ATTITUDES: COGNITIVE APPROACHES

Attitudes: leaned predispositions to respond in a favorable or unfavorable manner to a thing, idea, person, or experience.

Attitudes are psychological constructs (i.e., they reside in our minds and cannot be directly observed).

Attitudes can be formed, maintained, and changed.

Attitudes play a central role in predicting and explaining people's behavior.

ABC Model

Affect: feelings about the attitude object.

Behavioral: a predisposition to act relevant to the attitude object.

Cognition: beliefs and thoughts about the attitude object.

LEARNING THEORY

A message is persuasive when:

• it attracts and holds the target's attention.
• it is understood and comprehended.
• the target learns the arguments and accepts them as true.
• the message provides an incentive that motivates the target to act.

Types of Information Processing

Central.......................... High
Processing....................Involvement

Ability.......................Importance
Motivation.......................Cost
Opportunity....................Relevance

Peripheral.......................Low
Processing....................Involvement

Cognitive Response Theory:

The thoughts running through the target's mind during exposure to the persuasive message determine how effective the message will be.Wh

• Support arguments
• Counter arguments
• Source derogations
• Executional evaluations
• Inferences

Design the message to direct and channel the target's thoughts in a way that is compatible with the agent's goal(s).

Factors that influence attitude strength and resistance to change

• How was the attitude formed?
  • teaching-telling
  • observation
  • direct experience

• How long has the attitude existed?

• How important is the attitude object or topic to the individual?

• How "elaborate" are the beliefs that make up the attitude?

• How coherent (consistent) are the beliefs that make up the attitude?

What is the relationship between attitudes and behavior?

• Weak
• Inconsistent
• Not predictive of specific actions

Factors affecting the relationship (between attitudes and behavior)

• intervening time

• levels of specificity

• external environment

• changing situation

• amount of control

• stability of intentions

• new information