5

People are not neutral observers of the
world

Answer 5

–They evaluate what they encounter
–They form attitudes

Question 6

The Nature and Origin of Attitudes

Answer 6

Attitudes are made up of three
components:
–Affective
▪Emotional reaction
–Behavioral
▪Actions or observable behavior
–Cognitive
▪Thoughts and beliefs

Question 7

Affective

Answer 7

Emotional reaction

Question 8

Behavioral

Answer 8

Actions or observable behavior

Question 9

Example—attitudes about cars
–Affective

Answer 9

▪Perhaps feel excitement about getting a new car
▪U.S. autoworker examining a new foreign-made
model, may feel anger and resentment

Question 10

Example—attitudes about cars
–Behavioral

Answer 10

Test-drive the car and actually buy it

Question 11

Example—attitudes about cars
Cognitive

Answer 11

Admire hybrid engine and fuel efficiency

Question 12

Genetic origins of attitudes

Answer 12

–Identical twins share more attitudes than
fraternal twins.
▪e.g., similar attitudes about jazz music
–Indirect function of our genes
▪Temperament, personality

Question 13

Where Do Attitudes Come From?

Answer 13

*Social experiences
–Not all attitudes are created equally.
–Though all attitudes have affective, cognitive,
and behavioral components, any given
attitude can be based more on one type of
experience than another.

Question 14

Cognitively Based Attitudes

Answer 14

An attitude based primarily on people’s
beliefs about the properties of an attitude
object
*Sometimes our attitudes are based
primarily on the relevant facts.
–Example—a car
▪How many miles to the gallon does it get?
▪Does it have side-impact air bags?

Question 15

Affectively Based Attitudes (1 of 3)

Answer 15

*An attitude based more on people’s
feelings and values than on their beliefs
about the nature of an attitude object
*Sometimes we simply like a car, regardless
of how many miles to the gallon it gets
*Occasionally we even feel great about
something or someone in spite of having
negative beliefs

Question 16

Affectively Based Attitudes (2 of 3)

Answer 16

Affectively based attitudes don’t come from
examining facts
–Where do they come from?
▪Values
–Example—religious, moral beliefs
▪Sensory reaction
–Example—liking the taste of something

Question 17

Affectively based attitudes don’t come from examining facts
Where do they come from?

Answer 17

Aesthetic reaction
Example—admiring lines and color of a car
Conditioning

Question 18

Classical Conditioning

Answer 18

A stimulus that elicits an emotional response is paired with a neutral stimulus.
Neutral stimulus takes on the emotional properties of the first stimulus.

Question 19

Operant Conditioning

Answer 19

Freely chosen behaviors increase or decrease when followed by reinforcement or punishment.

Question 20

Affectively based attitudes are similar for several reasons.

Answer 20

Not a result of rational examination
Not governed by logic
Often linked to values

Question 21

Behaviorally Based Attitudes

Answer 21

An attitude based on observations of how one behaves toward an attitude object

Question 22

Sometimes people do not know how they feel until they see how they behave

Answer 22

Can form our attitudes based on our observations of our own behavior

Question 23

People infer their attitudes from their behavior only under certain conditions

Answer 23

When initial attitude is weak or ambiguous
When no other plausible explanation for behavior

Question 24

Explicit attitudes

Answer 24

Attitudes that we consciously endorse and can easily report

Question 25

Implicit attitudes

Answer 25

Attitudes that are involuntary, uncontrollable, and at times unconscious

Question 26

Robert is a white, middle-class college student who genuinely believes that all races are equal and abhors racial bias

Answer 26

This is Robert’s explicit attitude It is his conscious evaluation of other races Governs how he chooses to act e.g., Consistent with his explicit attitude, he signed a petition in favor of affirmative action policies.

Question 27

Robert has grown up in a culture in which there are many negative stereotypes about minority groups.

Answer 27

Negative ideas have affected him in ways of which he is not fully aware. If, when Robert is around African Americans, some negative feelings are triggered automatically and unintentionally, this would be an example of a negative implicit attitude.

Question 28

We have explicit and implicit attitudes about many things.

Answer 28

Not just different races Example Students can believe explicitly that they hate math At an implicit level, can have a more positive attitude

Question 29

Measurement

Answer 29

Implicit Attitudes Test (IAT)

Question 30

When Do Attitudes Predict Behaviors?

Answer 30

There is some evidence that attitudes are not good predictors of behavior. LaPiere, in early 1930s, examined anti-Chinese attitudes and discrimination.

Question 31

Predicting Spontaneous Behaviors

Answer 31

Attitudes will predict spontaneous behaviors only when they are highly accessible to people. Attitude accessibility: The strength of the association between an attitude object and a person’s evaluation of that object, measured by the speed with which people can report how they feel about the object

Question 32

Theory of Planned Behavior

Answer 32

People’s intentions are the best predictors of their deliberate behaviors. Intentions determined by their attitudes toward specific behaviors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control

Question 33

Specific attitudes

Answer 33

Only specific attitudes can be expected to predict that behavior.

Question 34

Subjective norms

Answer 34

We also need to measure people’s subjective norms— their beliefs about how people they care about will view the behavior in question.

Question 35

Perceived behavioral control

Answer 35

Intentions are influenced by the ease with which they believe they can perform the behavior.

Question 36

Theory of planned behavior

Answer 36

Predicts that more specific attitudes better predict behavior

Question 37

When attitudes change, it is often due to social influence.

Answer 37

This is why social psychologists are interested! Attitudes are social phenomena. Sometimes attitudes change dramatically over short periods of time.

Question 38

People experience dissonance

Answer 38

When their image is threatened When they cannot explain behavior with external justifications Leads to finding internal justification for behavior Brings your attitude and your behavior closer together Equals attitude change!

Question 39

Persuasive Communications and Attitude Change (1 of 2)

Answer 39

Communication (e.g., a speech or television ad) advocating a particular side of an issue How should you construct a message so that it would really change people’s attitudes?

Question 40

Persuasive Communications and Attitude Change (2 of 2)

Answer 40

Yale attitude change approach The study of the conditions under which people are most likely to change their attitudes in response to persuasive messages “Who said what to whom.” Who: The source of the communication What: The nature of the communication Whom: The nature of the audience

Question 41

Elaboration likelihood model:

Answer 41

An explanation of the two ways in which persuasive communications can cause attitude change

Question 42

Central route

Answer 42

When people are motivated and have the ability to pay attention to the arguments in the communication

Question 43

Peripheral route

Answer 43

When people do not pay attention to the arguments but are instead swayed by surface characteristics

Question 44

Central route to persuasion

Answer 44

Elaborate on a persuasive communication Listening carefully to and thinking about the arguments Occurs when people have both the ability and the motivation to listen carefully

Question 45

Peripheral route to persuasion

Answer 45

People do not elaborate on the arguments. People can be swayed by peripheral cues, such as by who delivers a persuasive message rather than by the strength of the message itself. An example is when consumers buy certain products because a celebrity tweets about them.

Question 46

Personal relevance of the topic

Answer 46

How important is the topic to a person’s well-being? More personally relevant, pay more attention Central route

Question 47

Need for cognition

Answer 47

A personality variable reflecting the extent to which people engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities.

Question 48

People high in the need for cognition

Answer 48

Form attitudes through central route

Question 49

People low in the need for cognition

Answer 49

Rely on peripheral cues

Question 50

People who base their attitudes on a careful analysis of the arguments will be:

Answer 50

More likely to maintain this attitude More likely to behave consistently with this attitude More resistant to counter-persuasion

Question 51

Fear-Arousing Communications

Answer 51

Persuasive messages that attempt to change people’s attitudes by arousing their fears

Question 52

Strong amounts of fear fail if they overwhelm people.

Answer 52

Become defensive Deny importance of threat Cannot think rationally about issue

Question 53

Do fear-arousing communications work?

Answer 53

Moderate amounts of fear work best Provide information on how to reduce fear

Question 54

Fear and Smoking Ads

Answer 54

The FDA has tried to implement guidelines to require all cigarette packs sold in the United States to display pictures that warn about the dangers of smoking, such as the one shown here. Do you think that this ad would scare people into quitting?

Question 55

Heuristic–systematic model of persuasion

Answer 55

An explanation of the two ways in which persuasive communications can cause attitude change One way is: Systematically processing the merits of the arguments

Question 56

Second way is

Answer 56

When using peripheral route Use mental shortcuts (heuristics) e.g., “Experts are always right.” Use emotions as heuristic

Question 57

Use emotions and moods as heuristics to determine attitudes

Answer 57

“How do I feel about it?” If we feel good Must have a positive attitude about object If we feel bad Thumbs down!

Question 58

Problem with the “How do I feel about it?” heuristic

Answer 58

Can make mistakes about what is causing our mood Misattribute feelings created by one source to another If so, people might make a bad decision

Question 59

Advertisers and retailers want to create good feelings about their product

Answer 59

Pair product with appealing music or showing pleasant images Hope people will attribute feelings to the product

Question 60

If an attitude is cognitively based

Answer 60

Try to change it with rational arguments

Question 61

If it is affectively based

Answer 61

Try to change it with emotional appeals

Question 62

Some ads stress the objective merits of a product

Answer 62

Price, reliability, efficiency

Question 63

Other ads stress emotions and values

Answer 63

Sex, beauty, youthfulness

Question 64

Attitude Change and the Body

Answer 64

Body posture plays a significant role in attitude change Cartoons rated as more funny when holding an object between one’s teeth (mimicking a smile) compared to holding it between one’s lips (mimicking a frown) Nodding or shaking one’s head while listening to strong or weak arguments also affects attitude change

Question 65

People more influenced by advertising than they think. Split cable market tests

Answer 65

Advertisers work with cable companies and stores Show commercial to randomly selected group of people and keep track of purchases Results of over 300 of these reveal ads effective, especially for new products

Question 66

Public health campaigns

Answer 66

Meta-analysis on ads and substance use among youths encouraging Television and radio better than print ads

Question 67

How Advertising Works (1 of 2)

Answer 67

Many take emotional approach of attitude change Little difference between brands Associate product with excitement, youth, sexual attraction

Question 68

Attitudes that are more cognitively based. Personally relevant

Answer 68

Personally relevant? Yes—then use logical, fact-based arguments No—might use peripheral route Peripheral route leads to attitude change that is not long lasting Goal to make product personally relevant

Question 69

Subliminal messages:

Answer 69

Words or pictures that are not consciously perceived but may nevertheless influence people’s judgments, attitudes, and behavior - There is no evidence that the types of subliminal messages encountered in everyday life have any influence on people’s behavior

Question 70

Laboratory Evidence for Subliminal Influence (1 of 4)

Answer 70

Evidence for subliminal influence in carefully controlled laboratory conditions

Question 71

Example: Examined preference for product after subliminal prime

Answer 71

IV: Subliminal flashes of words Condition 1: “Lipton Ice” Condition 2: Nonsense words DV: Choosing Lipton Ice or Dutch mineral water Results? If thirsty, chose Lipton Ice significantly more often

Question 72

Subliminal effects require a controlled environment

Answer 72

Correct illumination of the room No distractions Right distance from screen

Question 73

Limitations

Answer 73

No evidence that subliminal message can get people to act counter to wishes, values, or personalities

Question 74

Western cultures

Answer 74

Ads stress independence “It’s easy when you have the right shoes.”

Question 75

Eastern cultures

Answer 75

Ads stress interdependence “The shoes for your family.”

Question 76

Western cultures

Answer 76

May base attitudes more on individuality and self-improvement

Question 77

Eastern cultures

Answer 77

May base attitudes more on standing in social group

Question 78

Attitude inoculation

Answer 78

Making people immune to attempts to change their attitudes by initially exposing them to small doses of the arguments against their position

Question 79

Resisting Peer Pressure

Answer 79

Peer pressure in adolescence Operates on values and emotions Liking and acceptance by peer group Not based in logical arguments To make adolescents resistant to attitude change attempts via peer pressure Attitude inoculation that focuses on inoculating against emotional appeals

Question 80

Reactance theory:

Answer 80

Idea that when people feel their freedom to perform a certain behavior is threatened, an unpleasant state of reactance is aroused, which they can reduce by performing the threatened behavior