• Describe attitudes and ways they can be influenced or changed
• Explain cognitive dissonance
• Compare the peripheral and central routes to persuasion
• Describe common tricks of persuasion

Social psychologists have documented how the power of the situation can influence our behaviors. Now we turn to how situations can also shape our attitudes and beliefs—and how we sometimes consciously choose to change them ourselves.

attitude

In psychology, an attitude is our evaluation of a person, idea, or object. Attitudes are the mental positions we hold toward virtually everything in our lives—from products we see in the supermarket to people we encounter to political policies we consider. These evaluations typically range from favorable to unfavorable, or positive to negative (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993).

 

Psychologists have identified three key components that make up attitudes (Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960):

• Affective component (feelings): The emotional reactions or feelings associated with the attitude object
• Behavioral component: The way the attitude influences our actions and behavior
• Cognitive component: The beliefs, thoughts, and knowledge we have about the attitude objec

 

Consider an example: You may hold a positive attitude toward recycling.

The affective component includes your feelings—”It makes me feel good to recycle” or “I enjoy knowing that I make a small difference in reducing landfill waste.”

The behavioral component is reflected in your actions—you actually recycle as often as you can.

The cognitive component includes your beliefs and thoughts—”Recycling is good for the environment” or “Recycling is the responsible thing to do.”

Internal and External Influences on Attitudes

Our attitudes and beliefs are shaped by both external forces (such as social situations and persuasive messages) and internal influences that we control. Like our behavior, our attitudes are not always changed by situational pressures alone. We also possess the ability to consciously examine and change our own attitudes through deliberate thought and reflection. In this section, we discuss both how situations influence our attitudes and the conditions under which we choose to change our own attitudes and beliefs.