Attitude

An attitude is an association between an act or object and an evaluation. It involves positive or negative impressions. According to the ABC model of attitudes, attitudes have three components: The affective componenthow we feel toward an object.
The behavioural componenthow we behave toward an object.

The cognitive componentwhat we believe about an object. Attitudes vary in strength: refers to whether the attitude is durable (long lasting) and whether the attitude alters behavior Functions of Attitudes
Value-Expressive function - enable us to express who we are and

what we believe in Ego-defensive function - enable us to project internally-held conflicts onto others (e.g., homophobia) Knowledge function - enable us to know the world
Utilitarian Function - enable us to gain rewards and avoid punishment

Attitude Formation Attitude formation occurs through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and modelling (observational learning). Advertising relies to a great extent upon modelling when it shows a famous person using and liking a product. Some theories describing the formation of attitudes follow:
Balance theory, proposed by Fritz Heider, is based on the premise

that people try to maintain consistency in their attitudes. If an attitude inconsistency occurs, such as believing all old people to be senile but meeting an older person who is intelligent and mentally active, the person who holds the attitude tries to re-establish consistency either by changing the attitude or changing the perception of the older person as intelligent.
Proponents of Reactance theory contend that attitudes are influenced

by restrictions on behaviour, to which people react. The extent of reaction is related to a person's perception of the relative importance of the behaviour. If behaviour, although restricted, is not considered important, there is little reaction. If, however, the activity is considered important and the restriction unjust, then the restriction

itself makes the activity even more attractive. For example, if a teenager wants to date a person her parents disapprove of and forbid her to see, she might find that person even more desirable as a result and date on the sly.
Cognitive Dissonance theory (developed by Leon Festinger) states

that an unpleasant physiological state often exists when two cognitions are incompatible with one another. The incompatibility creates tensions, which a person tries to relieve. For example, a student who advocates honesty but who does cheat on an examination must either alter her or his self-concept or rationalize the cheating behaviour to reduce tension.
Self-perception theory (introduced by Daryl Bem) proposes that

people infer their attitudes on the basis of observing their own behaviour(s). A usually honest student who does cheat on an exam may infer the attitude from the behaviour by thinking, Being first is more important than honesty to me or I believe that the end justifies the means. Attitude Measurement Attitudes may be quantified by: Self-report Measures
Attitude scales such as the popular Likert scale (named after Robert

Likert) in which subjects are asked how strongly they agree or disagree on each topic. A total attitude score is derived by summing the measures.
Covert

measures - observations of behaviors such as facial expressions, voice tone, and body language. (The latter measures may lack validity, as people monitor such covert behaviors in some situations.) electromyograph (EMG) (to record facial muscle activity) or an electroencephalograph (EEG) (to measure brain activity). Such measures, which can detect responses a person may be trying to conceal, are obtained as a subject hears verbal material designed to produce arousal and with which they might agree or disagree.

Measures of physiological arousal, for example, by means of a facial

Attitude Change Attitude change may occur through the use of persuasion, the process of intentionally attempting to alter an attitude. Persuasion includes variations

in the source (origin of the message), the message (information transmitted), and the receiver of the message. Persuasion is likely to be more effective if an individual likes rather than dislikes the source and if the source is viewed as trustworthy and credible. The manner in which the message is presented (for example, in every-day language rather than technical terminology) as well as the characteristics of the receiver (for example, being a teenager rather than middle-aged) affect the ease of attitude change.