5.1:

5.1: Actitudes

JoVE Core
Social Psychology

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JoVE Core Social Psychology

Attitudes

5.2: Cognitive Dissonance

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01:54 min

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February 12, 2020

Overview

Attitude is our evaluation of a person, an idea, or an object. We have attitudes for many things ranging from products that we might pick up in the supermarket to people around the world to political policies. Typically, attitudes are favorable or unfavorable: positive or negative (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). And, they have three components: an affective component (feelings), a behavioral component (the effect of the attitude on behavior), and a cognitive component (belief and knowledge; Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960).

Think Positively.

For example, you may hold a positive attitude toward recycling. This attitude should result in positive feelings toward recycling (such as “It makes me feel good to recycle.” or “I enjoy knowing that I make a small difference in reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.”). Certainly, this attitude should be reflected in our behavior: You actually recycle as often as you can. Finally, this attitude will be reflected in favorable thoughts (e.g., “Recycling is good for the environment.” or “Recycling is the responsible thing to do.”).

Our attitudes and beliefs are not only influenced by external forces, but also by internal influences that we control. Like our behavior, our attitudes and thoughts are not always changed by situational pressures, but they can be consciously changed by our own free will.

This text is adapted from OpenStax, Psychology. OpenStax CNX.

Transcript

Las personas pueden tener diferentes perspectivas de la vida, dependiendo de sus asociaciones apegadas a algo. Por ejemplo, alguien puede estar en un estado de ánimo negativo: está lloviendo afuera, y lo relaciona con estar triste. Cuando enciende la televisión, ve a un grupo de jugadores, expresando felicidad: están a punto de ganar un codiciado título como equipo.

Ambas situaciones describen actitudes, un conjunto de emociones, creencias y comportamientos que resultan de una evaluación positiva o negativa de una persona, lugar, objeto o evento. Aquí, las actitudes son explícitas, conocidas conscientemente y declaradas externamente.

Afortunadamente, las interacciones entre las actitudes de las personas y cómo actúan en consecuencia pueden ser recíprocas. Es decir, las actitudes pueden afectar las acciones (el equipo de fútbol feliz sabe que es alegre y seguirá ganando más partidos) y las acciones pueden afectar las actitudes (la mujer puede hacer su rutina de ejercicios en el interior para volver a sentirse optimista).

Sin embargo, a veces, las personas no son conscientes de sus verdaderas actitudes o no quieren admitirlas, especialmente si son socialmente inaceptables o controvertidas, como es el caso de los prejuicios raciales y la sexualidad, por ejemplo. Tales evaluaciones se consideran implícitas, no se expresan verbal o abiertamente; Ocurren fuera de la conciencia y el control.

Aun así, las personas pueden expresar puntos de vista sin prejuicios, pero aún así albergar actitudes negativas. Afortunadamente, existen recursos para examinar la omnipresencia y la fuerza de las actitudes implícitas y llevarlas a la conciencia.

Key Terms and definitions

Attitude - An evaluation of people, ideas, or objects, typically positive or negative.
Behavioral Component of Attitude - How attitude influences behavior.
Cognitive Component of Attitude - The beliefs and knowledge part of attitude.
Affective Component of Attitude - The feelings or emotions part of an attitude.
Implicit and Explicit Attitudes - Subconscious vs conscious attitudes.

Learning Objectives

Define Attitude – An individual's assessment of people, ideas, or objects (e.g., explicit behaviour).
Contrast Implicit vs Explicit Attitudes – Different modes of attitudes (e.g., implicit behaviour).
Explore Attitude Components – The three main parts of an attitude (e.g., cognitive attitudes).
Explain Attitude Formation – How attitudes develop and change.
Apply Attitude in Behavior – How attitudes influence our actions.

Questions that this video will help you answer

What is attitude and how does it influence behavior?
What are the main components of an attitude?
What is the difference between implicit and explicit attitudes?

This video is also useful for

Students - Understand how the concept of attitude enhances their comprehension of human behavior.
Educators - Provides a clear framework for teaching social and cognitive psychology.
Researchers - Relevance for researches in the field of psychology.
Psychology Enthusiasts – Offers insights into human behavior and enhances their understanding of social interactions.

Tags

Actitudes Perspectivas Asociaciones Estado de ánimo negativo Evaluación positiva Emociones Creencias Comportamientos Actitudes explícitas Interacciones recíprocas Acciones Actitudes implícitas Socialmente inaceptable Controvertido Sesgos raciales Sexualidad Opiniones sin prejuicios