PSY 380 Tuesday February 15, 2000

Today's Topic: Attitudes

Announcements

Paper 1 due next week

Guest Lecturer on Thursday: Amara Brook: notes available on website Wednesday

Attitudes

"attitude" used to refer to a physical stance or orientation

definition:

 

 

Attitude Structure

tripartite theory of attitude structure: all attitudes have three components

affect

cognition

behavior

tripartite theory revised

not necessary to have all three components; tend to be based in one of the three areas

 

Attitudes can be

affectively-based:

 

cognitively-based:

 

behaviorially-based:

 

Attitude Measurement

 

Self-Report measures

Likert scales

 

semantic differential

 

feeling thermometer

 

Self-Report measures

advantages

 

disadvantages

 

 

 

Covert measures

disguised self-reports:

information error test

What percentage of Americans are vegetarians?

A. 5%

B. 25%

correct answer: 15%

 

bogus pipeline:

 

One group given standard questionnaire, other given questionnaire & told answers would be verified by the machine.

 

questionnaire only:

 

bogus pipeline:

 

lost letter technique (Milgram, 1965). Printed up letters addressed to:

1. Medical Research Associates

2. a personal address

3. Friends of the Communist Party

Accidentally "lose" them in the city near mailboxes

Count how many make it to their destinations.

Results

 

 

 

Physiological measures

head movements (Petty & Wells, 1980)

nodding and shaking

pupillary response (Atwood & Howell, 1971)

 

 

 

facial EMG (Cacioppo & Petty, 1981)

zygomatic activity

 

corrugator activity

 

brain waves (Cacioppo, Crites, Berntson & Coles, 1993)

P-300 associated with novelty

can be used as indicator of attitude