Key Components of Attitude:
* Cognitive component: Beliefs, thoughts, and knowledge about the attitude object.
* Affective component: Feelings, emotions, and sentiments associated with the attitude object.
* Behavioral component: Intentions and actual behaviors towards the attitude object.
Characteristics of Attitudes:
* Learned: Attitudes are acquired through experiences, socialization, and exposure to information.
* Enduring: Attitudes tend to be relatively stable over time, but they can change.
* Evaluative: Attitudes reflect an individual's judgment of the attitude object as good or bad, positive or negative.
* Directed: Attitudes are always directed toward a specific object, person, or situation.
* Influential: Attitudes can influence an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Functions of Attitudes:
* Knowledge function: Attitudes provide a framework for understanding the world and making sense of experiences.
* Utilitarian function: Attitudes help individuals maximize rewards and minimize punishments.
* Ego-defensive function: Attitudes protect self-esteem and provide a sense of security.
* Value-expressive function: Attitudes reflect an individual's values and beliefs.
Measurement of Attitudes:
* Surveys and questionnaires: Using rating scales, semantic differentials, or Likert scales.
* Observation: Observing an individual's behaviors and inferring their attitudes.
* Physiological measures: Measuring physiological responses, such as heart rate or galvanic skin response.
In summary, attitude is a complex psychological construct that influences how individuals perceive, think, feel, and behave toward the world around them.