Attitude Formation and Attitude Change - AP Psychology
- What is the elaboration likelihood model?
- Theory on how attitudes are changed. Petty and Cacioppo's dual-process model explains persuasion mechanisms.
- Explain the concept of attitude strength.
- How stable and resistant an attitude is to change. Strong attitudes are more accessible, stable, and predictive of behavior.
- Identify the effect of source credibility on persuasion.
- Increases persuasion likelihood. Expertise and trustworthiness enhance the source's persuasive impact significantly.
- What constitutes the cognitive component of an attitude?
- Beliefs and thoughts about an object. Mental representations including knowledge, opinions, and beliefs about the object.
- What does social judgment theory explain?
- How people evaluate persuasive messages. The theory predicts attitude change based on message position relative to existing views.
- What is the overjustification effect in attitude change?
- External rewards reduce intrinsic motivation. External incentives can undermine initial intrinsic interest and positive attitudes.
- What is self-perception theory?
- Inferring attitudes from behavior. Bem's theory suggests we observe our behavior to understand our attitudes.
- Who proposed self-perception theory?
- Daryl Bem. Alternative to cognitive dissonance theory for explaining attitude formation from behavior.
- Who developed the social judgment theory?
- Muzafer Sherif. His theory focuses on latitude of acceptance and rejection in persuasion.
- What is an attitude in psychology?
- An evaluation of an object, person, or idea. The basic definition encompasses feelings, thoughts, and predispositions toward targets.
- What is the affective component of an attitude?
- Emotional response towards an object. Includes feelings, emotions, and mood reactions associated with the attitude object.
- Who proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance?
- Leon Festinger. His 1957 theory remains fundamental to understanding attitude-behavior consistency.
- What is the effect of repeated exposure on attitude formation?
- Leads to more positive attitudes. Mere exposure effect demonstrates that familiarity increases positive attitude formation.
- What is an implicit attitude?
- Unconscious evaluation of an object. Measured through indirect methods like the Implicit Association Test (IAT).
- What characterizes the central route of persuasion?
- Focus on argument quality. Systematic processing involves careful evaluation of message content and logic.
- Define the low-ball technique in persuasion.
- Initial agreement followed by hidden costs. Commitment secured before revealing additional costs or requirements.
- Define the peripheral route of persuasion.
- Focus on superficial cues. Heuristic processing relies on simple cues rather than argument analysis.
- What is the role of social norms in attitude change?
- Influence through group expectations. Social expectations and perceived norms pressure individuals toward attitude conformity.
- What is an attitude change?
- A shift in evaluation towards an object. Modification occurs through persuasion, experience, or cognitive dissonance reduction.
- What is the role of fear appeals in attitude change?
- Use of fear to motivate change. Moderate fear levels are most effective for motivating attitude and behavior change.
- What is the mere exposure effect?
- Increased liking due to repeated exposure. Zajonc's phenomenon shows familiarity breeds preference, not contempt.
- What is a heuristic in the context of attitude change?
- Mental shortcut influencing attitudes. Cognitive shortcuts that enable quick attitude formation without extensive processing.
- What is the sleeper effect in persuasion?
- Delayed impact of a persuasive message. Low-credibility sources can become more persuasive over time as source forgotten.
- What is the role of attitude specificity in predicting behavior?
- Specific attitudes predict specific behaviors. Correspondence between attitude and behavior specificity improves behavioral prediction.
- What is the door-in-the-face technique?
- Large request followed by a smaller one. Rejection of large request increases compliance with subsequent smaller request.
- Identify a factor that affects susceptibility to persuasion.
- Need for cognition. Individual differences in motivation to think carefully affect persuasion outcomes.
- Define explicit attitude.
- Conscious evaluation of an object. These are deliberately reported attitudes that people are aware of having.
- How does attitude accessibility influence behavior?
- Easily recalled attitudes guide actions. More accessible attitudes come to mind quickly and strongly predict behavior.
- What is the foot-in-the-door technique?
- Small request followed by a larger one. Compliance with small requests increases likelihood of agreeing to larger requests.
- What is the role of message framing in persuasion?
- Presentation affects attitude change. Positive or negative framing can significantly influence attitude formation and change.
- Identify the three components of an attitude.
- Affective, behavioral, cognitive. These form the tripartite model of attitudes in social psychology.
- Describe the behavioral component of an attitude.
- Actions or observable behavior towards an object. Refers to overt actions and behavioral intentions directed at the object.
- What is the role of persuasive communication?
- To change attitudes through messages. Strategic messaging designed to influence attitudes and subsequent behavior.
- Identify the two routes of persuasion in the elaboration likelihood model.
- Central route and peripheral route. These represent systematic versus heuristic processing of persuasive information.
- What does the term 'attitudinal ambivalence' mean?
- Conflicting evaluations towards an object. Having both positive and negative feelings simultaneously toward the same object.
- What is the boomerang effect in persuasion?
- Persuasive attempt causes opposite effect. Strong persuasive pressure can backfire and strengthen original attitudes instead.
- What is priming in the context of attitude change?
- Exposure influences response to a later stimulus. Prior exposure to concepts makes related attitudes more accessible and influential.
- What is the inoculation theory of persuasion?
- Exposure to weak arguments builds resistance. McGuire's theory shows how exposure to weakened attacks builds resistance.
- What is cognitive dissonance?
- Mental discomfort from conflicting beliefs. Festinger's theory explains the discomfort motivating attitude or behavior change.