Social psychology reflection paper 4page
Chae
W4_Attitudes_SocialInfluence.pptx
Attitudes and Social Influence
Attitudes
Attitude An enduring evaluation about an object
Attitudes are about direction
Rollercoaster are bad Attitude
Rollercoasters are scary Schema
Direction and Strength
Attitudes can be categorized by their direction and strength
Direction Our evaluation of an object as unfavorable, neutral, or favorable
Strength The intensity with which we believe our attitude
Unfavorable
Favorable
Weak
Strong
ABC’s
We form our attitude from our affect, behavior, and cognition
Affect
We determine our attitude about something based on how we feel when evaluating it
Remember: The rope-bridge study
Men found a woman more attractive when evaluating her on a bridge
Affect is the biggest influence on attitudes
Behavior
We assume our behaviors reflect our underlying attitude
If my daughter plays a lot of sports, she will conclude that she must like them
Cognition
We determine our attitudes by processing cognitive information
Cognitive processes are the most effortful way we form attitudes
We only rely on them when it matters
Persuasion
Our attitudes are not only important to us, but to those that want to persuade us
Persuasion The process by which an external force tries to shift our attitude
Salespersons
Politicians
Therapists
Authority figures (parents/teachers)
Persuasion
Persuasion
Superficial Processing
Systematic Processing
Superficial Processing
Superficial routes of persuasion are fast, efficient, and often rely on unreliable cues
Superficial processing relies on heuristic
Heuristics A mental shortcut used to simplify cognitive processes, reduce effort, or reach a conclusion more quickly
Persuasion heuristics A type of heuristic used to evaluate persuasive arguments
Familiarity Heuristic
Familiarity heuristic The belief that familiar objects or stimuli are better than unfamiliar ones
We are more likely to be persuaded by a familiar product, spokesperson, or argument
Familiarity Heuristic in Marketing
Attractiveness Heuristic
Attractiveness Heuristic We are more persuaded by attractive/popular/likable sources
Attractiveness Heuristic in Marketing
Expertise Heuristic
Expertise heuristic – We process information less carefully when we believe the argument is coming from an expert
Experts are: Competent
Well-spoken
Trustworthy
Expertise Heuristic in Marketing
Affective Heuristic
Affective heuristic – Things that make us feel good are good
We are more persuaded when things are:
Funny
Inspiring
Nostalgic
Clever
Affective Heuristic in Marketing
Persuasion Heuristics in Commercials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hggux80pCWw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5fJHhxnsFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85iRQdjCzj0
Persuasion
Persuasion
Systematic Processing
Superficial Processing
Uses heuristics
Fast, efficient, unreliable
Systematic Processing
Systematic processing – The process of carefully attending to argument information before accepting/rejecting an argument
Superficial routes
Likable spokesperson
Funny commercial
Color I like
Same as my parent’s car
Systematic routes
Best value
Reliable
Safe
Fits my needs
Systematic Processing
Systematic processing typically leads to more informed attitudes
Attitudes formed by systematic processing are more persistent and resistant
Persistent Unlikely to change with time
Resistant Unlikely to change in the face of new arguments
Systematic processing is more effortful and slower
Persuasion
Persuasion
Systematic Processing
Superficial Processing
Uses heuristics
Fast, efficient, unreliable
Uses effortful, slow processing
Persistent, resistant attitudes
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Elaboration Likelihood Model A model of persuasion that outlines how we process persuasive arguments
ELM argues we have two routes of processing information
The central route uses systematic processing
The peripheral route uses superficial processing
Elaboration Likelihood Model
ELM we use the central route when we have the resources and motivation to process carefully
We use the central route when we can and want to
Resources: cannot use central route if we are distracted, do not understand the information, or otherwise not capable of processing
Motivation: we will only employ the resources for things that are important to us, we are deeply concerned with the “right” attitude
Measuring Attitudes
Explicit and Implicit Attitudes
Explicit Measures
Often, we use explicit measures to assess attitudes
Explicit measures Direct, obvious measures. Participants are aware of their responses and can control them
Self-reports, questionnaires, interviews
Implicit Measures
Implicit measures Subtle, indirect measures of attitudes.
Participants are often not aware what is being measured and therefore cannot control responses
Two examples of implicit measures
Implicit Attitude Task
Affect Misattribution Procedure
Implicit Attitude Task
Implicit Attitude Task
IAT measures difference in response speed when pairing White – Good and Black – Good
Participants slower at responding in the Black – Good are believed to have a more negative attitude toward Black people
Critique: this measures associations not attitudes
High bias score does not make you racist
Check out Project Implicit to learn more
Affective Misattribution Procedure
Affective misattribution: Participants will be subliminally primed by the Black face
They will express that attitude onto the character
Because they are not conscious of the Black face, they cannot control
Social Influence on Attitudes
Conformity and Interpersonal Influence
Conformity
Conformity Aligning your personal attitude, belief, or behavior with that of a larger social body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8BkzvP19v4
Asch (1951)
Asch’s Line Experiment
Participants completed a “visual perception” task in a group with confederates
Confederates out-loud, unanimously gave the wrong answer
75% of participants gave the wrong answer at least once
Asch Line Study Follow-ups
Researchers have run several versions of this study since
Conformity is more likely when:
The group is larger (3-5 confederates)
There is unanimity, no “allies”
Tasks were more difficult
Participant answers were public
Motivation to Conform
Motivation for certainty – We conform in situations we do not understand to avoid making an avoidable mistake
Motivation for esteem – We conform to feel like we have mastery and competence in an area
Motivation for belonging – We conform to be accepted by others and society at large
Interpersonal Influence
We can also be persuaded by specific individuals in a few ways
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon Compliance with a large request after agreeing to a small request
A campus activist asks you to put a pin on your coat for a cause, then asks you to donate
A store will offer you a free sample, then ask you to come in and look around
FITD works because we want to be consistent and logical
Door-in-the-Face
Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon Compliance with a request after rejecting a previous, unreasonable request
A charity asks you to give up your weekend volunteering, then asks for a $10 donation instead
Works because we feel guilty, the second request seems less burdensome
