Attitudes and Attitude Change
Attitudes and Attitude Change
Components of Attitude
Affective Component: How the object, person, issue, or event makes you feel
1. Cognitive Component
The cognitive component of attitudes refers to the beliefs, thoughts, and attributes that we would associate
with an object. It is the opinion or belief segment of an attitude. It refers to that part of attitude which is
related in general knowledge of a person.
Typically these come to light in generalities or stereotypes, such as ‘all babies are cute’, ‘smoking is
harmful to health’ etc.
2. Affective Component
Affective component is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude.It is related to the statement which
affects another person.
It deals with feelings or emotions that are brought to the surface about something, such as fear or hate.
Using the above example, someone might have the attitude that they love all babies because they are cute
or that they hate smoking because it is harmful to health.
3. Behavioral Component
Behavior component of an attitude consists of a person’s tendencies to behave’in a particular way toward
an object. It refers to that part of attitude which reflects the intention of a person in the short-run or long
run.
Using the above example, the behavioral attitude maybe- ‘I cannot wait to kiss the baby’, or ‘we better
keep those smokers out of the library, etc.
Conclusion
Attitude is composed of three components, which include a cognitive component, effective or emotional
component, and a behavioral component.
Basically, the cognitive component is based on the information or knowledge, whereas the affective
component is based on the feelings.
The behavioral component reflects how attitude affects the way we act or behave. It is helpful in
understanding their complexity and the potential relationship between attitudes and behavior.
But for clarity’s sake, keep in mind that the term attitude essentially refers to the affected part of the three
components.
In an organization, attitudes are important for their goal or objective to succeed. Each one of these
components is very different from the other, and they can build upon one another to form our attitudes
and, therefore, affect how we relate to the world.
Attitudes can also be explicit and implicit. Explicit attitudes are those that we are consciously aware of
and that clearly influence our behaviors and beliefs. Implicit attitudes are unconscious but still have an
effect on our beliefs and behaviors.
Attitude Formation
There are a number of factors that can influence how and why attitudes form. Here is a closer look at how
attitudes form.
Experience
Attitudes form directly as a result of experience. They may emerge due to direct personal experience, or
they may result from observation.
Social Factors
Social roles and social norms can have a strong influence on attitudes. Social roles relate to how people
are expected to behave in a particular role or context. Social norms involve society's rules for what
behaviors are considered appropriate.
Learning
Attitudes can be learned in a variety of ways. Consider how advertisers use classical conditioning to
influence your attitude toward a particular product. In a television commercial, you see young, beautiful
people having fun on a tropical beach while enjoying a sports drink. This attractive and appealing
imagery causes you to develop a positive association with this particular beverage.
Conditioning
Operant conditioning can also be used to influence how attitudes develop. Imagine a young man who has
just started smoking. Whenever he lights up a cigarette, people complain, chastise him, and ask him to
leave their vicinity. This negative feedback from those around him eventually causes him to develop an
unfavorable opinion of smoking and he decides to give up the habit.
Observation
Finally, people also learn attitudes by observing people around them. When someone you admire greatly
espouses a particular attitude, you are more likely to develop the same beliefs. For example, children
spend a great deal of time observing the attitudes of their parents and usually begin to demonstrate similar
outlooks.
Consistency theories
Learning theories
Functional theories
1. Consistency Theories
The basic assumption of these theories is the need of the individual for consistency. There must be
consistency between attitudes, between behaviors, and among attitudes and behaviors. A lack of
consistency causes discomfort so that an individual attempts to ease the tension by adjusting attitudes or
behaviors in order to once again achieve balance or consistency. One of the earliest consistency theories
was balance theory
Relationships among the perceiver, another person, and an object are the main focus of balance theory
(Heider, 1958). Relationships are either positive or negative, based on the cognitive perceptions of the
perceiver.
This section might more accurately be called behavioral theories of attitude change. These theories were
also developed during the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, learning theories reflected behavioral
psychology
Learning theories of attitude change received major emphasis by Hovland and his associates in the Yale
Communication Research Program (Hovland, Janis & Kelley, 1953). They proposed that opinions tended
to persist unless the individual underwent some new learning experience. Persuasive communications that
both present a question and suggest an answer serve as learning experiences.
Social judgment theory focuses on how people's prior attitudes distort their perceptions of the positions
advocated in persuasive messages, and how such perceptions mediate persuasion. In general terms, the
theory assumes that a person's own attitudes serve as a judgmental standard and anchor that influences
where along a continuum a persuader's advocated position is perceived to lie (Sherif & Hovland, 1961).
Social judgment theory- is an attempt to apply the principles of judgment to the study of attitude change.
4. Functional Theories
Functional theories of attitude entered the literature in the 1950s when researchers developed the idea that
attitudes served varying psychological needs and thus had variable motivational bases. A common and
central theme of these early efforts was the listing of the specific personality functions that attitudes
served for individuals. Unlike other theoretical approaches developed during this golden decade of
attitude research, functional theories are still relevant and important today
References:
https://www.iedunote.com/components-of-attitudes