attitude
favorable or unfavorable evaluation reaction toward something or someone (often rooted in one's beliefs, and exhibited in one's feelings and intended behavior)
implicit association test (IAT)
a computer driven assessment of implicit attitudes. The computer uses reaction time to test people's automatic associations between attitude objects and evaluation words. Easier pairing (and faster reaction times) are taken to indicate stronger unconsciou
2 conditions under which attitude will predict behavior
(1) when we minimize other influences upon our attitude statements and on our behavior
(2) when the attitude is specifically relevant to the observed behavior
our attitudes become potent if
we think about them
self conscious people are in touch with their
attitude
making people self aware
promotes consistency between words and deeds; another way to induce people to focus on their inner convictions
role
a set of norms that defines how people in a given social situation are supposed to behave
behavior is the product of
both the individual person and the situation
foot-in-the-door phenomenon
if you want people to do a big favor, get them to consent to a small favor first
low-balling technique
a tactic for getting people to agree to something. people who agree to an initial request will often still comply when the requester ups the ante. people who only receive the costly request are less likely to accept it
moral action
especially when chosen rather than coerced, affects moral thinking
self-preservation theory
to avoid looking foolishly inconsistent, we express attitudes that match our actions. To appear consistent we may pretend these attitudes. Even if it means displaying a little insincerity or hypocrisy, it can pay off in managing the impression we are maki
cognitive dissonance
tension that arises when one is simultaneously aware of 2 inconsistent cognitions.
cognitive dissonance may occur when
we realize that we have, with little justification, acted contrary to our attitudes or made a decision favoring one alternative despite reasons favoring another
selective exposure
way to minimize dissonance. tendency to seek information and media that agree with one's views and to avoid dissonant information
insufficient justification
reduction of dissonance by internally justifying ones behavior when external justification is insufficient
attitudes tend to predict behaviors when we _____ other influences on our attitude statements and behaviors
minimize
when attitudes start through experience they are more
enduring, guiding, accessible
positive behavior fosters
liking
self-presentation
keeping oneself looking nice for the benefit of others
cognitive dissonance theory focuses not on the relative effectiveness of rewards and punishments administered after the fact, but...
on what induces a desired act
attitudes follow behaviors for which
we feel some responsibility
after making important decisions, we usually reduce dissonance by
upgrading the chosen alternative and downgrading the unchosen option
self-perception theory
when we are unsure of our attitudes, we infer them as much as would someone observing us--by looking at our behavior and the circumstances under which it occurs
facial feedback effect
the tendency of facial expressions to trigger corresponding feeling such as happy, sad, angry...
overjustification effect
the result of bribing people to do what they already like doing; they may then see their actions as externally controlled rather than intrinsically appealing
self-affirmation theory
it protects and supports our sense of integrity and self-worth;
(1)people often experience a self-image threat after engaging in an undesirable behavior;
(2) they can compensate by affirming another aspect of self.
Threaten people's self-concept in one do
______ ________ successfully explains what happens when we act contrary to clearly defined attitudes
dissonance theory; we feel tension so we adjust our attitudes to reduce it
explains attitude change
dissonance theory
in situations where our attitudes are not well formed, self-perception theory explains
attitude formation
self-perception theory suggests that we infer our emotions by observing these two things
our bodies and our behaviors
both dissonance theory and self-perception theory were created by
human imagination
social psychologists have identified how our behavior affects our attitudes through
self-perception, self-presentation, and cognitive dissonance