## Attitudes :one: ### Structure, function, and its formation process <!-- Put the link to this slide here so people can follow --> **Rizqy Amelia Zein** Department of Personality and Social Psychology Universitas Airlangga slides: https://hackmd.io/@ameliazein/kogsos-10-11 ---  To download the slides (.pdf), swipe down and click :printer: icon. --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> * “Social psychology is the **==study of attitudes==**” (Allport, 1935). * Distinction between social psychologists use of the word ‘attitude’ and the generally used term i.e. “He has an attitude problem”, “Wow, she’s got attitude”. </div> --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> * “The concept of attitudes is probably the **==most distinctive and indispensable==** concept in contemporary American social psychology. No other term appears more frequently in the experimental and theoretical literature” (Allport, 1935, p. 798) </div> --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> * “Attitudes are a **==mental and neural state of readiness==**, organised through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual's **==response to all objects and situations==** with which it is related” (Allport, 1935, p. 810). </div> --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> * Attitudes involve associations between **==attitude objects and evaluations==** of these objects (Fazio, 1989). * Attitudes are **==evaluations==** of various objects that are stored in memory (Judd et al., 1991). </div> --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> * Attitude is a psychological tendency that is expressed by **==evaluation a particular entity==** with **==some degree of favour of disfavour==**. - Evaluating refers to all classes of evaluative responding, whether **==overt or covert, cognitive, affective or behavioural==** (Eagly & Chaiken,1993). </div> --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> In general, an attitude is * Feelings toward some **==object, person, or idea==**. * Reflect underlying differences in the extent to which we **==feel positive or negative (or both)==** about **==an attitude object==** (e.g. issues, ideas, persons, etc). * Thus, attitudes reflect **==a positive, negative, or mixed evaluation of a person, object, or idea==** expressed at some level of intensity. </div> --- ## What is an attitude:question: <div style="text-align: left"> * More **==enduring==** than passing preferences. * **==Highly resistant to change==**, but it's possible to change it through persuasion. </div> --- ## Structures :building_construction:  --- ## Structures :building_construction:  --- ## Why is it important? :zap: <div style="text-align: left"> * Attitudes strongly influence two major aspects of our lives. - **==Social thought==** :point_right: the way we think about social information. - **==Social behavior==** :point_right: e.g., protesting, voting, interpersonal relations </div> --- ## Why is it important? :zap: <div style="text-align: left"> * Attitudes are **==pervasive==**: - We hold attitudes about virtually all topics - Range from major to minor issues - **==Major issues==** :point_right: gun control, abortion, war, affirmative action - **==Minor issues==** :point_right: taste in movies, food, clothes </div> --- ### What are attitudes used for? :flashlight: <div style="text-align: left"> Attitudes serve as *==conscious==* and *==unconscious==* motives and have :four: functions (Katz, 1960): * They assist in helping us make sense of our world and to organize the information we encounter (c.f. cognitive economy) :point_right: **==knowledge function==**. * They help us make behave in socially acceptable ways to gain positive and avoid negative outcomes :point_right: **==utilitarian/adjustive function==**. </div> --- ### What are attitudes used for? :flashlight: <div style="text-align: left"> * They act as a guide to behaviour in social situations and help us in self- and social- categorization :point_right: **==social identity/value-expressive function==**. * They allow use to preserve a positive sense of self :point_right: **==ego-defensive function==**. </div> --- <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cDq1_R-J51w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> --- ### Possible reactions :high_brightness:  ---  --- ## Attitude formation :derelict_house_building: <div style="text-align: left"> * Most attitudes become solidified during **==teen years and early adulthood==**. * Social learning :point_right: acquiring new information, forms of behaviour, and attitudes from other people. * Types of **==social learning==**: - Classical conditioning:dog: - Operant conditioning:rat: - Observational learning:eyes: </div> --- ### Classical conditioning :dog: <div style="text-align: left"> * Based on **==association==** between stimulus and responses. * One stimulus becomes **==a signal==** for a second stimulus. * e.g. Pavlov’s dogs :point_right: :bell: eventually became a signal for :meat_on_bone: and produced salivating. * Attitudes may form in a similar fashion. </div> ---  --- ### Operant conditioning :rat: <div style="text-align: left"> * Rewards and punishments. * Strengthening of responses that lead to: - :heavy_plus_sign: outcomes - avoidance of :heavy_minus_sign: outcomes * If a child is praised for holding a certain attitude, they will be more likely to continue holding this attitude. * On the other hand, punishment leads to rejecting attitudes. </div> --- ### Operant conditioning :rat: <div style="text-align: left"> Explains why: * Children may have attitudes about **==topics they do not fully understand==** (e.g., politics, racism). * Children and adults **==hold similar attitudes==** up until teen years. * Subsequently, teens begin to evaluate attitudes independent of parents’ reactions. </div> --- <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H6LEcM0E0io" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> --- ### Observational learning :eyes: <div style="text-align: left"> * Attitudes may be **==transmitted unintentionally==** by parents. * Child may **==observe==** their parent smoking, which may lead to a positive attitude towards smoking. * Child may **==overhear==** a certain attitude being conveyed by a parent that they were not meant to hear. * Individuals want to **==imitate the people around them==**, or people they look up to. </div> --- ## Cultural factors :mask: <div style="text-align: left"> * Cultural differences in attitudes are often examined by focusing on **==cultural values==**: - Principles of life that include **==moral beliefs==** and our standards of conduct. * Differ from attitudes in that they are **==broader, more abstract==**. * Like attitudes, values convey **==what is important==** in our lives. </div> ---  --- ## Genetic factors :family: <div style="text-align: left"> * We typically think of physical characteristics such as height, eye color, etc. as inherited. * However, thought occurs within the brain, and brain structure is genetically influenced. * Studies have demonstrated that there is in fact **==a small genetic component==** in attitudes. </div> --- ## Genetic factors :family: <div style="text-align: left"> * The attitudes of **==identical twins are more common==** than those of non-identical twins or unrelated people. * Also true for twins raised apart. * Some attitudes are more heritable than others: - attitudes involving relatively **==basic topics==** (e.g., music) **==are more heritable==** than those involving more ‘cognitive’ or abstract ideas (e.g., equality). </div> --- ## Genetic factors :family: <div style="text-align: left"> * Highly heritable attitudes are: - more **==resistant==** to change - more likely to **==influence==** behavior </div> --- ### Thank you! :tada: Should you have any questions, drop them in: - [Spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LqcvLnfamGoE3rxKFg9eVtttMbmkPfcF7OxMY1yVGYM/edit?usp=sharing); or - [Drop-in session (every Friday at 11-12)](https://meet.google.com/iis-oxiz-emc); or - [Email](mailto:amelia.zein@psikologi.unair.ac.id)