PSYC 241 Chapter Notes -Ice Cream, Moodle, Meta-Analysis
31 Jan 2014
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Document Summary
Attitude: a positive, negative, or mixed reaction to a person, object, or idea. These feelings are expressed with some level of intensity. (for example: like, love, dislike, hate, detest). The fact that attitudes can be mixed is an important part of the definition. One"s attitude does not run along a straight continuum from positive to negative. Rather, it can having varying levels of both positive and negative reactions that make up either indifference or ambivalence. Indifference: apathy toward a person, object or idea; characterized by having a low positive and a low negative reaction. Ambivalence: strong mixed feelings about a person, object or idea; characterized by having a high positive and a high negative reaction. The study of attitudes is central in the field of social psychology. Unfortunately it is maladaptive that preexisting attitudes can create bias and close- mindedness. This makes us more resistant to change. How attitudes are measured: self- report measures, covert measures.
