Psychology 3723F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Mind-Wandering, Inflectional Phrase, Laugh Track
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 7- Behavioural Influences on Attitudes:
Why did I do that?
• Behav info can shape att- effect can happen b/c behav driven by many factors other than
our att including random events, demands made on us, social norms and habits
• May find selves doing something and wondering why did it due those factors- behav can
then infl thoughts and subsequent att
Behavioural exploration:
• Regan and Fazio (1977)- asked Ps learn about 5 interesting new puzzles- one cond asked
spend 20 mins playing w puzzles and getting fam w them and in another read sheet cont
info about puzzles
• All Ps indicated att toward puzzles, after exp left lab perf task- during absence hidden
camera recorded amount time Ps spent w puzzles= formed att based direct exp w objects
subsequently reported att good predictors of actual amount time played w puzzles, Ps
formed att written info rep att weak predictors actual amount time played w puzzles
• Fazio, Eiser and Shook (2004) looked at how people form att from direct exp= dev
videogame called “BeanFest”- explore map contains good beans= give energy and bad
beans= take energy
• Each move along map costs energy and die reach zero energy- imp learns like and
frequently visit areas cont many good beans and dislike and avoid places bad beans
• Ps learned sig better about which beans bad than which beans good and assume new
beans neg when looked sim “bad” beans than to assume new beans neg when looked sim
“good” beans
• Ps feelings own perf depended more on how many bad objects encountered than how
many good ones found- magnitude weighting bias neg info varies across people
• Are meaningful difs degree have weighting bias for neg and positive info- some people
weigh neg info v heavily in generalizing existing att to novel stimuli, other people have
bias toward positive info (meaningful effects how people behave)
• People tend learn a lot from new things but not from avoiding them- suspect something
bad= avoid and never discover if actually bad/ good but if think info good= approach and
find out either way
• Avoidance behav= less info, remain vul over-gen neg exps have
Role playing:
• Role play someone diagnosed terminal lung cancer- smokers reported more neg att
toward smoking than those just listened to tape of role play and randomly assigned argue
fav part stance issue (legalized abortion) sub more fav toward position had supp= caused
change att
• Role players search mem prior knowledge supports role- search leads explore arguments
support position advocating, ignoring arguments contradict= base subsequent att on these
arguments
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• Biased scanning plays stronger role when people can thoughtfully consider topic than
when distracted
• Active learning (ex: gen own for/ against arguments) often considered more useful than
passively sitting and rehearsing info- subtly encouraged teach themselves, rather than
merely let be convinced by others
Self-perception:
• Self-perception theory- many cases att weak and don’t really know what it is= in same
position anyone else observing our behav- observer rely another’s actions guess person’s
att, therefore, so must actor= has to deduce att by considering behav and sit produced it
The basic effect: Are cartoons funny because we laugh?
• Bem (1965) trained Ps lie about funniness dif cartoons when one colour light flashed
(green) but tell truth when dif colour flashed (amber) and then asked say funny/ unfunny
another set cartoons when lights flashing (due to equip malfunction)
• Then asked rate true att on att scale= key dep variable
• Should have learned trust statements more truth light on= P “this is v funny” presence
truth light= rated cartoon funnier if made in presence lie light
• Consistent w Self-Perception Theory, Ps inferred funniness cartoons from behav and
context occurred
• Salanick and Conway (1975) used questionnaire w biased wording elicit responses supp
of religiosity- more willing agree perf behav on occasion (pro-relig) than perf frequently
(anti-relig)= agree more pro-relig and less anti-relig behavs (reverse pair agree more anti-
relig)
• Saw selves more relig after pro-relig behavs made salient than after anti-relig behavs
made salient= inferred relig att from questionnaire responses, subtly biased q wording
• Self-perception theory states this type interference should occur when att being formed,
weak/ ambiguous- when att held strongly beforehand should be uninfl by simple
perception overt behav
• Chaiken and Baldwin (1981) asked Ps complete questionnaire containing items framed
way remind people either pro-env behavs/ anti-env behavs- then indicated att toward env
• Reminded positive att= more fav env att than Ps been reminded neg behavs- effect obt
only those prior exp had weak att about protecting env (possessed stronger att not infl
manipulation behav salience)
• Albarracin and Wyer (2000)- lead Ps believe, w/o being aware, had expressed either
support/ opposition part position- not actually engaged behav= tested effects merely
believing one has behaved certain way
• Ps rep att consistent w alleged past behav and subsequent behav more consistent alleged
prior action- mere beliefs about past behav= direct effect att and on subsequent behav
• Critcher and Gilovich (2010)- imagine going to movies and have mind wander (about 3/1
things)- liked film more mind wandered 1 thing than 3= contents individs mind
wandering while imagining action suff infl att toward action
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• Self-perception effects can occur even when watch other perf behav
• Vicarious self-perception- people might sometimes infer own attributes by observing
actions others= dependent upon sense merged ident w target perf behav (close other) and
target’s actions seem freely chosen
Practical demonstrations: Sales tricks and turning play into work:
• Foot-in-the-door technique- slight act compliance increases likelihood complying w
larger request
• Freedman and Fraser (1966)- asked homeowners put big, ugly sign “drive carefully” on
lawn- 2 weeks earlier asked sign petition (or use window sticker) supp campaign safe
driving/ keeping state beautiful
• Agreement first request high regardless topic- agreement sign much higher those received
first request than those not given first request
• If kids infer their att past behav and perception circs (self-perception theory sugg),
rewarding kids some behav may cause infer actually dislike behavs= part if rewarded
behavs already like perf
• Loss intrinsic reinforcement from behav= over-justification effect
The different effects of canned laughter:
• Olson (1992) used SPT test effects (falsely) telling Ps laugh track increases/ decreases
our perception humorous material (smiling and laughter)
• Increase group spend more time reading book not accompanied laugh track b/c assumed
their response first set cartoons due to laugh track
• Decrease group spend more time reading book accompanied laugh track- should appear
funnier as Ps told laugh track decrease smiling and laughter
• From self-perception persp, Ps discounted/ augmented reactions to jokes as funct what
led believe about sit (laugh track)
Cognitive dissonance:
The basic idea: When cognitions go to war:
• Cognitive dissonance theory suggests people feel aversive tension/ dissonance from
having set 2/more beliefs don’t seem fit together
• Can occur when people find acted against own prior att w/o suff reason= one belief like
behav and another that don’t- inconsistency creates discomfort, people try reduce by
changing att toward behav
• Can add relv belief explain discrepancy ex: friends forced go party didn’t want go to
• Some cases easier dismiss importance inconsistency- dismiss behav (party) and see
discrep from att as unimportant in larger scheme things
• Can decrease discomf by changing att toward behav (cog dissonance theory)- elim
discrep b/w beliefs about att and behav and cause great relief
Effort justification: “Let’s talk about sex baby… Let’s talk about you and me…”:
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