The Psychology of Attitudes and Attitude Change

Abstract

People spontaneously evaluate things. We form opinions on topics such as war and climate change, on other people such as our work colleagues and celebrities, and on behaviours such as sexual activity and waste recycling. At times, these attitudes can be the focus of bitter debate, and as humans we naturally crave to understand attitudes and how to change them. In four sections and 11 chapters, Greg Maio and Geoffrey Haddock describe how scientific methods have been used to better understand attitudes and how they change. The first section looks at what attitudes are and why they are important. The second section examines the ability of attitudes to predict behaviour. From there, the authors consider how attitudes are formed and changed. Finally, they present a variety of major issues for understanding internal (such as, neurological) and external (such as, culture) influences on attitude, along with unresolved questions. With the aid of a few helpful metaphors, the text provides readers with a grasp of the fundamental concepts for understanding attitudes and an appreciation of the scientific challenges that lie ahead. The Psychology of Attitudes and Attitude Change is for students in psychology, health psychology, communication, business and political science. It is a core text for courses in the psychology of attitudes, persuasion, and social influence and a key resource for modules in social cognition and introductory social psychology.