Chapter Summary

The study of attitudes has been a central feature of persuasion research for decades. This chapter examines features of attitudes as they relate to persuasion. An understanding of attitudes is important because they help shape, predict, and control behavior. Attitudes reflect tendencies or predispositions to respond to things in fairly predictable ways. Attitudes can be measured in a variety of ways, some more reliable than others. Self-report measures ask subjects to rate their attitudes toward something on a scale. Likert scales and semantic differential scales are well-known, widely used self-report measures. The chapter identifies some of the limitations of self-reports for measuring attitudes. Implicit measures can also be used to avoid the limitations of rating scales, but these entail drawbacks of their own. A number of pragmatic, if unscientific, methods of inferring attitudes can be used as well. These include appearance cues; memberships and associations; and behaviors, habits, or practices. Physiological measures of attitude have also been employed, with mixed results.

Quiz

1. 

Which theory best accounts for the phenomenon known as buyer's remorse"?"

social judgment theory

theory of planned behavior

elaboration likelihood model

cognitive dissonance theory

None

2. 

All the following physiological measures of attitude are bidirectional (e.g., they may signal positive or negative reactions), except for

pupil dilation

galvanic skin response (GSR)

functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

blood pressure

heart rate

None

3. 

Jordan tells her classmate, “Our cafeteria food is awful.” Who, or what, is the attitude object?

Jordan

The classmate

The food

The role of “student”

None

4. 

A company targets ads specifically to college students, young parents, or pet owners based on their interests and lifestyle. This practice is known as:

Layering

Multimodal marketing

Segmentation analysis

Trendspotting

Sentiment tracking

None

5. 

During a health questionnaire, Tanya is asked if she ever eats junk food. She replies, “No, I always eat healthy,” despite snacking occasionally. Tanya is exhibiting:

Social desirability bias

Non-attitudes

Mindfulness

Selective exposure

None

6. 

A coffee shop advertises that its beans are fair-trade, hand-roasted, and sourced from small farms. This brand relies on which approach?

Sloganeering

Authenticity

Buzz marketing

Sponsorship

None

7. 

A tech company donates a portion of its profits to fund STEM programs in underfunded schools. This is an example of:

Faux philanthropy

Organizational ingratiation

Philanthropic deception

Corporate social responsibility

None

8. 

After spending a lot on a luxury car, you tell yourself it's the smoothest ride you've ever had, even if it feels just average. Which theory explains this?

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM)

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)

Counter-Attitudinal Advocacy (CAA)

None

9. 

A defining feature of attitudes is that they are instinctive

True

False

None

10. 

Because people don't want to appear unintelligent or uninformed, some respondents in public opinion polls will make up a position on an issue. This problem is known as attitude-behavior consistency.

True

False

None

11. 

Brands that are handmade, organic, or artisanal rely on the authenticity approach

True

False

None

12. 

Attitudes formed via _ are more like to persist or endure.

13. 

In situations where snap judgments are required, implicit bias tends to be _

14. 

When reflective decision-making is involved, implicit bias tends to be _

Time’s up

Essay Questions

1. What is one of the chief drawbacks to relying on associations as a means of inferring another’s attitudes?
2. Identify two factors or circumstances that increase the likelihood that attitudes will coincide with actual behavior.
3. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) offers a rational model of the persuasion process. Do you agree or disagree with the TRA’s assumption that people are rational decision-makers who make use of the information available to them?