Social psychology (Attitude formation) By - Prakriti Gupta

2. OVERVIEW
Attitude: Basic expressions of
approval or disapproval, favourability
or unfavourability, likes and dislikes.
 These are based on the
information we get from social
surroundings.
 They represent our evaluations
and preferences.

3. COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDE
Attitude has A B C Components

4. ATTITUDE FORMATION THEORIES
Learning theory
Consistency
theory

5. LEARNING THEORY
Doob (1947), He proposed that the principles of classical and instrumental
conditioning could be used to explain the formation of attitudes .
 Classical Conditioning -Learning based on association subliminal conditioning-
without awareness
 Instrumental or Operant conditioning : Learn to hold the “right” views
 Observational learning: learning by observing actions of others and exposure to
mass media

6. Consistency theory
BALANCE THEORY: (Fritz Heider)
• He proposed that people will attempt to maintain a psychological
balance and form relationships that balance out their likes and
dislikes.
For Example: If Person A likes a celebrity and the
celebrity likes a product but Person A originally
disliked the product, then Person A is likely to end up
increasing his enjoyment of the product or
decreasing his liking of the celebrity or both. All
these options create equilibrium.

7. COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY
(Leon Festinger)
1. It refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes,
beliefs or behaviors.
2. We hold many cognitions about the world and ourselves
3. When they clash, a discrepancy is evoked, resulting in a
state of tension known as cognitive dissonance.
4. As the experience of dissonance is unpleasant, we are
motivated to reduce or eliminate it, and achieve
consonance (i.e. agreement).

8. ATTITUDE FORMATION (con’t)
• Social comparison- compare ourselves to others to
determine if our view of reality is correct
• attitudes are shaped by social information from others we like
or respect
• Genetic factors- inherited general dispositions (e.g., see
world in a positive or negative light)
• highly heritable attitudes and gut-level preferences (music)
are especially influenced

9. Attitude
Formation
Media
Friends and
family
Religion
Past
experiences
Feedback
can
reinforce
Teachers

10. Attitude-Behavior Link
• Attitudes do not always predict behavior
• LaPiere (1934) found that virtually all businesses served
Chinese couple courteously, yet most owners held negative
attitudes
• Sun-worshippers know the dangers of exposure to the sun, yet
they tan anyway
• “looking good” attitude takes precedence over
attitudes toward personal health

11. LaPiere Study
100%
8%
99%
9%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Restaurants Hotels, Motels
Would you serve Chinese people?
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12. Attitude to Behavior Process Model
Event Attitude
Perception of
Event
Social
Norms
Behavior
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