Describe how attitudes are formed and how they are linked to behavior.
Powerful events and the manner in which we read, talk, and think about these events can change us in profound ways. Critically analyzing these and how they apply to our own lives is crucial for a critical thinker. For example, the events of 9/11 (September 11, 2001) radically influenced attitudes about and towards certain religious groups living in the United States, but how? How do such examples affect your attitudes or do they?
Learning Activity #4: Cognitive Dissonance Response
- Read Chapter 6 of your textbook.
- Write one paragraph for each of the following questions, which should result in a total of three to four well developed paragraphs.
- Explain how social psychologists describe how attitudes are formed.
- Describe and define cognitive dissonance theory. Illustrate how this often relates to “insufficient justification.”
- Give an example of a time when you experienced cognitive dissonance. Did it affect your own attitude(s) in some way?
