Practice Questions

Define the term 'attitude' as it is used in social psychology.

Propose one specific reason why experiencing cognitive dissonance might not lead to an attitude change.

List the three components of an attitude, commonly known as the A-B-C components.

Demonstrate how 'learning through association' can lead to the formation of a negative attitude towards a particular sport.

Contrast the concepts of prejudice and discrimination using their corresponding attitude components.

Compare congruent and incongruent attitude change in one sentence.

Examine the relationship between the valence and the extremeness of an attitude.

Justify why values are considered more difficult to change than opinions.

Critique the assumption that the affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of an attitude are always consistent with one another.

Define the terms 'prejudice' and 'stereotype'.

Identify the difference between beliefs and values.

Describe how attitudes can be learned by being rewarded or punished.

Summarize the five key factors that influence attitude formation.

Summarize the characteristics of the source and the message that influence attitude change.

Explain the concept of 'valence' and 'extremeness' as features of an attitude.

Describe the phenomenon of 'scapegoating' as a source of prejudice.

Compare the concepts of 'beliefs' and 'values' as they relate to the structure of an attitude.

Apply Fritz Heider's P-O-X balance theory to a situation where a person (P) admires their best friend (O), but strongly dislikes their friend's favorite musical band (X). Examine the ways balance could be restored.

Examine how source credibility and attractiveness can have different impacts on attitude change when advertising a new smartphone.

Examine the specific conditions that must be met for 'increasing intergroup contact' to be an effective strategy for reducing prejudice.

Justify why an attitude with high centrality is more resistant to change compared to a peripheral attitude.

Evaluate whether direct personal experience is always a more powerful factor in attitude formation than media-related influences.

Propose a public health message designed to create cognitive dissonance in a young person who vapes regularly.

Critique the 'kernel of truth' concept as a valid explanation for the persistence of stereotypes.

List four properties or features of attitudes.

Contrast the effectiveness of rational and emotional appeals in messages designed for a public health campaign to promote wearing helmets. Apply these concepts to demonstrate which might be more effective.

A student, Rohan, believes that recycling is crucial for saving the planet. He feels happy when he sorts waste correctly and gets angry seeing litter. He also volunteers for a local cleanliness drive every month. Analyze Rohan's attitude towards recycling using the A-B-C components.

Analyze the findings of Richard LaPiere's study on the attitude-behaviour relationship concerning prejudice against Chinese people, and demonstrate what this study revealed.

Demonstrate how the 'self-fulfilling prophecy' can perpetuate a stereotype that a particular social group is not capable of succeeding in higher education.

Design an advertisement concept for a new brand of coffee, specifying whether you would use a rational or an emotional appeal and justifying your choice.

Using Richard LaPiere's study as a reference, justify the conditions under which an individual's behavior is most likely to align with their stated attitude.

Create a hypothetical scenario that clearly demonstrates how a self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates prejudice.

A person is a chain smoker and has recently read a scientific report detailing how smoking causes fatal lung cancer. Analyze this situation using Leon Festinger's concept of cognitive dissonance and examine the possible ways the person might reduce this dissonance.

Explain the concept of cognitive dissonance as proposed by Leon Festinger.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the two-step concept of attitude change, proposed by S.M. Mohsin, in a modern digital age where influencer culture is prominent.

A country is facing high unemployment. The majority group starts blaming a minority immigrant group for 'taking their jobs' and develops hostile feelings towards them. Analyze this situation using the concepts of scapegoating and ingroup bias as sources of prejudice.

Evaluate the limitations of Fritz Heider's P-O-X Balance Theory in explaining complex, real-world social situations.

Analyze the roles of reference groups and media in shaping an adolescent's attitude towards body image. Contrast the potential impact of these two factors.

Recall Richard LaPiere's study and explain what it demonstrated about the attitude-behaviour relationship.

Critique the use of fear appeals in public service announcements aimed at changing health-related attitudes, such as anti-smoking campaigns.

Describe the 'P-O-X' triangle in Fritz Heider's balance theory of attitude change.

Design a school-based program to reduce prejudice against students from a minority religious group, incorporating the strategies of increasing intergroup contact and education.

Explain the two-step concept of attitude change proposed by S.M. Mohsin.

Formulate a strategy for an advertising agency hired to change a community's negative attitude towards electric vehicles (EVs). Your strategy must address source, message, and target characteristics.

Summarize the strategies that can be used for handling prejudice.