Date post: | 22-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | oswin-jordan |
View: | 221 times |
Download: | 2 times |
Attitudes & Attitude ChangeChapter 7
What are attitudes?
Evaluations of people, objects and/or ideas that often determine what we do
Where do attitudes come from?
They may be indirectly linked to genes via temperament, personality, etc.
They definitely come from social experiences.
The social component of attitudes:
Has three sub-components:
Cognitive: rests on relevant factsAffective: connected to emotions,
valuesBehavioral: works by self-perception
only when the initial attitude is ambiguous
The affective component of attitudes:
May have gained its emotional values from:Values, morals or religionSensory
experiences/aestheticsClassical conditioningOperant conditioning
The affective component of attitudes:
Is not rationalIs not based on logic
Explicit vs. Implicit Attitudes
- are often contradictory
Explicit attitudes are consciously endorsed
Implicit attitudes are non-conscious and at times may be involuntary and/or uncontrollable
How do attitudes change?
By what others have to say
By changing behavior (Cognitive Dissonance/internal justification)
Persuasive communication
Yale Attitude Change Approach
SourceA credible source (expert) is more
likely to be believed that one less credible
An attractive source (physical or personality) is more likely to be believed than one less attractive
Nature of the Communication
People are more persuaded if they believe that the communication was not designed to persuade them.
A two-sided communication is generally more persuasive than a one-sided one. However, the communicator should be careful to refute the counterarguments.
The Nature of the Audience
A distracted audience is easier to persuade.
An audience of lower intelligence is easier to persuade than a more intelligent one.
The audience with moderate self-esteem is easier to persuade than one with high or low self-esteem.
People between the ages of 18-25 are easier to persuade. Attitudes will become more stable and resistant to change as we age.
Paying Attention
DistractionFatigueBoring SpeakerNeed for cognitionMotivation to pay attention
Speaker credibilityTopic relevance/ personal relevance
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Central Route to PersuasionListeners are likely to elaborate
Logic matters
Listeners must be able and motivated to pay attention
Peripheral Route to PersuasionListeners are not likely to elaborate
Logic does not matter
Listeners take mental shortcuts
Motivation to Pay Attention
Personal Relevance
With high personal relevance, arguments are important
With low personal relevance, sources are important (also when you are just unable to pay attention)
Targeting Your Ads
Is the attitude emotional or is the attitude cognitive?
Utilitarian productsSocial Identity productsThose with both aspects – and
possibly different for different people
Attitude Inoculation How do you resist attempts to change your
attitude?
Thinking about it beforehand
Small doses of arguments
Cultural truisms
Being alert to product placement
Peer pressure
Values and emotions
Fear of rejection
Reactance Theory
When persuasion attempts boomerang.Too much fear - dissociationStrong prohibitions -
resistance
When do attitudes predict behavior?
La Piere, 1934 - went cross-country with a young Chinese couple.
Did attitudes predict behavior?
Attitudes predict spontaneous behaviors only when they are highly accessible
When do attitudes predict behavior? Theory of Planned Behavior:
When people have time to contemplate how they are going to behave, the best predictor of their behavior is their intention
Intention is determined by three things:
Attitudes toward the behavior
Subjective norms
Perceived behavioral control
(Must be specific attitudes.)
Subliminal Advertising
Is this a form of mind control?Is advertising in general a form
of mind control?Hidden persuasionProduct placement
Confidence in Your thoughts and attitude Change
Headphone Study (Brinol & Perry, 2003) – Did you shake your head up and down or side to side?
Results differed for strong and weak arguments.