Prepared by: Rychael M.

Delas Alas
BS Psychology IV
 Social Psychology is a pure branch of psychology that
deals with the study on how the thoughts, feelings and
actions of individuals are influenced by the actual,
imagined, or implied presence of others.
Worchel, et al (2000) and Myers (1999) considered
thoughts, feelings, and actions as components and/or core
features of the concept of attitudes.
This concept can be either positive or negative, hostile or
indifferent. One's attitude can account for one's behavior
and/or performance. Thus, attitudes are regarded as a
major influence on behavior.
An important concept in social psychology considering all
aspects of social lives continually seek to understand,
describe, and change other individuals' beliefs, opinions,
views, or behaviors.
As Petty and Cacioppo claimed that attitude have a past, a
present, and a future; they were developed from the past
experience, they guide behavior to the present, and can
direct development in the future.
In this respect, development so as attitude produces
change. Change may occur through general evaluations
people make about themselves, others, objects or issues.
 The word attitude comes from the Latin aptus, which
means “fitness” or “adaptedness”.
Myers (2005) defined attitude as a favorable or
unfavorable evaluative reactions toward something or
someone exhibited in one's beliefs, feelings, or intended
behavior. A person behaves on how he/she feels can guide
how he/she reacts to something or someone. Myers
identified the ABC's of attitudes such as affect (feelings),
behavior (intention), and cognition (thoughts).
1. Referent. Attitudes refer to a simulus object. They are
directed at a target regarding an issue, a behavior, a
person, a group, or may order identifiable aspect of the
environment.
2. Evaluations. Attitudes refer to individuals' evaluation
target. They are judgements along an evaluative
dimension such as a good-bad continuum that reflect the
perceiver's favorability or unfavorability toward the
target.
3. Memory. Attitudes are represented in memory. For ex,
thinking about attitude toward policeman will also activate
the attiudes toward closely related to criminal, prison,
firearm, and headquarter.
4. Cognitive or/and conative, affective, and/or
Behavioral Information. Attitudes are similar in ABC's
concept of attitudes. They refer to the evaluations of objects
that can be based on knowledge and beliefs about the
objects (cognitive/conative information), feelings and
emotional reactions toward the objects (affective
information), and/or previous behaviors and responses to
the objects (behavioral information)
1. Attitudes toward object. Recall earlier that attitudes always
have a referent, that is, they refer to stimulus object and/or a
target issue, behavior, person, or group.
2. Attitudes are Learned Predisposition. Attitudes are
developed as a result of personal experience with the object,
issue, behavior, person, or group thus displaying such behavior.
3. Attitudes have consistency. There is aconsistency when
attitudes correspond with behavior. They correspond most closely
when people are conscious of their attitudes while they are
responding. For example, a woman does not like a particular man,
so she avoids him.
4. Attitudes are social learning. They are gained in interaction
with other people at home, school, church, etc.
5. Attitudes have readiness to respond. He predisposition to
behave in a given way to a given object is readiness.
6. Attitudes are affective. As discussed earlier, the feeling and
affective parts of the attitude are seen as a person's preferences.
7. Attitudes vary in itensity. The degree of intensity of an
attitude towards an object may or may not be sufficiently strong to
result in behavior.
8. Attitudes have a time dimension. They may be suited to the
ciurrent situation and be of little use at another time as the change
occur.
9. Attitudes have a duration factor. They may persisit
consistently over a rather long time in a person's life.
11. Attitudes are evaluations. Recall earlier that they may be
evaluations of liking, but also of probability and possibility of further
events and consequences.
12. Attitudes are inferred. They are inferred from behavior
which may or may not be a perfect indicator. Inferences drawn by
the observer may also not be congruent with the internal
selevtiveness of the person.
13. Attitudes are also adopted. There is some social inheritance
which the individual obtains for the first time by the following the
example of family. As the person grows, the attitudes of his friends
from school become his own.This is perhaps the primary source of
attitudes.
14. Attitudes are formed due to the process of
differentiation. Several attitudes are formed special attitudes. Due
to to certain ill-feelings for certain teahers, the students start hating
everything related to the institution. Similarly, as a result of certain
good feelings towards the teachers, students start loving a subject.
15. Some attitudes are formed due to some shock or
tragedy. Generally when the individual is not prepared for the
tragedy, this become the basis of long standing attitudes. For
example, a child is taken to a doctor fr the first time and hthe doctor
gives him an injection.
 Beliefs are information about other people, object or
issues that are considered to be factual.
Attitude testing is the measurement of attitudes which
includes dimensions such as direction, degree and intensity.
Thurstone scale and Liker scale, attitude testing assessed
through the following techniques such as error-choice
technique, free-response technique, paired comparison,
opinion poll or survey, and simple techniques as anecdotal
records, autobiograpies, diaries, leisure time pursuits,
impression or interview.
 Attitudes cannot be directly observed but must be
inferred from overt behavior in both verbal and non verbal
way. The measurement of attitudes must include several
dimensions. Three dimensions are employed in the
development of attitude scale as described below.
1. Direction. There are negative or positive, for or against,
dimensions. For example, a student has positive or negative
feelings about sports, school or student organization, vocational
classes, and other college matters which constitute the direction of
his attitude.
2. Degree. There are amounts of degree of likes and dislikes
attached to an attitude. Students may have different degrees of
liking which can be measured on a continuum from moderate to
strong to very strong. The Idea of a degree can also be applied to
the negative feelings towards an object.
3. Intensity. Attitudes have a dimension of intensity or strenght. At
a high degree of intensity, some given kind of behavior is motivated.
Also, the strenght of one attitude compared to another may
determine which one becomes the basis of action.
 The usual way of knowing and finding out about attitudes or attitude
testing is measured through the following techniques:

1. Attitude Scale
2. Error-Choice Technique
3. Free-Response Technique
4. Paired Comparisons
5. Opinion Poll or Survey
6. Simple Tecniques as Anecdotal Records,
Autobiographies, Diaries, Leisure Time Pursuits,
Impression or Interview.
 Plausible explanation when attitudes are consistent
with behavior such as: when there is self awareness; when
attitudes are salient; when the attitudee issue is significant,
when responding to the attitude has direct implications;
when the attitude is based on direct experience; and
attitudes are formed with in a situation. In contrast,
situations that people can expect that attitude and behavior
are not consistent. These are when attitudes compete with
each other ; when attitudes do not have control over the
behavior;
 -When attitudes do not have alternative control over
the behavior; when attitudes do not have alternative; when
norms specify certain behaviors; when the consequence of
responding on attitude may be negative; when there is force
of habit; and when behavior affects and attitudes.
When there is Self-Awareness. When people focus attention on
themselves, they become more aware of their own attitudes.
When Attitudes are Salient. When people are reminded that their
behavior can be relevant to their attitude.
When the Attitude Issue is Significant. When people have a strong
vested interest in the outcome of their behavior, and believe that their
actions will affect them directly, there is a high correspondence between their
attitude and behavior. For example, if the student feels very certain in
majoring psychology, he will not transfer to history just because some of the
psychology subjects are offered at an inconvenient hour.
When Responding to the Attitude has Direct Implications.
When people respond to something favorably for conformity.
However, if the concern is someone who is an important figure (e.g relative
or friend) to a person, he or she is likely to give the matter more thought and
come up with a more accurate evaluation of the attitude for a significant
person than the norms.
When the attitude is Based on Direct Experience. When
people may form their attitudes either by listening to what others relate about
some object or event. Behavior can be predicted better from attitudes that
are based on direct experience.
Attitudes are Formed within a Situation. By situation, a particular
event can influence the relationship between attitude and behavior.
1. When attitudes compete with each other. For example, a man
has a negative attitude toward jogging or push-ups exercises.
2. When attitudes do not have control over the behavior. For
example, a person keeps strictly to diet, but evrytime he goes to buffet,
he always overeat because of good food he cannot resist himself.
3. When attitudes do not have alternative. Attitude towards being
in college may be negative, but if a person cannot get a job and parents
say they will continue to pay the tuition as long as he stays in college, he
might continue anyway.
4. When norms specify certain behaviors. The norm for how to
act when bored is fairly specific like suffer in silence. For example, when a
man visits to someone's place for dinner and the night seems boring, he will
not tell them that he is bored and wants to leave, he would tell them he had
a nice time.
5. When the consequence of responding on attitude may be
negative. Social pressures can influence behavior and lessen the
consistency between attitude and behavior.
6. When there is force of habit. A habit is a behavior that is well
practiced, has a strong stimulus-response connection, and can be performed
without thinking. Behaviors are affected both attitudes and habits.
7. When behavior affects attitudes.
 Salient theories on attitude and behavior are theory of
reason action. Fazio's theory of attitude-behavior
relationships, theory of planned behavior, and Festinger's
cognitive theory. Attitude importance is the extent to which
an individual cares about the attitude.
Foot-in-the-Door Technique. The technique is based on
the premise that if someone will agree to a small request.
Low-Ball Technique. The moment an individual is
commited to an action.
Door-in-the-Face Technique. The technique refers to a
person who asks for a very large favor.
Even-a-Penny-Will-Help Technique. This the technique
that maximizes the probabilities of accepting a
contribution while leaving unaffected the magnitude of
contribution .
Inducing Guilt Technique. Making people feel guilty
increases compliance.