Beliefs, Attitudes, and

Behavior
Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
What is a belief?
 The perception of a relationship
between two objects or something and
a characteristic of it
 Bananas are yellow
 Physical activity is boring
 Lawyers are dishonest
 Bob loves Jane
Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
The relationship of beliefs to
attitudes
 Beliefs are translated into attitudes
through values
 BELIEF: Lawyers overcharge their
clients
 VALUE: Fairness
 ATTITUDE: I don’t like lawyers
 Cognitive structure
Beliefs: Lawyers
overcharge
their clients

Values: Fairness

Attitude: I don’t like lawyers

 Cognitive structure
Beliefs: Lawyers Lawyers
overcharge help their
their clients clients lie

Values: Fairness Honesty

Attitude: I don’t like lawyers

 Cognitive structure
Beliefs: Lawyers Lawyers Lawyers
overcharge help their help rich
their clients clients lie people

Values: Fairness Honesty Equality

Attitude: I don’t like lawyers

 Cognitive structure
Beliefs: Lawyers Lawyers Lawyers
overcharge help their help
their clients clients lie everybody

Values: Fairness Honesty Equality

Attitude: I don’t like lawyers

Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
Classic studies in attitude-
behavior consistency
 LaPiere
 Kutner
 Wicker (1969)--review of attitude-
behavior studies
 Average correlation [r] = .30
 % of variance in behavior explained = 9%
(r2)
 Attitude-behavior correlation:
Freq 5 Cheating on exams

4
Behavior
3

Never 1

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
Attitude
 Attitude-behavior correlation:
Freq 5 Cheating on exams

4
Behavior
3

Never 1

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
Attitude
 Attitude-behavior correlation:
Freq 5 Cheating on exams

4
Behavior
3

Never 1

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
Attitude
 Attitude-behavior correlation:
Freq 5 Cheating on exams

4
r = 1.0
Behavior
3

Never 1

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
Attitude
 Attitude-behavior correlation:
Freq 5 Cheating on exams

4
Behavior
3

Never 1

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
Attitude
 Attitude-behavior correlation:
Freq 5 Cheating on exams

4
Behavior r=0
3

Never 1

1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
Attitude
Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
Criticisms of classic research
 Methodological
 Not necessarily measured the same person
 Two measures of behavior (no measure of
attitude)
 Used only single measures (low reliability)
 Theoretical
 Ignoring social norms
Weigel & Neuman (1976)
 Measured attitudes toward environment
(20 item scale)
 Also measured six environmentally
related behaviors, e.g.,
 Signing a petition against off shore oil
drilling
 Leaving newspapers out for recycling
weekly over a period of 8 weeks
Weigel & Neuman results
 Each behavior by itself correlated about
.29 with the attitude scale
 All the behaviors added together (a
behavior scale) correlated .68 with the
attitude scale
Weigel & Neuman

Attitude1 Behavior1

Attitude2 Behavior2

Attitude3 Behavior3

Attitude4 Behavior4

Attitude5 Behavior5
Weigel & Neuman

Attitude1 Behavior1

Attitude2 Behavior2

Attitude3 Behavior3

Attitude4 Behavior4

Attitude5 Behavior5

r = .30
Weigel & Neuman

Attitude1 Behavior1

Attitude2 Behavior2

Attitude3 Behavior3

Attitude4 Behavior4

Attitude5 Behavior5

r = .30
Weigel & Neuman

Attitude1 Behavior1

Attitude2 Behavior2

Attitude3 Behavior3

Attitude4 Behavior4

Attitude5 Behavior5

r = .30
Weigel & Neuman

Attitude1 Behavior1

Attitude2 Behavior2

Attitude3 Behavior3

Attitude4 Behavior4

Attitude5 Behavior5

r = .70
Weigel & Neuman results
 Each behavior by itself correlated about .29
with the attitude scale
 All the behaviors added together (a behavior
scale) correlated .68 with the attitude scale
 CONCLUSION: High attitude-behavior
consistency when both measured reliably
and situational pressures not overwhelming
attitudes
Beliefs, Attitudes, and
Behavior
 Beliefs, attitudes, and values
 Cognitive structure
 Attitude-behavior consistency
 Historical research
 Criticisms
 Methodological
 Theoretical
 Explanations for inconsistency
 Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses

US
 Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
unconditioned stimulus
US
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
unconditioned response
US UR
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses

US UR

CS
conditioned stimulus
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses

US UR

CR

conditioned response
CS
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses

US UR

CR

CS
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
meat powder
US UR

CR

CS
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
meat powder salivating

US UR

CR

CS
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
meat powder salivating

US UR

CR

CS

bell
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
meat powder salivating

US UR

CR

salivating
CS

bell
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
Obscene, vulgar words

US UR

CR

CS
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
Obscene, vulgar words Negative emotional reaction

US UR

CR

CS
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
Obscene, vulgar words Negative emotional reaction

US UR

CR

CS

Ethnic group
Classical conditioning of
emotional responses
Obscene, vulgar words Negative emotional reaction

US UR

CR

Negative emotional
reaction
CS

Ethnic group
Instructions
 These statements concern your
personal reactions to a number of
different situations. No two statements
are exactly alike, so consider each
statement carefully before answering. If
a statement is TRUE or MOSTLY TRUE
as applied to you, mark T; if a statement
is FALSE or MOSTLY FALSE, mark F.
Self-monitoring (Mark Snyder)
 Concern for social appropriateness
 Sensitive to self-presentation of others
 Used as guidelines for monitoring own self-
presentation
 Two components of self-monitoring
 Interest in social information
 Ability to control self-presentation
Self-monitors’ interest in
social comparison
 Subjects given a self-descriptive (T-F)
“personality test” [designed to facilitate self-
monitoring]
 Given opportunity to consult “majority response
sheet”
 D.V.: Observer noted frequency of looking at
sheet and length of time spent looking
 High self-monitors: looked more frequently for
longer time
Expression of emotion
 Different groups’ ability to convey emotion
 Students
 Actors
 Hospitalized mental patients
 Communication of emotion
 Subjects conveyed seven different emotions:
anger, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust,
fear, guilt
 Judges guessed emotions
Expression of emotion
 Different groups’ ability to convey emotion
 Students mean=14
 Actors
 Hospitalized mental patients
 Communication of emotion
 Subjects conveyed seven different emotions:
anger, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust,
fear, guilt
 Judges guessed emotions
Expression of emotion
 Different groups’ ability to convey emotion
 Students mean=14
 Actors mean=18.4
 Hospitalized mental patients
 Communication of emotion
 Subjects conveyed seven different emotions:
anger, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust,
fear, guilt
 Judges guessed emotions
Expression of emotion
 Different groups’ ability to convey emotion
 Students mean=14
 Actors mean=18.4
 Hospitalized mental patients mean=10.3
 Communication of emotion
 Subjects conveyed seven different emotions:
anger, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust,
fear, guilt
 Judges guessed emotions
Expression of emotion
 Different groups’ ability to convey emotion
 Students mean=14
 Actors mean=18.4
 Hospitalized mental patients mean=10.3
 Communication of emotion
 Subjects conveyed seven different emotions: anger,
happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, fear, guilt
 Judges guessed emotions
 High SM conveyed emotions better
Self-monitoring and attitude-
behavior correlations
 High self-monitors have lower attitude-
behavior correlations
 Their behavior is less reflective of their
actual attitudes; more in line with what
they think is socially appropriate