Attitude

Does Attitude influence behaviour?

Overview of the topic
• Definition of attitudes and its
components

• Attitude: Formation, Relationship

with behaviour

• How Attitudes Are Changed -

Persuasion, Theory of Cognitive
Dissonance
Definition of Attitude

• People’s evaluation of almost

any aspect of the world
 Attitude- Implicit Association Test (IAT)
• The IAT typically involves a computer-based task where participants are
asked to quickly associate different stimuli (words or images) with specific
categories.

• The critical aspect of the IAT is the measurement of response times.

• The test assumes that people will be quicker to associate concepts that
they unconsciously link together

• Controversies and Criticisms

Some Questions to address

• When do attitudes influence behaviour?

• How attitudes are changed—the process of persuasion

• Why attitudes are often resistant to change

Attitude Formation

• One crucial means by which our attitudes are formed is through the
process of social learning.

• Social Learning: The process through which we acquire new

information, forms of behaviour, or attitudes from other people
Classical Conditioning: Learning Based on
Association
• Unconditioned Stimulus
• Conditioned Stimulus
Classical Conditioning: Learning Based on
Association
• Direct Route (tooth-paste
advertisement)

• Indirect Route

• Subliminal Conditioning
LEARN
• SUBLIMINAL CONDITIONING?
• Stimuli that serve as the basis- we are unaware
• Classical conditioning that occurs in the absence of conscious awareness of the
stimuli involved.
• Mere exposure—having seen an object before, but too rapidly to remember
having seen it—can result in attitude formation (Bornstein & D’Agostino, 1992).
Instrumental Conditioning

• Which views are considered the

“correct” attitudes to hold—
because of the rewards received
Reward- Subtle
Instrumental Conditioning

• When we enter college, workspaces- what happens?

• Individuals who share our attitudes

• Individuals with different attitudes

• Do new attitudes form?

Tailoring the attitude
• Different Groups- consciously aware (based on
rewards) – support for attitude positions
Observational Learning: Learning by Exposure
to Others
• Social Comparison • Observational Learning A basic

• Reference groups form of learning in which

individuals acquire new forms of
behavior as a result of observing
others
Observational Learning: Learning by Exposure
to Others
• Social Comparison The process • Reference Groups: Groups of
through which we compare people with whom we identify
ourselves to others to determine and whose opinions we value
whether our view of social
reality is, or is not, correct
Social modeling and fashion related attitude
Social modeling and fashion related attitude
When and Why do attitudes influence
behaviour
The link between attitudes and behaviours

• Do attitudes predict behaviour?

• Classical Study by La-Pierre

(1934)
The link between attitudes and behaviours
• Sizeable gap between attitudes and 3. Attitude Extremity: Role of Vested
behaviour. Interests
• Does this mean that attitudes don’t
4. Attitude Certainty: Importance of
predict behaviour?
Clarity and Correctness
1. Role of the Social Context in the
Link Between Attitudes and 5. Role of Personal Experience
Behavior
2. Strength of Attitudes
Strength of Attitudes
How do attitudes guide behaviour

Behaviours driven by attitudes based on reasoned

thought

Role of attitudes- spontaneous behavioural

responses
Theory of Planned Behaviour

Attitude Towards a Behaviour

Intention Behaviour

Subjective Norm

Perceived Behaviour Control

Attitude to Behaviour Process Model

Situation Activates
an Attitude

Attitude Influences
Knowledge about social
Perception
Norms are activated

Influence the
description of the
Behaviour
 Persuasion : How Attitudes are Changed?
• Efforts to change others’ attitudes through the use of various kinds of
messages

• Communicators who are credible

• Communicators who are physically attractive/ those we like

• Messages that do not appear to be designed to change our attitudes are

often more successful than those that seem to be designed to achieve
this goal
Impact of Affect

• We tend to like things more when we are in good moods, and—

because positive affect indicates that things are OK—we
process information less carefully when we are in good moods.
Cognitive Processes Underlying Persuasion
• When Exposed to Persuasive messages

• Systematic Processing: (Central route to persuasion)

• Heuristic processing (peripheral route to persuasion)

• Systematic processing involves careful consideration of message content and ideas,

requiring effort and capacity.

• Heuristic processing, on the other hand, involves mental shortcuts such as trusting expert
statements or relying on feelings, requiring less effort and occurring in response to cues in the
message or situation.
Cognitive Processes Underlying Persuasion

• The relevance of persuasive messages influences the mode

of processing individuals employ.

• When relevance is low, heuristic processing dominates, and

argument strength has little impact.

• In contrast, when relevance is high, systematic processing

prevails, and argument strength becomes important.
Example
• Commercial for a new smartphone

• Carefully consider the features and

compare them to your needs (systematic
processing)

• If you're in a rush or not particularly

interested, you might rely on mental
shortcuts like "it looks cool" or "the
spokesperson is famous" (heuristic
Resistance to Persuasion

• Involves various cognitive processes and strategies

• Aimed at protecting one's freedom, beliefs, and autonomy.

Resistance to Persuasion

• Reactance- negative reaction individuals experience when

persuasive attempts threaten their freedom.

• Forewarning- prior knowledge of persuasive intent

• Selective avoidance involves directing attention away from

information that challenges existing attitudes while actively
seeking out information that supports them.
Resistance to Persuasion
• Active defense of attitudes involves actively counterarguing
against views contrary to one's own.

• Individual differences play a role in resistance to persuasion, with

some individuals being more resistant due to their preference for
counterarguing or bolstering their initial attitude position.

• Ego depletion refers to the state of reduced self-regulation capacity,

which can undermine resistance to persuasion.
Cognitive Dissonance
• Sizable gap between what we feel on the inside
(positive or negative reactions to some object
or issue) and what we show on the outside.

• Cognitive dissonance—an unpleasant state

that occurs when we notice that our attitudes
and our behaviour are inconsistent.
FACTS…

Discomfort associated with

dissonance is reflected in elevated
activity in the left front regions of
our brain.
FACTS…

Cognitive dissonance can sometimes

lead us to change our own attitudes—to
shift them so that they are consistent
with our overt behaviour, even in the
absence of any strong external pressure
to do so.
Dissonance and Attitude Change: Effects of
Induced Compliance
• Turning the peg board experiment

• 20 dollars and 1 dollar ( for lying)

• Report their own attitudes

• 20 dollars- rated the task as less interesting than participants who

were paid $1.

• When there is insufficient justification for your behaviour, a situation

that was truer in the $1 condition (than the $20) of the experiment,
there is a greater need to reduce your dissonance.
Less leads to more effect !!
• So, what do people do to reduce • Since, in this example, you can’t
their greater dissonance in the change the lie you told (i.e.,
$1 condition? deny your behavior), you can
• They change the cognition that decide it wasn’t really a lie at all
is causing the problem! by “making” the boring task
more interesting and reporting
your attitude as being more
positive in the $1 condition than
in the $20 condition
• Less
Alternative Strategies for Resolving
Dissonance
• Is changing our attitudes the • INDIRECT METHOD
only method by which we can
resolve dissonance?
Self-Affirmation – Tendency to
• We can also alter our behaviour respond to a threat to one’s self-
so it is more consistent with our concept by affirming one’s
attitude. competence in another area
• Deciding that the inconsistency (different from the threat.
actually doesn’t matter!-
Trivialization
Example: Alcohol consumption
When Dissonance Is a Tool for Beneficial
Changes in Behavior
• PEOPLE WHO DON’T WEAR SEAT BELTS ARE
MUCH MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN ACCIDENTS
THAN THOSE WHO DO . . .

• PEOPLE WHO SMOKE ARE MUCH MORE

LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM LUNG CANCER AND
HEART DISEASE THAN THOSE WHO DON’T . .

• Most of us know these statements are true,

and our attitudes are generally favorable
towards it.
When Dissonance Is a Tool for Beneficial
Changes in Behavior
• Despite having positive attitudes, they are often
not translated into overt actions

• So there has to be a change in the behaviour.

• Can Dissonance help? Research suggests Yes.

• When it is used to generate feelings of hypocrisy.

When Dissonance Is a Tool for Beneficial
Changes in Behavior
• The study by Stone, Wiegand, Cooper, and Aronson
(1997) is a classic demonstration of cognitive
dissonance theory.

• In this study, participants were asked to prepare a

speech advocating the use of condoms to prevent
AIDS. – Public Commitment

• One group: Think about personal reasons why they

hadn't used condoms in the past (which directly
 When Dissonance Is a Tool for Beneficial
Changes in Behavior
• The other group was asked to think about reasons why

people in general don't use condoms (which was less

personally threatening).

• Purchasing condoms at a reduced price (a direct means) or

making a donation to aid a homeless project (an indirect

means).

• Participants who focused on their own hypocrisy indicated a

willingness to change their behaviour to align with their public

advocacy.
Culture and attitude Processes

• Cultures differ dramatically

• Prevailing Social Norms

• “Tightness versus looseness”

• There is a lower emphasis on self-

regulation and fewer situational
constraints on behaviour
Culture and attitude Processes
• Personal attitudes are fairly good guides for behaviour- USA

• India- relatively tight cultures, personal attitudes are less strongly linked to
behaviour

• Everyday behaviours are more likely to be dictated by duty to others and social
norms

• In non-Western contexts- people’s choices are fundamentally shaped by the

social context and beliefs about what others expect of them.

• Having strong and clear attitudes is less important for effective functioning.
Let’s take a quiz…
Which of the following does not represent a mechanism through
which attitudes are formed?
a. Coercion
b. Classical conditioning
c. Observational learning
d. Instrumental conditioning
Let’s take a quiz…
Which of the following does not represent a mechanism through
which attitudes are formed?
a. Coercion
b. Classical conditioning
c. Observational learning
d. Instrumental conditioning
Attitude strength is determined by
a. attitude extremity, certainty, and motivation
b. attitude extremity, certainty, and accessibility.
c. attitude extremity, certainty, and personal experience.
d. attitude certainty and personal commitment.
Attitude strength is determined by
a. attitude extremity, certainty, and motivation
b. attitude extremity, certainty, and accessibility.
c. attitude extremity, certainty, and personal experience.
d. attitude certainty and personal commitment.
3. According to the theory of planned behaviour, intentions are
determined by
a. attitude strength and accessibility.
b. attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control.
c. attitudes and subjective norms.
d. attitude extremity and perceived behavioural control.
3. According to the theory of planned behaviour, intentions are
determined by
a. attitude strength and accessibility.
b. attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control.
c. attitudes and subjective norms.
d. attitude extremity and perceived behavioural control.
4. Which of the following statements is not true about persuasion?
a. Attractive communicators are persuasive.
b. Credible communicators are persuasive.
c. Attractive communicators are always more persuasive,
independently of their credibility.
d. Familiar communicators are more persuasive
4. Which of the following statements is not true about persuasion?
a. Attractive communicators are persuasive.
b. Credible communicators are persuasive.
c. Attractive communicators are always more persuasive,
independently of their credibility.
d. Familiar communicators are more persuasive
5. Which of the following is not relevant to the central route to
persuasion?
a. Attitude change depends on argument strength.
b. The persuasive message is processed systematically versus
heuristically.
c. Attitude change depends on the presence of persuasion cues.
d. The message is important or personally relevant to us
5. Which of the following is not relevant to the central route to
persuasion?
a. Attitude change depends on argument strength.
b. The persuasive message is processed systematically versus
heuristically.
c. Attitude change depends on the presence of persuasion cues.
d. The message is important or personally relevant to us
THANK YOU