AP Psychology AMSCO Guided Notes
4.2: Attitude Formation and Attitude Change
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP Psychology Guided Notes
AMSCO 4.2 - Attitude Formation and Attitude Change
Essential Questions
- How do stereotypes and implicit attitudes contribute to the behaviors and mental processes of prejudice and discrimination?
- How do belief perseverance and cognitive dissonance affect attitude formation and change?
I. Understanding Attitudes
1. What is an attitude and what are the three components that make up attitudes?
2. Why did LaPierre's study reveal a disconnect between what restaurants said they would do and what they actually did?
II. Stereotypes
A. Definition and Characteristics of Stereotypes
1. What is a stereotype and how do stereotypes differ from individual characteristics?
2. How can stereotypes serve as cognitive shortcuts, and what is the potential downside of relying on them?
B. Effects of Stereotypes on Perception and Behavior
1. How do stereotypes influence both how we perceive others and how individuals perceive themselves?
2. What is a self-fulfilling prophecy and how might internalized stereotypes create one?
3. How can stereotypes lead to discriminatory behaviors in hiring, law enforcement, and healthcare?
C. The Persistence of Stereotypes
1. According to Hebb's theory, how do neural connections reinforce stereotypes over time?
2. How does confirmation bias contribute to the persistence of stereotypes even when people receive disconfirming feedback?
III. Prejudice and Discrimination
1. How do prejudice and discrimination differ, and why is the distinction between them important?
2. What are the psychological and physical health effects of experiencing discrimination?
IV. Implicit Attitudes
1. What are implicit attitudes and how do they differ from explicit attitudes?
2. What does the Implicit Association Test measure, and what have studies using the IAT revealed about people's biases?
3. How do implicit biases affect real-world outcomes in hiring, housing, education, and healthcare?
V. The Just-World Phenomenon
1. What is the just-world phenomenon and how does it lead people to blame victims for their circumstances?
2. How does the just-world phenomenon contribute to negative implicit attitudes toward people experiencing poverty or discrimination?
VI. In-Group Bias and Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
A. In-Group Bias
1. What is in-group bias and how does it create an 'us versus them' mentality?
2. How does in-group bias influence decision-making, resource allocation, and interpersonal interactions?
B. Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
1. What is out-group homogeneity bias and how does it differ from how people perceive their own group?
2. How does out-group homogeneity bias reinforce stereotypes and contribute to discrimination?
VII. Ethnocentrism
1. What is ethnocentrism and how does it differ from in-group bias in terms of scale?
2. How can ethnocentrism lead to misunderstandings about cultural practices like arranged marriages?
VIII. Developing and Changing Attitudes
1. What are the various forces that influence attitude formation?
IX. Belief Perseverance
1. What is belief perseverance and why do people cling to initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them?
2. How does confirmation bias contribute to belief perseverance?
3. What are examples of how confirmation bias operates in relationships, stereotyping, and evaluating evidence?
X. Cognitive Dissonance
A. Understanding Cognitive Dissonance
1. What is cognitive dissonance and what causes the uncomfortable feeling associated with it?
2. How do people typically respond to cognitive dissonance through rationalization and denial?
B. Effort Justification and Cognitive Dissonance
1. What is effort justification and how does it explain why people value things they work hard for?
2. How did Festinger's experiment with boring tasks demonstrate cognitive dissonance, and why did the $1 group change their attitudes more than the $20 group?
C. Resolving Cognitive Dissonance
1. What are the ways people can resolve cognitive dissonance when their actions conflict with their beliefs?
2. Why is changing behavior often more effective than trying to change attitudes first?
Key Terms
attitude formation
belief perseverance
cognitive dissonance
confirmation bias
discrimination
ethnocentrism
implicit attitudes
in-group bias
just-world phenomenon
out-group homogeneity bias
prejudice
stereotypes