Social Attitudes

Miss GambinoYear 11 PSYCH

What is influenced by our attitudes? • Preferences • Goals • Tastes • Friendships • Votes We have positive and negative attitudes to a

number of events, actions a views of the world

Miss GambinoYear 11 PSYCH

Attitudes:• Are ideas about: - ourselves - others - objects - Experiences

• Cause a person to respond in a positive or negative way.

• Have three components: - feelings (affective) - actions (behavioural) - thoughts (cognitive)

• Affective Component:- Is about feelings towards people or things• Behavioural Component- Is about a person’s actions towards various people,

objects or places (what you do).• Cognitive Component-is what a person thinks about the object or or person.This is called the ABC of attitudes

Attitudes:

How do you develop attitudes? - Attitudes come from:• Direct contact with the object of the attitude.• Interaction with others (discussion with people)• Child rearing (effects of parental values or beliefs)• Group Membership (people with whom we share

common characteristics)• Media ( news, radio, tv etc..)• Chance Conditioning (page 300)

Attitude change• Persuasion: is a deliberate attempt to change beliefs or

attitudes through information or arguments.

• Cognitive Dissonance Theory: cognition means thoughts dissonance means clashing. The theory states that clashing thoughts make us feel

uncomfortable and that we have a need for consistent thoughts and images of ourselves.

We can reject new information that contradicts the ideas that we already have.

Complete CYU 8.1

Prejudice:• Is a negative emotional attitude that is held towards people that

belong to specific social groups. It can be a mixture of negative thoughts, sterotypes, fear, jealousy or hostility.

Types of Prejudice: - Sexism – results in discrimination based on gender eg:- Racism – results in discrimination based on race eg:- Ageism – results in discrimination based on age eg:

Factors which can reduce prejudice:1. Inter-group contact 2. Sustained Contact 3. Superordinate Goals 4. Mutual Interdependence5. Equality

Inter-group contact - by increasing inter- group contact between the people who hold

the stereotype and the target group, prejudice can be reduced. - in this group situation inter – group relations may be improved .

Factors which can reduce prejudice:

Sustained contact - there should be activities which are prolonged and inclusive - people need to work together and get to know and understand

each other.

Factors which can reduce prejudice:

Superordinate Goals - are goals which we cannot achieve without other people. - because people are working together, prejudices reduce.

Factors which can reduce prejudice:

Mutual Interdependence

- people must depend on one another to meet each person’s goals. - This has been applied by Aronson (1984) who developed the jigsaw

classroom.

Factors which can reduce prejudice:

Equality

- Known as equal status contact- Involves social interaction that occurs at the same level without

differences in power and status.

Cognitive Interventions:

What are they? - Are learned skills and behaviours Why are they important? - They help us to be less susceptible to the manipulation of others.- They help us to predict the behaviour of others and analyse the

attitudes of ourselves and others.

• These may be helpful to overcome prejudice.1. Beware of stereotypes 2. Seek individuating information3. Don’t fall into just –world beliefs 4. Be aware of self fulfilling prophecy5. Remember different doesn’t mean inferior6. Look for commonalities 7. Develop cultural awareness

The 7 Cognitive Interventions:

DISCRIMINATION• Is the unequal treatment of people who should have

the same rights as others.• Frequently prevents people from doing things they

should be able to do.

How does Prejudice develop?

• Scapegoating – (blaming someone else or group for the actions of others)

• Direct experience • Personal & group prejudice • Can be a general personality trait.