Attitudes ICSE Class XII Powerpoint Presentation

Meaning of “Attitude” - how attitudes are formed and changed.
What are attitudes - the components of attitude; the process of forming attitudes -how attitudes change: persuasion- definition and methods to change attitude and cognitive dissonance- definition and any three ways to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Prejudice – meaning of “prejudice” and discrimination; the origins of prejudice; how to combat prejudice.
An understanding of the meaning of prejudice and how it works in the form of discrimination - causes of prejudice: social learning, realistic competition, social categorization and stereotyping; ways in which prejudice can be resisted.

1. Attitudes
Presentation by, Angeline Mary Barron

2. Contents
Meaning of “Attitude” - how attitudes are formed and changed.
What are attitudes - the components of attitude; the process of forming attitudes -how
attitudes change: persuasion- definition and methods to change attitude and cognitive
dissonance- definition and any three ways to reduce cognitive dissonance.
Prejudice – meaning of “prejudice” and discrimination; the origins of prejudice; how to
combat prejudice.
An understanding of the meaning of prejudice and how it works in the form of
discrimination - causes of prejudice: social learning, realistic competition, social
categorization and stereotyping; ways in which prejudice can be resisted.

3. A relatively enduring and general evaluation of an object, person, group,
issue, or concept on a dimension ranging from negative to positive
- American Psychological Association
Definition of Attitude
In simple terms : Evaluations of or feelings toward a
person, idea, or object that are typically positive or negative

4. Components of Attitude
Cognitive Component
The opinion or belief segment
of an attitude.
Example: A student believes that
studying in groups enhances
understanding and retention of
course material.
"I think studying in groups helps
me understand the material
better."
Affective Component
The emotional or feeling
segment of an attitude.
Example: A student feels excited
and motivated when attending a
favorite professor’s lecture.
"I feel really excited about going
to Dr. Smith's classes because
they make learning fun."
Behavioral Component
An intention to behave in a
certain way toward someone
or something.
Example: A student decides to
join a study group for an
upcoming exam based on their
belief in the benefits of group
study and their positive feelings
toward it.
"I’m going to join the study group
for our math class to prepare for
the final exam”

5. Process of Attitude Formation
•Association, e.g., a positive attitude towards a subject is learned through the positive
association between a teacher and a student.
•Reward or punishment increases/decreases the further development of that attitude.
•Modelling observing others being rewarded or punished for expressing thoughts, or
showing behaviour of a particular kind towards the attitude object.
•Group or Cultural norms through the norms of our group or culture which may
become part of our social cognition, in the form of attitude.
•Exposure to information, e.g., positive and negative attitudes are formed through the
media

6. How do Attitudes change?
Persuasion
Persuasion is the process of changing
our attitude toward something based
on some kind of communication
Cognitive Dissonance
Psychological discomfort that arises
from a conflict in a person’s
behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs that
runs counter to one’s positive self-
perception

7. Methods to change Attitude through
Persuasion
•This route uses facts, logical arguments,
and information to persuade potential
consumers.
•Example: A student is deciding whether
to buy a new laptop. They read detailed
reviews, compare specifications, evaluate
the performance benchmarks, and
consider the laptop’s price-to-
performance ratio.
Peripheral Route to Persuasion
•This route uses positive associations with
cues such as beauty, fame, and positive
emotions to persuade potential consumers.
•Example: A student decides to buy a
particular brand of sports shoes because
their favorite athlete endorses the brand, and
the advertisements feature attractive, athletic
people looking happy and successful.
Central Route to Persuasion

8. Ways to reduce Cognitive Dissonance
Example of a student who values good health but smokes cigarettes
1. Change Behavior to Match Thought: The student changes their behavior to align
with their belief in good health. Example: The student decides to quit smoking to be consistent
with their belief in maintaining good health.
2. Change Thought to Match Behavior: The student changes their belief to justify
their behavior. Example: The student convinces themselves that smoking isn’t as harmful as they
previously thought or that it has some benefits, like stress relief.

9. Ways to reduce Cognitive Dissonance
Example of a student who values good health but smokes cigarettes
3. Add Consonant Thoughts: The student adds other thoughts that justify their
behavior and reduce the importance of the inconsistency. Example: The student reminds
themselves that they eat healthy foods and exercise regularly, which they believe mitigates the negative
effects of smoking.
4. Trivialize the Inconsistency: The student makes the inconsistency seem less
important or relevant. Example: The student downplays the health risks of smoking by convincing
themselves that their smoking habit is not significant.

10. Example : Workplace Gender Bias
Stereotype
(Cognitive Component)
Women are less competent
in leadership roles
compared to men.
Prejudice
(Affective Component)
Dislike or undervaluation
of female employees'
contributions.
Discrimination
(Behavioral
Component)
Women are less likely to be
promoted to managerial
roles compared to men.

11. How Prejudice works in the form of
Discrimination
•Not wanting to assist or support people from certain groups.
•Example: A manager avoids mentoring employees from a specific racial or ethnic
background.
Reluctance to Help
•Making a minimal or symbolic effort to include people from
marginalized groups to appear fair.
•Example: A company hires a few women or minority employees to seem inclusive but doesn't
give them important roles.
Tokenism
•Giving preference to historically marginalized groups over historically
dominant groups to correct past discrimination.
•Example: Preferential treatment for minority candidates in hiring, leading to claims of
unfairness by majority group members.
Reverse Discrimination

12. Causes of Prejudice
•Prejudice can be learned from parents, family members, friends, and the media.
•Children exposed to prejudiced attitudes and behaviors are likely to develop those same
prejudices.
•A child hearing their parents make negative comments about people of a certain race or
religion may start to believe those stereotypes are true.
Social Learning
•Occurs when groups compete for limited resources (e.g., jobs, housing, political power).
•Competition can lead to prejudice and discrimination as people see members of other
groups as threats.
•During high unemployment rates, people may be more likely to harbor prejudice against
immigrants, seeing them as taking jobs away.
Realistic Competition

13. Causes of Prejudice
•Process of dividing people into groups based on shared characteristics.
•Helps make sense of the world but can lead to prejudice by seeing other groups as different
and less worthy.
•People may be more prejudiced against those who dress differently or speak a different
language.
Social Categorization
•Overgeneralized beliefs about a particular group of people.
•Stereotypes can be positive or negative but are often inaccurate and lead to prejudice.
•The stereotype that all members of a certain group are lazy or unintelligent can justify
prejudice and discrimination.
Stereotyping

14. Strategies to reduce Prejudice
Education and Information
•Correct stereotypes related to
specific target groups.
•Address strong ingroup bias
through awareness and factual
information.
Increasing Intergroup Contact
•Foster direct communication and
interaction between groups.
•Remove mistrust and discover
positive qualities in the outgroup.
Ensure success by:
•Meeting in cooperative rather than
competitive contexts.
•Encouraging close interactions to
help groups know each other
better.
•Ensuring groups are not different
in power or status.
Highlighting Individual Identity
•Emphasize individual identity over
group identity.
•Reduce the importance of group
(both ingroup and outgroup) as a
basis for evaluating others.

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