Behavioral science notes on Attitude

1. ATTITUDES

2. OBJECTIVES
• BY THE END OF THE LESSON, STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
1. Define attitudes
2. Describe how attitudes are formed
3. Explain the composition of attitudes
4. Illustrate how attitudes and behaviour influence each other

3. How would one define attitudes?
• An attitude is defined as a learned tendency to evaluate or look at things
including people in a particular way.
• It refers to the way we view and understand things based on what we know
about them or it.
• Attitudes also refer to the appraisal of something or someone either in a positive,
negative or ambivalent way.
• Attitudes are made up of three components namely cognitive, affective and
behavioural.

4. Cognitive component
• This refers to the thoughts and beliefs that a person holds deeply something or
someone.
• It involves forming a label or a way of identifying something, these labels or
assumptions act as a frame of reference or principles that inform thoughts about
something or someone
• What you think of taking History as a subject? If one thinks there is no connection
between history and his/her future career then such a one will think it is
unnecessary to attend that class.
• Negative thoughts about the subject could also lead one to viewing the one
teaching that subject in a negative way.

5. Affective component
• Attitudes evoke certain emotions such as anger, fear or happiness.
• These emotions can either be negative or positive
• Negative emotions include feelings of dislike, hatred or anger for example I hate
this subject, I cant stand it.
• Positive emotions include strong likeness and pleasant feelings for example I
enjoy this subject I cant miss it.
• This component is said to include direction of emotions as either positive or
negative and intensity how much or how strong those emotions are.
• This is the differentiates attitudes from other cognitive elements.

6. Behavioural component
• This is a reflection or actions that one performs that depicts one’s attitude for
example deciding to not attend the history class completely. Usually behaviour is
consistent with the attitude that one has about something.
• Identify two actions that reflect your attitude about something that you like and
two actions that reflect your attitude towards something you hate.
• Behaviour reflects the stereotypes we hold.

7. Relationship among the three components of
attitudes
• The stronger the thoughts or belief about something or someone the more
emotional we are towards it leading to us wanting or showing it.
• However, when the cognitive component is strong but because of certain
powerful forces beyond an individual, a person’s behaviour is not in accordance
with what one holds dear, this person will experience psychological discomfort.
• This discomfort is referred to as cognitive dissonance
• It could lead one to hurting one self, finding ways to justify behaviour or change
one’s attitude to match the behaviour.

8. Relationship among the three components of
attitudes continued
• Am individual acts in accordance with their attitudes when attitudes are:
1. Extreme and frequently expressed
2. Formed from direct experience
3. Based on knowledge on the subject
4. Anticipation of a favourable outcome or response from others

9. Development of attitudes
• Attitudes are a product of operant conditioning or instrumental learning.
• Can be learned from direct experience based on personal interpretation of the
outcomes as either rewards or punishment for example classroom experiences
may make one like or dislike the course
• Attitudes are also learned from interactions with other people who we value such
as parents. So socialization plays a critical role in development of attitudes
• Peers and different forms of media can also lead to development of certain
attitudes.

10. Functions of attitudes
• Allows people to evaluate things from a personal framework
• Attitudes also serve a schematic or knowledge function. In order to understand
the world better we tend to group people, objects and events into schemas or
categories that allow us develop simple stereotypes. These stereotypes provide
meaning and understanding.
• Help us define ourselves and maintain our self image and self worth by allowing
us to show the values we hold dearly.

11. references
• Baron and Byne. 2015. Social Psychology. Wadworth Publishers. New York
• Hockenbury DH and Hockenbury SE. 2016. Discovering Psychology. Worth
publishers. New York

12. Group assignments
• Group one: discuss how attitudes could be changed
• Group Two: outline how attitudes are measured
• Group three: attitudes are social and not biological explain