Attitude in AP Psychology

Definition

An attitude is a learned predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably towards certain people, ideas, objects, or events. It consists of cognitive (beliefs), affective (emotions), and behavioral (actions) components.

Related terms

Cognitive dissonance: This term refers to the discomfort experienced when our attitudes contradict our actions or when our beliefs clash with each other.

Self-perception theory:

This theory suggests that people acquire their attitudes by observing their own behavior and inferring what their attitudes must be based on that behavior.

Implicit Association Test (IAT):

This test measures unconscious biases by examining how quickly individuals associate positive/negative words with different concepts or groups.