Psychology 3723F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Theodor W. Adorno, Likert Scale, Nazi Propaganda
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 1- What Are Attitudes and How Are They Measured?
What is an attitude?
• Evaluation predom aspect attitude concept- like/ dislike or fav/ disfav object, person,
issue= summarize dif info about issue, object/ person
• Attitude- overall evaluation object based on cog, affective and behav info
• Attitudes differ in valence (positive vs neg) and strength (stability, ability withstand
attack, capacity infl how process info and ability guide behav)- important role
understanding how attitudes guide processing info and behav
• Attitude object- anything eval among dimension favourability
A short history of attitudes research:
• Study attitudes extensive hist within social psych, both emerging turn 20th cent
A starting point:
• 1920s number individs became interested in measuring subjective mental properties like
attitudes
• Thurstone and Likert dev various ways measuring attitudes, most notably Equal
Appearing Interval method and Likert scale- dem attitudes can be quantifiably measured=
paved way dev discipline
• Richard LaPiere travelled w Asian couple to US when widespread Asian prejudice= only
refused service hotel and restaurant once- later sent letter to establishments and they
indicated wouldn’t serve them= attitudes don’t nec impact behav (probs but considered
whether attitudes predict behav)
The real world:
• Study attitudes picked up momentum attempt tackle greater societal concerns
• Theodore Adorno et al curious process lead individs dev authoritarian attitudes- studied
social psych bases anti-Semitic att- dev F-scale (F stood facism) and research on
authoritarianism= important role understanding dev prejudice against minority ethnic
groups
• Success Nazi propaganda made allies realize importance understanding how mobilize and
change pubic opinion
• After war interest in persuasion remained strong due to emergence Cold War and dev in
telecom (wide avail tv)- sci research when and how attitudes most likely change
• Convergent- started w part phenomenon (attitude change) needed explain and assess wide
array variables det which ones important explaining phenom
• Divergent- started w part theory and applied wide range attitudinal phenomena
• Cognitive dissonance- state imbalance among beliefs, including beliefs support person’s
attitudes- holding inconsistent belief prod neg feeling motivated reduce= change attitude
regain state agreement/ compatibility
find more resources at oneclass.com
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• Consideration why people hold attitudes- attitude functions- encompassing psych needs
served by attitudes
• Most important funct object appraisal function- capacity att serve energy saving devices
make judgements easier and faster to perform
• Knowing primary funct att important b/c attempts change more succ persuasive appeal
matches funct of att
The growth of social cognition perspective:
• Mid-1960s change zeitgeist social psych (and psych whole)- much research largely
behav, new perspective- social cognition- grounded understanding how individs elaborate
upon and process socially relv info
• Systems approaches- attempt map linkages among many causal factors, mediating
variables and outcomes= dom framework contemp social psych- q how attitudes affect
info processing and behav
• Theory of Reasoned Action- dev predict deliberative and thoughtful (reasoned) behav
from attitudes= about understanding effects of attitudes on behav
• Factor in resurgence research examining relation b/w attitudes and behav during 1970s
• Attitudes poor predictor behav- concerns overstated and more research when and how att
predict behav- att do predict behavs but in some conds better than others
A new wave of attitude research:
• 1980s, research on content attitudes began flourish and cont today
• Elaboration Likelihood Modal and Heuristic-Systemic Model both dual-process models
specify 2 dif routes persuasion
• ELM ref central and peripheral route: central= individ pay close attention contents
persuasive appeal, peripheral= less thought
• HSM one route involves systematic processing, other involves heuristic processing:
systemic= carefully scrutinize contents persuasive appeal, heuristic less effort
Ongoing developments:
• Strong attitudes more persistent over time, resistant change, likely influence processing
and likely predict behav
• Research att strength played major role answering qs degree att stable vs temp
• Advances in comp tech and concerns dishonest responding questionnaires led researchers
dev new ways measure att
• Implicit measures asses att w/o requiring individ’s awareness of their attitude/ how its
being measured- often not consistent self-reported ratings own att and predict dif
outcomes self-report measures
• Dev application brain imaging techniques study attitudinal phenomena
Beyond social psychology:
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A short history of attitudes research: study attitudes extensive hist within social psych, both emerging turn 20th cent. A starting point: 1920s number individs became interested in measuring subjective mental properties like attitudes, thurstone and likert dev various ways measuring attitudes, most notably equal. Implicit measures asses att w/o requiring individ"s awareness of their attitude/ how its being measured- often not consistent self-reported ratings own att and predict dif outcomes self-report measures: dev application brain imaging techniques study attitudinal phenomena. Beyond social psychology: social psychs not only sci study attitudes (consumer behav, poli sci and health) and research assessing how attitudes predict behav important applied implications. Impression management involves giving responses present respondents in fav way, even if responses inaccurate- careful studying sensitive issues/ issues relv norms political/ social appropriateness. The implicit association test: people asked classify att and att objects- make responses quickly as poss, comp records time takes respond- according speed responses task sim eval priming.
