Chapter 6 - Attitudes

Question 1

What are Explicit and Implicit Attitudes?

Answer 1

-Explicit attitudes: we can consciously endorse and easily report. They are likely rooted in recent experiences.
-Implicit attitudes: involuntary, uncontrollable, and at times unconscious. They tend to be rooted in long-term experiences (such as upbringing).

Question 2

What is the theory of Planned Behaviour?

Answer 2

-Knowing someone’s attitude does not necessarily mean you can successfully predict their behaviour.
-The Theory of Planned Behaviour maintains that the best predictor of people’s deliberate behaviour is their intention.
-The best predictors of people’s intentions are their:
–Attitudes towards the specific behaviour: people’s specific attitude towards the behaviour, not their general attitude.
–Perceptions of social norms regarding behaviour: people’s beliefs about how other people they care about will view the behaviour in question.
–Perceived behavioural control regarding the behaviour: the ease with which people believe they can perform the behaviour.

Question 3

What is the difference between Persuasion and Compliance?

Answer 3

-Persuasion involves the change of attitude (all 3 aspects), whereas compliance is the change of behaviour (doesn’t change other 2 aspects), even for a short period.

Question 4

What is Persuasive Communication?

Answer 4

-A communication (e.g., a speech or television advertisement) advocating a particular side of an issue.

Question 5

What is the Yale Attitude Change Approach?

Answer 5

-The study of the conditions under which people are most likely to change their attitudes in response to persuasive messages.

Question 6

The effectiveness of the Yale Attitude Change Approach (persuasive communication) depends on what?

Answer 6

1. The Source of the Communication
   -perceived credibility (trustworthiness)
   -perceived attractiveness (ex: Halo effect)
2. The Nature of the Communication
   -intentionality (ex: not aggressive)
   -two-sided perspective (more effective to present counter-arguments to each side)
   -primacy/recency effect (depends on when the break is)
3. The Nature of the Audience
   -distractedness/receptiveness (what we want depends on strength of argument)
   -cultural differences

Question 7

What is the Elaboration Likelihood Model?

Answer 7

-There are two ways in which persuasive communication can cause attitude change.
-The central route occurs when people are motivated and have the ability to pay attention to the arguments in the communication. (fits overall objective/goal; more likely to do research, think about the details)
-The peripheral route occurs when people do not pay attention to the arguments but are instead swayed by surface characteristics. (outside of objective/goal; making decisions without thinking hard about it)

Question 8

What is Fear-Arousing communication?

Answer 8

-It is a persuasive message that attempts to change people’s attitudes by arousing their fears.

Question 9

How does advertising change our attitude?

Answer 9

-Ads that work best depend on the basis of the attitude:
–for cognitively based attitudes, using rational arguments and personal relevance is best.
–for affectively based attitudes, using emotion is best.
-Individuals also vary on how important cognitively based and affectively based messages are to them. People react more favourably to ads that match their attitude type.

Question 10

What are the cultural differences in advertising and attitude change?

Answer 10

-People in individualist cultures tend to favour advertising that stresses independence (ex: right shoes for you).
-People in collectivist cultures are more likely to be persuaded by advertising that stresses interdependence (ex: right shoes for our family.

Question 11

What are subliminal messages?

Answer 11

-Words or pictures used to persuade that are not consciously perceived.
-There is no evidence suggests that this influences consumer’s behaviour in everyday life.
-Research shows that advertisements are more powerful when we can consciously perceive them.

Question 12

What is Product placement?

Answer 12

-A persuasion method whereby advertisers place their product into the script of a movie or television show.
-Forewarning people that someone is about to try to change their attitude is an effective strategy against attitude change.

Question 13

How to resist persuasive messages?

Answer 13

-Attitude Inoculation: the process of making people immune to attempts to change their attitudes by exposing them to small doses of the arguments against their position.
-doing so allows people to develop their own counterarguments and thus strengthen their attitude.

Question 14

What is Cognitive Dissonance Theory?

Answer 14

-A feeling of discomfort caused by the realization that one’s behaviour is inconsistent with one’s attitudes or that one holds two conflicting attitudes.
-Most often occurs whenever we do something that makes us feel unintelligent or immoral.

Question 15

What are the 3 steps to reduce discomfort from cognitive dissonance?

Answer 15

-Change the attitude.
-Change the behaviour.
-Change the cognition (reason).

Question 16

What is post-decision dissonance?

Answer 16

-Dissonance that is inevitably aroused after a person makes a decision - “chooser’s remorse” (buyers remorse)
-Typically reduced by enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and evaluating the rejected alternatives.
-The more permanent and less revocable the decision, the greater the need to reduce dissonance.

Question 17

What is the Justification of Effort?

Answer 17

-The tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain (e.g., group membership).
-The more severe/effort the initiation is, the more likely we are to justify it (ex: hockey teams).

Question 18

What is counter-attitudinal behaviour?

Answer 18

-Sometimes we find ourselves stating an opinion that runs counter to our private belief or attitude.
-In trying to understand why we have done so, we look toward external sources to justify our behaviour.
-If none are found, we must then look inward.

Question 19

What is external and internal justification?

Answer 19

-External Justification: a person’s reason or explanation for dissonant behaviour that resides outside the individual (e.g., in order to receive a large reward).
-Internal Justification: the reduction of dissonance by changing something about oneself (e.g., one’s attitude or behaviour).

Question 20

What was Festinger & Carlsmith’s study?

Answer 20

-Participants were paid $20 to $1 to lie to a fellow student.
-Those who had insufficient external justification (i.e., paid $1) changed their attitudes to make themselves feel like they were telling the truth.

Question 21

What is the Self-Affirmation Theory?

Answer 21

-When the typical strategies for reducing dissonance fail, one can find relief through self-affirmation, that is, affirming their competence on some dimension unrelated to the threat.
-Ex: I smoke but at least I’m a good friend.

Question 22

How does culture affect dissonance and self-affirmation?

Answer 22

-Whether a culture is individualist or collectivist may influence whether or not dissonance is experienced,a nd whether a subsequent change in attitude occurs.
-Research shows that an independent self-affirmation diminished the need for dissonance reduction among European-Canadians.
-An interdependent self-affirmation diminished the need for dissonance reduction among East Asians.