Wk6: Attitude Change Flashcards
AC = Attitude change; ACI = Attitude consistent info; ANI = attitude inconsistent info (41 cards)
Types of attitude change
Two types
Spontaneous: through observation/ learning
Deliberate: via persuasion of others
Attitude polarisation
The tendency for currently held attitudes to become more extreme when faced with attempted attitude change
Consistency motives
Promote attitude-consistent [ACI] and inhibit attitude-inconsistent [ANI] information
Confirmation bias
Selective Exposure
Desire for consistency in information and attitudes; we promote, seek, and value ACI whilst inhibiting, ignoring, and disregarding ANI
Bias Assimilation
Tendency to interpret new information in ways that confirm existing attitudes; more readily accept ACI and challenge ANI
AKA Selective Interpretation
Resistance strategies
- Attitude bolstering
- Counterarguing
- Source derogation
- Social validation
- Assertions of confidence
- Negative Affect
How individuals resist AO (NOT how to convince others
Talk yourself up: social, assert, bolster
Talk the others down: source, emotion, counter
Attitude bolstering
- A resistance strategy
- Generate ACI without addressing ANI
e.g. Moral argument: “Don’t you believe the produce industry is immoral and cruel?”
Response: “I believe protein and animal products are necesary for human diets,” does not address moral argument
Counterarguing
- A resistance strategy
- Generate rebuttals or counters to ANI
e.g. Moral Argument: “Don’t you believe the produce industry is immoral and cruel?”
Response: “No, I believe animals would suffer just as much in the wild, therefore we are not adding any cruelty, and it is not immoral,” addresses moral argument, offers counter.
Source derogation
- A resistance strategy
- Insulting or dismissing credibility of source
e.g. Moral Argument: “Don’t you believe the produce industry is immoral and cruel?”
Response: “Who told you the animals were being treated poorly?” addresses source of argument
Social validation
- A resistance strategy
- Plea to social norms, not argument
e.g. Moral Argument: “Don’t you believe the produce industry is immoral and cruel?”
Response: “Most people don’t have a problem with meat consumption” addresses social norm
Assertion of confidence
- A resistance strategy
- Claim that your mind cannot be changed
e.g. Moral Argument: “Don’t you believe the produce industry is immoral and cruel?”
Response: “That won’t stop me from getting maccas at 3am,” does not address nor counter argument, just affirms they have their attitude
Negative Affect
- A resistance strategy
- Gets emotional, does not respond to argument
e.g. Moral Argument: “Don’t you believe the produce industry is immoral and cruel?”
Response: “Can’t i eat my burger in peace?!,” does not address nor counter argument, emotional response
Reasons for resistance
- Difficulty
- Psychological reactance
- Reluctance to change
- Concerns of deception
- Desire for cognitive consistency
Difficulty to change
- Reason for resistance
- Change is hard; requires effort and motivation
e.g. Moral veganism argument
Response: “Changing my diet, grocery list, and meal plans are too hard”
Psychological reactance
- Reason for resistance
- Taken personally
- Reactance to threats on ones’ autonomy, freedom, independence
e.g. Moral veganism argument
Response: “They’re saying I’m a terrible person”/”They want to stop me from enjoying my food”
Reluctance to change
- Reason for resistance
- Change involves uncertainty and lack of control
- Reluctant to go through with change
e.g. Moral veganism argument
Response: “I don’t know how that diet change would effect me”/”I don’t know how people wll react to me being vegan”
Concerns of deception
- Reason for resistance
- Worried ANI may be misleading
- Does not want to “fall for” “incorrect” (not ANI) info
e.g. Moral veganism argument
Response: “They’re saying that so I’m more likely to buy the more expensive vegan products”
Desire for cognitive consistency
- Reason for resistance
- ACI more cognitively consistent than ANI
e.g. Moral veganism argument
Response: “I already consume other products that aren’t ethical, like chocolate. I’m not a hypocrite, it doesn’t matter to me”
Factors influencing attitude change
- Message quality: elaboration likelihood model
- Source credibility: vested interest
- Message channel: audiovisual vs. writtten
- Social Consensus: false consensus effect
- Message framing: moral reframing
- Cognitive dissonance
Dissonance, consensus, credibility
Message framing, channel, and quality
Message quality
- Factor influencing attitude change
- Stronger arguments increase chance of attitude change
Define Elaboration likelihood model
Attitudes change through two routes: the central or peripheral route
Factors influencing route in the elaboration likelihood model
Motivation (high or low) and Ability (high or low)
Central route in the elaboration likelihood model
- High elaboration of content
- More careful info processing
- AC based on argument quality
- Requires higher motivation and ability
Peripheral route in the elaboration likelihood model
- Low elaboration of content
- Less careful info processing
- AC based on superficial cues
- Requires lower motivation and ability
