Unit 7 – Attitudes and Persuasive Communication
Power of Attitudes
Attitudes: general evaluations, judgments of people, objects or issues that tend to last.
Hard to change but is predictive of behaviour,
Attitude object: anything toward which one has an attitude
Functional Theory of Attitudes:
When we form attitudes it can explain why people behave in a certain way.
Utilitarian Function: forming an attitude because you’re going to get a reward or a
punishment
Value-Expressive Function: Forming a positive attitude because it helps to express
your values, fits in with your image
Ego-Defensive Function: An attitude to protect ourselves from external threats or
internal feelings
Knowledge Function: Forming positive attitude because it helps to organise and
understand information better
Two people can have an attitude towards an object for different reasons
ABC Model of Attitudes
1) Affect – the way we feel about something
2) Behaviour – the intention to do something
3) Cognition – knowledge and beliefs you have about an object
High involvement
Cognition --- Affect --- Behaviour = Attitude based on cognitive information processing
Low involvement
Cognition --- behaviour --- Affect = Attitude is based on behavioural learning processes
Experiential
Affect --- behaviour --- Knowledge = Attitude is based on hedonic consumption
Power of Attitudes
Attitudes: general evaluations, judgments of people, objects or issues that tend to last.
Hard to change but is predictive of behaviour,
Attitude object: anything toward which one has an attitude
Functional Theory of Attitudes:
When we form attitudes it can explain why people behave in a certain way.
Utilitarian Function: forming an attitude because you’re going to get a reward or a
punishment
Value-Expressive Function: Forming a positive attitude because it helps to express
your values, fits in with your image
Ego-Defensive Function: An attitude to protect ourselves from external threats or
internal feelings
Knowledge Function: Forming positive attitude because it helps to organise and
understand information better
Two people can have an attitude towards an object for different reasons
ABC Model of Attitudes
1) Affect – the way we feel about something
2) Behaviour – the intention to do something
3) Cognition – knowledge and beliefs you have about an object
High involvement
Cognition --- Affect --- Behaviour = Attitude based on cognitive information processing
Low involvement
Cognition --- behaviour --- Affect = Attitude is based on behavioural learning processes
Experiential
Affect --- behaviour --- Knowledge = Attitude is based on hedonic consumption
