SOC 345 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Cognitive Dissonance
Document Summary
Having an evaluative component toward a stimulus that is made up of affective, behavioral, and cognitive information. Attitudes can vary in tone (positive or negative) and strength (mild to passionate) Affective component: feelings or emotions are evoked by the stimulus. Behavioral component: actions the actor intends to take (or not take) Cognitive component: what the actor thinks or knows about the stimulus. An attitude that one recognizes and can control. Factors that determine whether an attitude is implicit or explicit. Strength of attitude: the stronger and attitude, the more likely people are to behave in accordance with that position. The degree to which a concept is active in the actor"s consciousness. The more accessible an attitude, the more likely the behavior. People want their behavior to be consistent with their beliefs, and feel uncomfortable with any inconsistency between the two. Research on cognitive dissonance and attitudinal shift.
