Attitude: A positive, negative, or mixed evaluation of people,
objects, or ideas.
Attitudes and behavior
Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the
statements below:
1=strongly disagree
2=disagree
3=neither agree nor disagree
4=agree
5=strongly agree
1. Engaging in regular physical exercise three times a week
promotes good health.
2. Eating a variety of foods each day, including five or more
servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, contributes to wellness.
3. It is essential that all citizens exercise their right to vote if
government is to effectively reflect the will of the people.
4. Homelessness is a serious social problem that needs
attention.
Please indicate whether you have performed each of the
following actions:
(Answer YES or NO to each one)
1. I take time to engage in regular physical exercise at least
three times a week.
2. I regularly eat at least five servings of fresh fruits and
vegetables each day.
3. I voted in the last election for which I was eligible.
4. Within the last year, I have personally done something to
address the problem of homelessness (e.g., made a charitable
contribution, talked with a homeless person, wrote my
congressman regarding the problem of homelessness).
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Processes in the development of attitudes:
Classical conditioning
Instrumental/operant conditioning
Modeling
Direct experience
Richard LaPiere (1934): Traveled through U.S. with Chinese
couple
183/184 restaurants served them
Later asked if provide service to Chinese people. 91% (of 128
who replied) said, “No.”
When are attitudes poor predictors of behavior?
(1) Low correspondence between the attitude and the behavior
(Aizen & Fishbein)
(2) Strength of attitude is weak
(strength=more knowledge; based on direct experience;
more important; more accessible.)
Ways to Reduce Dissonance
Attitude change
Need for cognitive consistency
Techniques
Change your attitude
Examples
“I don’t really need
to be on a diet.”
Cognitive dissonance (Leon Festinger, 1957)
Assumed we feel tension (dissonance) when two of our
thoughts (cognitions) are psychologically inconsistent. We
change our thinking to reduce this tension.
Change your perception
of the behavior
“I hardly ate any
ice cream.”
Add consonant cognitions
“Ice cream is very
nutritious.”
Minimize the importance
of the conflict.
“I don’t care if I’m
overweight”
Reduce perceived choice.
“I had no other
choice; it was
prepared for the occasion.”
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Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)
Aronson & Carlsmith (1963)
Forbidden toy study
IV: $1.00 (dissonance) or $20.00 (no dissonance) reward for
lying, or control group (no reward)
IV: Mild threat (I won’t like it) or severe threat (will be spanked)
DV: Reported enjoyment of task
DV: later liking for the toy
Result: Ss in the control group and $20 group thought the task
was boring. Ss paid $1, who had insufficient justification for
lying, thought the task was somewhat enjoyable.
Results: Those faced with a mild threat like the toy LESS than
those faced with a more severe threat. Those in the mild threat
group had “insufficient justification” for their behavior, and
therefore internalized it.
--Demonstrates self-persuasion
--Contradicts belief that big rewards produce attitude change
(“less leads to more effect")
Instead, demonstrates “insufficient justification”
Insufficient justification principle works for punishment as well
as rewards
Aronson & Mills (1959)
Conditions for Dissonance Arousal
Female students; group discussions about sex
1. The attitude discrepant behavior must produce unwanted
negative consequences
IV: Mild initiation or severe initiation or control (no initiation)
Heard boring tape about “secondary sex behavior in lower
animals.”
Result: Ss in severe initiation group rated the discussion more
favorably than those in the mild initiation or control group.
2. Individual must feel personally responsible for the
unpleasant consequences
3. Physiological arousal must occur
4. Must attribute the arousal to your own inconsistent behavior
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