Module 43Attitudes and Social Cognition

Chapter 14Essentials of Understanding Psychology- Sixth Edition

PSY110 Psychology

© Richard Goldman

June 18, 2006

Persuasion: Changing Attitudes

Attitude – Learned evaluation of a: Person, Behavior Belief Thing

Persuasion – Process of changing attitudes

Effective Factors Used to Change Attitudes

Message Source (the attitude communicator) Physically attractive Socially attractive Expert Trustworthy

Characteristic of the Message Two-sided messages Fear producing

Characteristics of the Target Less intelligent Public settings – Women Private settings – Men

Reception to Persuasion How do people consider an argument?

Central Route Processing Thoughtful consideration of the issues and

arguments Involved and motivated recipient Strongest, longest lasting attitude change

Peripheral Route Processing Influenced by the presenter on other factors not

related to the issue (Flash, sexy, cool, etc.) Uninvolved, distracted, bored recipient

The Link between Attitudes and Behavior

What we believe strongly influences what we do Cognitive Dissonance

Holding two contradictory attitudes at the same time We strive to reduce cognitive dissonance by:

Modifying one or both of the cognitions Changing the perceived importance of one of the cognitions Adding cognitions Denying that the cognition are related to each other

Social Cognition

The process of understanding others and ourselves

Schemas Sets of cognitions about people and social experiences Use to help categorize other and predict behavior

Impression Formation

Organizing information about another Central traits – major traits considered in forming

impressions (assign to a personal schema) Once assigned to a schema we attribute all of the

traits of that schema to the person

Attribution Processes Understanding the (rational) causes of behavior

Situational – Based on external factors Dispositional – Based on the way we are

Bias Halo Effect – If we know that someone has some good

traits we expect the all of his traits are good Assumed-similarity – Other believe or think like you Self-serving – We succeed because of our efforts and

fail because of other Fundamental Attribution Error – Overestimation of

dispositional cause and underestimation of situational causes (pervasive in West not East)