Attitude

= Definition: = A relatively stable evaluation of a person, object, situation, or issue, along a continuum ranging from positive to negative. Gen Psych, Chapter 14, Pg. 453

= Examples: =

Attitudes structure can be described in terms of **three components**.


 * **Effective component**: this involves a person’s feelings / emotions about the attitude object. For example: “I am scared of spiders”.
 * **Behavioral**(or cognitive) component: the way the attitude we have influences how we act or behave. For example: “I will avoid spiders and scream if I see one”.
 * **Cognitive** component: this involves a person’s belief / knowledge about an attitude object. For example: “I believe spiders are dangerous”.

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= Analogies: =


 * This study examined** the effects of two types of analogy on attitude change and source credibility. Subjects were exposed to either a literal, figurative, or no-analogy message. Comparison of attitude change scores and terminal source credibility ratings by message condition indicated that both the literal and figurative versions produced greater attitude change than the no-analogy version. Differences in source credibility ratings were not attributable to the use of analogy. The authors discuss the need for further research in the area and present two tentative explanations of their findings.

= Mnemonics: = A- acting T- tough T- when truely I- it T- takes U- underlying D- determination E- to explain your feelings

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