Lecture 1 - Attitudes

Question 1

Attitude

Answer 1

A relatively enduring summary evaluation of a psychological object within a particular schema, described in terms of semantic differential dimensions.

Question 2

Value

Answer 2

Higher-order evaluative standards, referring to the desirable means and end-states of actions that people strive to uphold.

Question 3

Belief

Answer 3

A subjective statement about a particular characteristic of an object, held in the mind to be true.

Question 4

CAB Model of Attitudes

Answer 4

A multicomponent model that considers the content of attitudes in the appraisal of attitude objects. A Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral component account for its constituent parts.

The cognitive component is comprised of conscious values, beliefs, ideas, and ruminative capacity. The affective component is comprised of the emotionally laden content attached to external stimuli (conscious and unconscious). The behavioral component is essentially an autonoetic function - our ability to trek forward and backward across our experience with reference to an attitude object.

Question 5

Sociocognitive Model of Attitudes

Answer 5

A model that suggests attitudes have a cognitive representation and serve a social function. Proposes that attitudes serve a heuristic, schematic, and self-related function.

A heuristic function of attitude provides simple strategies for object appraisal; a schematic function of attitude organizes and guides behavior toward objects and memory for events; a self-related function of attitude assists in the definition and maintenance of self-worth.

Question 6

Attitude Strength

Answer 6

The resilience and importance of an attitude measured by relative stability, extremity, level of certainty, and frequency of thought.

Question 7

Attitude Accessibility

Answer 7

Refers to the ease with which an attitude comes to mind; indicative of attitude strength.

Question 8

Attitude Ambivalence

Answer 8

A conflictual state resulting from having many positive and negative evaluations of an object existing simultaneously.

Question 9

Attitude-Behavior Relations

Answer 9

Attitudes can predict behavior; however, the relationship depends on the degree to which attitudinal and behavioral entities correspond. Entities are defined by their target, action, context, and time elements.

Question 10

Discursive Psychology

Answer 10

A form of discourse analysis that investigates the practical management of psychological themes and concepts within talk and text.

Question 11

Attitudes as Assessments

Answer 11

Attitudinal displays of strongly held views (assessments of objects/events/ideas), when employed for the purpose of argumentation, can prevent an interlocuter from arguing back.

Question 12

Social Psychology

Answer 12

The study of the ways in which we think about others; influence their beliefs, thoughts, and feelings; and how we feel toward them.

Also defined as the science of the conflict between the individual and society.