Bidirectional Relationship between Attitudes and Behaviours

Summary

This video explores the bidirectional relationship between attitudes and behavior, explaining how they influence each other. It covers key concepts such as attitude strength, accessibility, ambivalence, and how social situations and specificity affect this relationship. Additionally, the video dives into how behavior can change attitudes, highlighting theories like cognitive dissonance and self-perception. Through examples, it shows how inconsistencies between attitudes and behavior lead to discomfort, which can be resolved by changing either one. The content offers a comprehensive understanding of these psychological concepts and how they impact everyday decisions and perceptions.

Takeaways

• 😀 A bidirectional relationship means attitudes and behavior influence each other in both directions.
• 😀 Attitude strength: Strong attitudes have a stronger influence on behavior and are harder to change.
• 😀 Attitude accessibility: How easily an attitude comes to mind affects its impact on behavior.
• 😀 Ambivalence occurs when we hold both positive and negative feelings toward the same thing, which can affect behavior.
• 😀 Social situations can alter how freely we express our attitudes, as we may change behavior to fit in with others.
• 😀 Peer pressure is a common social factor that can influence behavior, even if it contradicts personal attitudes.
• 😀 Specific attitudes are more likely to influence behavior. For example, disliking jogging is more likely to stop someone from jogging than disliking exercise in general.
• 😀 Cognitive dissonance arises when attitudes and behavior are inconsistent, leading to discomfort and motivating a change in either attitude or behavior.
• 😀 An example of cognitive dissonance: Disliking cyclists but later enjoying biking may cause discomfort, prompting attitude or behavior change.
• 😀 Self-perception theory explains that when we don’t have a clear attitude, we form one by observing our own behavior.

Q & A

What does 'bidirectional relationship' mean in the context of attitudes and behavior?

A bidirectional relationship means that attitudes and behavior influence each other in both directions. This means that not only do attitudes affect behavior, but behavior also impacts attitudes.

How does attitude strength influence the relationship between attitudes and behavior?

Attitude strength plays a significant role in influencing behavior. Strong attitudes are more likely to endure over time, resist change, and have a stronger effect on behavior compared to weak attitudes.

What is attitude accessibility, and how does it affect behavior?

Attitude accessibility refers to how easily an attitude comes to mind. The more accessible an attitude is, the more likely it is to affect behavior. For example, a person's immediate reaction to the word 'snake' might be fear, which influences their behavior in a dangerous situation.

What does ambivalence mean, and how does it affect attitudes?

Ambivalence occurs when a person holds both positive and negative responses toward something, leading to mixed feelings. For example, someone might love chocolate for its taste but dislike it for its unhealthy nature, making their overall attitude conflicted.

How do social situations influence the relationship between attitudes and behavior?

Social situations can affect how freely we express our attitudes. People might suppress or alter their behavior to fit social norms or expectations. For example, you may eat brussels sprouts at a friend's house to avoid offending their parents, even if you don't like them.

How does peer pressure contribute to attitude-behavior inconsistencies?

Peer pressure can lead individuals to engage in behaviors that contradict their attitudes. For example, even if someone dislikes smoking, being surrounded by friends who smoke may influence them to smoke as well, leading to a behavior-attitude inconsistency.

What is attitude specificity, and how does it influence behavior?

Attitude specificity refers to how specific an attitude is toward a particular subject or behavior. More specific attitudes, like disliking jogging, are more likely to directly influence behavior compared to broader attitudes, such as disliking exercise in general.

What is cognitive dissonance, and how does it affect attitudes and behavior?

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort that arises when a person's attitudes and behaviors are inconsistent. To resolve this discomfort, individuals may change either their attitude or behavior. For example, someone who dislikes cyclists but enjoys biking might change their attitude to reconcile the conflict.

What is self-perception theory, and how does it explain the formation of attitudes?

Self-perception theory explains how attitudes are formed when a person does not have a firmly held attitude. In such cases, individuals look at their behavior and use it as a basis to infer their attitude. For example, if someone enjoys riding a bike, they might develop a positive attitude toward cyclists.

Can behavior change attitudes? If so, how?

Yes, behavior can change attitudes. According to self-perception theory, if someone engages in a behavior they previously had no strong attitude about, they might develop an attitude based on that behavior. For example, someone who dislikes cyclists might change their attitude after regularly biking and enjoying it.