Chapter 5:
Attitudes
Attitude: evaluation of various aspects of the social world.
Attitudes can influence our thoughts, even if they are not always reflected in our overt
behaviour… our attitudes can be:
Explicit attitudes: consciously accessible that are controlled and easy to report
Implicit attitudes: unconsciously associations between objects and evaluative responses
Another reason attitudes are important is because they often affect our behaviour…especially
true when attitudes are strong and accessible.
Knowing how a person approaches a situation, whether in terms of gains to be had or the
possible losses to be prevented, can determine the most effective route to attitude change.
Ppl are either:
Prevention focused: concerned about avoiding losses a msg about safety would be
most effective
Promotion focused: concerned with not missing an opportunity to benefit a msg that
focuses on comfort is most effective
1. Attitude formation: how attitudes develop
Many of our views are acquired in situations in which we interact with or observe the
behaviour of others – this is known as social learning such learning can be acquired
through a number of processes:
Classical conditioning: learning based on association
This process uses the evoking of an attitude by the association of an unconditioned
stimulus with a neutral or conditioned stimulus
Unconditioned stimulus: a stimulus that evokes a positive/negative response without
substantial learning.
Conditioned stimulus: the stimulus that comes to stand for / signal a prior
unconditioned stimulus.
When a stimulus that is capable of producing a positive response (unconditioned stimulus)
regularly comes before a second stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) = the first becomes a
signal for the second.
This process is known as classical conditioning
Example: a mother repeatedly shows a negative reaction in front of her child every time there
is a black man around…at first the child is neutral but after many time the child will associated
the black man with negative reactions…
Not only can classical conditioning contribute to the shaping of our attitudes, but often we
may not even be aware of the stimulus that affects the conditioning.
1
, In an experiment ppl were shown neutral pictures of a woman, this pics were paired with
either positive or negative images for fractions of a second… those who saw positive
images liked the woman more and those who saw negative like her less
Thos shows that attitudes can be formed by subliminal conditioning: which is classical
conditioning that occurs in the absence of conscious awareness of the stimuli involved.
Mere exposure: having seen a stimulus before but not remembering seeing it…can result in
attitude formation.
Instrumental conditioning: rewards for “right” views
Attitudes followed by positive outcomes repeated
Attitudes followed by negative outcomes weakened
Another way in which attitudes are acquired is in the process of:
Instrumental conditioning: a basic form of leaning in which responses that lead to positive
outcomes or avoidance of negative outcomes are strengthened… it is a process of reward
and punishment.
Sometimes the reward is subtle…like a smile from parents (for doing the right thing)
In adulthood we may often shift views according to the group we are in, or when we want to
make an impression on certain ppl… this can be bad as ppl who are seen as shifting their
views and not being decisive and honest.
Both the attitudes we form and the ones we express can depend on the responses given for
holding them, rewards received in the past and those we expect to receive in the future.
Observational learning: learning by exposure to others
Observational learning: a basic form of learning in which individuals acquire new forms of
behaviour as a result of observing others.
Why do ppl often adopt the attitudes that they hear others express? Why do they imitate the
behaviours they observe?
Social comparison: our tendency to compare ourselves with others to determine whether our
view of social reality is correct… ppl often adjust their attitude so as to hold view closer to
those of other who they value and identify with their reference group.
2
Attitudes
Attitude: evaluation of various aspects of the social world.
Attitudes can influence our thoughts, even if they are not always reflected in our overt
behaviour… our attitudes can be:
Explicit attitudes: consciously accessible that are controlled and easy to report
Implicit attitudes: unconsciously associations between objects and evaluative responses
Another reason attitudes are important is because they often affect our behaviour…especially
true when attitudes are strong and accessible.
Knowing how a person approaches a situation, whether in terms of gains to be had or the
possible losses to be prevented, can determine the most effective route to attitude change.
Ppl are either:
Prevention focused: concerned about avoiding losses a msg about safety would be
most effective
Promotion focused: concerned with not missing an opportunity to benefit a msg that
focuses on comfort is most effective
1. Attitude formation: how attitudes develop
Many of our views are acquired in situations in which we interact with or observe the
behaviour of others – this is known as social learning such learning can be acquired
through a number of processes:
Classical conditioning: learning based on association
This process uses the evoking of an attitude by the association of an unconditioned
stimulus with a neutral or conditioned stimulus
Unconditioned stimulus: a stimulus that evokes a positive/negative response without
substantial learning.
Conditioned stimulus: the stimulus that comes to stand for / signal a prior
unconditioned stimulus.
When a stimulus that is capable of producing a positive response (unconditioned stimulus)
regularly comes before a second stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) = the first becomes a
signal for the second.
This process is known as classical conditioning
Example: a mother repeatedly shows a negative reaction in front of her child every time there
is a black man around…at first the child is neutral but after many time the child will associated
the black man with negative reactions…
Not only can classical conditioning contribute to the shaping of our attitudes, but often we
may not even be aware of the stimulus that affects the conditioning.
1
, In an experiment ppl were shown neutral pictures of a woman, this pics were paired with
either positive or negative images for fractions of a second… those who saw positive
images liked the woman more and those who saw negative like her less
Thos shows that attitudes can be formed by subliminal conditioning: which is classical
conditioning that occurs in the absence of conscious awareness of the stimuli involved.
Mere exposure: having seen a stimulus before but not remembering seeing it…can result in
attitude formation.
Instrumental conditioning: rewards for “right” views
Attitudes followed by positive outcomes repeated
Attitudes followed by negative outcomes weakened
Another way in which attitudes are acquired is in the process of:
Instrumental conditioning: a basic form of leaning in which responses that lead to positive
outcomes or avoidance of negative outcomes are strengthened… it is a process of reward
and punishment.
Sometimes the reward is subtle…like a smile from parents (for doing the right thing)
In adulthood we may often shift views according to the group we are in, or when we want to
make an impression on certain ppl… this can be bad as ppl who are seen as shifting their
views and not being decisive and honest.
Both the attitudes we form and the ones we express can depend on the responses given for
holding them, rewards received in the past and those we expect to receive in the future.
Observational learning: learning by exposure to others
Observational learning: a basic form of learning in which individuals acquire new forms of
behaviour as a result of observing others.
Why do ppl often adopt the attitudes that they hear others express? Why do they imitate the
behaviours they observe?
Social comparison: our tendency to compare ourselves with others to determine whether our
view of social reality is correct… ppl often adjust their attitude so as to hold view closer to
those of other who they value and identify with their reference group.
2
