PSYC1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Stereotype Threat, Henri Tajfel, In-Group Favoritism
2 Jul 2018
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30/04/2018 Social Perception – Attitude Changes
Implicit attitudes predict: spontaneous, non-verbal behaviour, behaviour under time-
pressure – the attitude must be highly accessible and strong
Predicting deliberate behaviour – explicit attitudes:
oTheory of reasoned action – model of beliefs, tensions and behaviours – need
specific attitudes toward specific behaviour (must match in specifics); subjective
norms (beliefs about how others you care about view the behaviour – use them as a
guide)
oThese two factors in turn help people form behavioural intention behaviour
oEmphasis on rationality and reasons for action
oTheory of planned behaviour – people don’t have the same degree of control over
all their behaviours – an extension on previous theory
oImproves prediction as it adds the need for perceived behavioural control in order to
help people form behavioural intention
Changing Attitudes - Cognitive dissonance: Festinger, 1957 – state of tension/conflict that
one can experience after deciding, taking an action, or being exposed to information that is
contrary to one’s prior beliefs, feelings, values
oIncongruent cognitions
oMotivated to reduce tension – change behaviour, change opinion, add new
compatible/congruent cognitions
oActions inconsistent with self-image experience dissonance (unpleasantness)
1. Change behaviour (e.g. stop smoking)
2. Change opinion (e.g. smoking isn’t a bad thing, might be fake news)
3. Add new cognitions (e.g. consider smoking more)
oWe pick the easiest one to do
oCognitive dissonance studies show that attitudes shift to be consistent with
expressed opinions
oTwo explanations for attitude shift:
1. Motivational (reduce tension of holding two opposing beliefs (dissonance
reduction))
2. Purely cognitive (observe own behaviour (self-perception theory))
oPeople are not good at inspecting their own attitudes – use past behaviour as
approximations of their current behaviour
Cultural differences – if inconsistencies in behaviour reflect:
oTraits – people from Western cultures should be threatened and motivated to
reduce dissonance
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Document Summary
Implicit attitudes predict: spontaneous, non-verbal behaviour, behaviour under time- pressure the attitude must be highly accessible and strong. Cultural differences if inconsistencies in behaviour reflect: traits people from western cultures should be threatened and motivated to reduce dissonance. Social perception attitude changes: situations people from eastern cultures should not be threatened and not motivated to reduce dissonance. Persuasive communications: deliberate efforts to change attitudes; communicated messages advocating a side of an issue, with the intention to change attitudes or behaviours of the recipients. Stereotypes origins : social categorisation (age, gender, race, etc. Causes of prejudice: social categorisation (refer to above) we are lazy when it comes to making impressions of people, overestimate differences between groups. Subtle forms of prejudice subtle racism ( modern racism, acting unprejudiced but maintaining a prejudiced attitude), benevolent sexism (stereotypical but positive views of women, women are weak and need to be protected)
