“Attitudes”

4-2. “Values and Beliefs” The textbook authors cite research on Moral Foundations Theory by Jon Haidt and colleagues. Based on Haidt’s work, what do the textbook authors cite as the “most sacred moral value” for liberals? For conservatives? Describe a moral attitude / belief of your own that is related to the “most sacred moral value” of the political group (liberals or conservatives) you more strongly identify with. Do you have any attitudes / beliefs that are consistent with the “most sacred value” of the other group? Why or why not?

4-4. “Structure of Attitudes” Consider the three models of attitude structure described in the following three sections of Chapter 4: Expectancy-Value Approach, Affect and Symbols, The Role of Ideology. Describe the model of attitude structure that you prefer the most. Why do you prefer it to the other models?

4-5. “Attitude Structure and Persuasion” The textbook authors use the example of attitudes toward Muslim-Americans as the basis for describing how each of the three structural models—expectancy value, symbolic, ideological—can be used to change attitudes. Think of an issue on which you would like to change the attitudes of other people. How could your insight into your preferred model help you craft a persuasive message on that issue?

Chapter 5 “The Power of Our Passions”

5-2. “Latitudes” The authors describe the concepts of “Latitude of Acceptance”, “Latitude of Rejection”, and “Latitude of Non-Commitment”. The authors state that, “Studies indicated that extremity of position influenced the size of the latitudes of rejection and acceptance (Sherif, Sherif, & Nebergall, 1965). Individuals with strong – in particular, extreme – views on a topic have large latitudes of rejection. They reject nearly all opposing arguments and accept only statements that are adjacent to their own stands on the issue. This is one reason why it is hard to change these folks’ minds.” Accordingly, I want you to think of an issue that you think is important, but that you do not take an “extreme” position on. In regards to this particular attitude, what sorts of positions are within your “Latitude of Acceptance”, your “Latitude of Rejection”, and your “Latitude of Non-Commitment.”

5-3. “Assimilation and Contrast” What is meant by the terms assimilation and contrast in the context of Chapter 5? Describe experiences from your daily life where you have experienced or witnessed these processes.

5-4. “Ego Involvement” What is ego involvement? In what two ways are ego involved individuals likely to differ from non-ego involved individuals? Describe a real-life instance where you, or someone you know, holds an ego-involved attitude.

5-5. “Partisanship and Capital Punishment” Summarize the research methods and findings of Lord and colleagues (1979) and Kahan and colleagues (2017). What real world implications do you think this research has?

5-6. Box 5.2 “Anti-Vaxxers: A Case Study in the Power and Distortions of Strong Attitudes”. Read this case study on the views of anti-vaxxers. Describe another real-life situation where you have seen similar examples of the power and distortions of strong attitudes.

5-7. “Attitude Accessibility” What are three criticisms or proposed limitations of attitude accessibility theory?

Chapter 6 “Attitudes: Functions and Consequences”
6-1. Briefly discuss at least 3 of the 6 basic functions of attitudes covered at the start of the chapter.

6-2. “Attitudes and Behavior” The authors identify three types of factors that moderate the relationship between attitudes and behavior: a) aspects of the situation including norms and scripts, (b) characteristics of the person including self-monitoring and direct experience, and (c) characteristics of the attitude including whether the attitude is general or specific and the strength of the attitude. Describe how each of these types of factors moderates the relationship between attitudes and behavior.

6-3. Earlier in the same section, the authors ask you to consider the following, “Kelly has strong values, but you wouldn’t guess this by observing her in everyday situations. She is charming, likeable, and adept at getting along with different kinds of people. Her friends sometimes call her a chameleon. Yet Kelly has strong views on certain issues, notably the environment and protecting endangered species. At a party, conversation turns to politics and several people advocate drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Will Kelly take issue with their position?” Based on your discussion of the factors moderating the relationship between attitudes and behaviors, how would you expect Kelly to respond and why?

6-4. “Models of Attitude–Behavior Consistency Relations” Based on the evidence discussed in Chapter 6, which of the following model seems to be a stronger: Reasoned Action Approach or Accessibility Theory? Why? What are some criticisms and limitations of each approach?

6-5. “Implications for Persuasion” What are the six strategies for persuasion suggested by the textbook authors based on Reasoned Action and Accessibility Theories? Consider the strategy to “Appeal to Social Norms” and discuss how you could use that strategy to change someone’s behavior in an area of your choosing.

Chapter 7 “Attitude Measurement”
7-1. Let’s say you wanted to conduct research measuring attitudes towards online courses. Come up with one example of an item to measure such an attitude using a Likert scale, one item using a Guttman scale, and one item on a semantic-differential scale.

7-2. “Pitfalls in Attitude Measurement” Discuss how factors related to context and wording may bias responses on attitude measures. Also, what three other factors are mentioned as causing inaccuracies in attitude measurement?

7-3. “Other Ways to Tap Attitudes” What are some limitations and weaknesses regarding the use of physiological measures or neuroscientific measures to assess attitudes?

7-4. “Implicit Association Test” Go to the Project Implicit website (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/) and complete at least one IAT. Discuss the results of at least one IAT that you took. Were they surprising? Are the results consistent with your consciously held attitudes and values? How might your implicit attitudes affect your behavior in ways that are difficult to notice or control?

Chapter 8 “Processing Persuasive Communications”
8-1. Describe “inoculation theory” as it relates to persuasion and the earliest research findings that support the theory. What are some real-world applications of the theory? Think of a specific issue / situation where you might try to persuade others. How might you use inoculation to protect against an opposing viewpoint?

8-2. “ELM Principles” Describe the Elaboration Likelihood Model. What are the two routes to persuasion posited by the model? Under what circumstances does each pathway work? What role do motivation and ability play in the model?

8-3. “ELM Predictions and a Classic Experiment” Briefly summarize the methods and results of the experiment by Petty, Cacioppo, and Goldman (1981) described in the textbook. How does the elaboration likelihood model explain these findings?

8-4. “Online Bamboozling” Read the example in this section regarding the fake 5-star product reviews. Have you ever noticed reviews that were of questionable validity for products online? If so, how did this affect your attitude about the product or company?

8-5. “Complexities, Complexities: The Multiple Functions Postulate” Briefly Summarize the Multiple Functions Postulate

8-6. “Criticisms and Reconciliations” What are some limitations of the elaboration likelihood model and how might these limitations be reconciled?