How to Be a Puppet Master

1. How to Be a Puppet Master Persuasion Effort to change attitudes through various kinds of messages Social Influence Attempts to change behavior (and maybe attitudes) X

2. Outcomes of Influence Attempts Commitment Compliance Resistance

3. Attitudes Chapters 7 and 8

4. Why Study Attitudes? Attitudes are important because they: • strongly influence our social thought • help to organize and evaluate stimuli (e.g., categorizing stimuli as positive or negative) • presumably have a strong affect on behavior • help to predict people’s behavior in wide range of contexts (e.g., voting, interpersonal relations)

5. The Basics of Attitudes Attitude - evaluation of an object in a positive or negative fashion that includes the 3 elements of affect, cognitions, and behavior 1. The 3 Components of Attitudes affect, cognition, and behavior 2. Measuring Attitudes likert scale - used to assess people’s attitudes that includes a set of possible answers and that has anchors on each extreme

6. Attitude Structure Gun Control Affect: “Guns make me sick!” Affect Behavior: “I vote for gun control whenever possible.” Cognition Cognition: “Guns in the house increase the likelihood of children accidentally shooting themselves.” Behavior

7. Attitude Formation • social learning- acquire attitudes from others • classical conditioning- learning based on association • subliminal conditioning- without awareness • instrumental conditioning- learn to hold the “right” views • observational learning- learning by observing actions of others and exposure to mass media

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. Summary • Attitudes are evaluations of any aspect of our social world • Attitudes are often learned • Attitudes are also formed through social comparison • New research suggests attitudes are influenced by genetic factors

10. The Functions of Attitudes 1. The Utilitarian Function of Attitudes serves to alert us to rewarding objects and situations we should approach, and costly or punishing objects or situations we should avoid 2. The Ego-Defensive Function of Attitudes enables us to maintain cherished beliefs about ourselves by protecting us from awareness of our negative attributes and impulses or from facts that contradict our cherished beliefs

11. The Functions of Attitudes Terror Management Theory - says that to ward off the anxiety we feel when contemplating our own demise, we cling to cultural worldviews and conventional values out of a belief that by doing so, part of us will survive death 3. The Value-Expressive Function of Attitudes 4. The Knowledge Function of Attitudes

12. Fig. 7.1

13. Fig. 7.2

14. 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 Forward

15. LaPiere Study Would you serve Chinese people? Back

16. Moderators of A-B Link • Aspects of the situation • situational constraints (e.g., sparing one’s feelings) may prevent us from expressing our true attitudes • often we choose situations where we can engage in behaviors consistent with our attitudes • Aspects of attitudes • origins- how attitudes were formed • strength- intensity, importance, accessibility • specificity- general vs. specific

17. How Do Attitudes Influence Behavior? • Theory of planned behavior (considered) • intentions are a function of attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control • Attitude-to behavior process model (impulsive) • attitudes spontaneously shape our behavior of situation • Prototype/willingness model (risky) • behavior is a function of attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, behavior intentions, willingness to engage in specific form of behavior, and prototypes

18. Theory of Planned Behavior Attitudes Subjective Norms Behavioral Intentions Behavior Perceived Behavioral Control Back

19. Perception of Event Social Norms Attitude to Behavior Process Model Event Attitude Behavior Back

20. Subjective Norms Behavioral Intentions Previous Behavior Attitude Behavior Prototype Behavioral Willingness Prototype/Willingness Model

21. Summary • Several factors moderate the link between attitudes and behaviors. • Situational constraints may prevent us from expressing our attitudes. • We often engage in activities that allow us to express our attitudes. • Attitude formation, attitude strength, and attitude specificity also moderate the A-B link. • Attitudes influence behavior through several mechanisms.