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Attitudes
What is an attitude?
predisposition to evaluate some people, groups, or issues in a particular way can be negative or positive Has three components
Cognitivethoughts about given topic or situation Affectivefeelings or emotions about topic Behavioralyour actions regarding the topic or situation
Components of Attitudes
An attitude is a positive or negative evaluation of an object, person, or idea
Cognitive Dissonance
(Leon Festinger)
1919-1989
The theory that people act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) they feel when their thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent with their actions When our attitudes are inconsistent with our actions, we change our attitudes to reduce the dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance
Unpleasant state of psychological tension or arousal that occurs when two thoughts or perceptions are inconsistent Attitudes and behaviors are in conflict
it is uncomfortable for us we seek ways to decrease discomfort caused by the inconsistency
Insufficient-justification effect
Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)
gave subjects a boring task, then asked subjects to lie to the next subject and say the experiment was exciting paid the subjects $1, other $20 then asked subjects to rate boringness of task $1 group rated the task as far more fun than the $20 group each group needed a justification for lying
$20 group had an external justification of money since $1 isnt very much money, $1 group said task was fun
Role Playing
Can be explained by Cognitive Dissonance
Playing a role can influence or change ones attitude Zimbardos Prison Study College students played the role of guard or prisoner in a simulated prison. The study was ended after just 6 days when the guards became too aggressive and cruel. Want to learn more about this famous study? See the Stanford Prison Experiment Online Slide Show or watch Stanford Prison Experiment video (8 minutes) Modern issues of Prison Abuse see CNN Report on Juvenile Jails and Abuse 3 min.
Dissonance-Reducing Mechanisms
Avoiding dissonant information
we attend to information in support of our existing views, rather than information that doesnt support them
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
Prejudice
Prejudice
Based on the exaggerated notion that members of other social groups are very different from members of our own social group An unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members Usually involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action Usually involves a negative attitude
Keep in Mind
Racial and ethnic groups are far more alike than they are different Any differences that may exist between members of different racial and ethnic groups are far smaller than differences among various members of the same group.
Categorization
The tendency to group similar objects May be a means to explain stereotypes
Stereotype
A generalized belief about a group of people Stereotypes are sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized. Because stereotypes sometimes have a kernel of truth, they are easy to confirm, especially when you see only what you expect to see. When stereotypic beliefs become expectations that are applied to all members of a given group, they can be both misleading and damaging Creating special cases, or exceptions, allows
Studying stereotypes
3 levels of stereotypes in todays research
public
what we say to others about a group
private
what we consciously think about a group, but dont say to others
implicit
unconscious mental associations guiding our judgments and actions without our conscious awareness
See The Hidden Prejudice video clip (Scientific American Frontiers (6 minutes)
Implicit Stereotypes
Use of priming: subject doesnt know stereotype is being activated, cant work to suppress it
Bargh study
have subjects read word lists, some lists include words like gray, Bingo, and Florida subjects with old word lists walked to elevators significantly more slowly
another study
flash pictures of Black vs. White faces subliminally give incomplete words like hos_____, subjects seeing Black make hostile, seeing White make hospital
Implicit Stereotypes
Devines automaticity theory
stereotypes about African-Americans are so prevalent in our culture that we all hold them these stereotypes are automatically activated whenever we come into contact with an AfricanAmerican we have to actively push them back down if we dont wish to act in a prejudiced way. Overcoming prejudice is possible, but takes work
Ingroup Us
People with whom one shares a common identity
Outgroup Them
Those perceived as different or apart form us (the ingroup)
Ingroup Bias
The tendency to favor ones own group usually at the expense of the outgroup We make favorable, positive attributions for behaviors by members of our in-group, and unfavorable, negative attributions for behaviors by members of out-groups. Ethnocentrism - belief that ones own culture or ethnic group is superior to others
Discrimination
In social relations, taking action against a group of people because of stereotyped beliefs and feelings of prejudice
Scapegoat Theory
The theory that prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame Example: Nazi Germany blaming the Jews for the troubles in Germany after WWI.
Just-World Phenomenon
The tendency to believe that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get Reflects childs attitude that good is rewarded and evil is punished
Overcoming Prejudice
Reducing Prejudice
Initially, researchers thought simple contact between conflicting groups would reduce prejudice (contact theory) They now think that prejudice can be overcome when rival groups cooperate to achieve a common goal
Robbers Cave
Overcoming the strong we/they effect establishment of superordinate goals e.g., breakdown in camp water supply overcoming intergroup strife - research stereotypes are diluted when people share individuating information This idea used in the classroom The Jigsaw Method of cooperative learning. (see pg. 514)