Cognitive Component Of Attitude Research Articles

Role of attitudes in Brazil's country brand image

For the past three decades, the academic community has sought to advance the analysis relating to the image of several countries around the world. However, despite the importance of the theory of attitude in evaluating the image of a country, the majority of papers in the field has focused on the cognitive component of attitude only, having the other components, affective and conative, not thoroughly being examined. The purpose of this paper is to investigate Brazil's country brand image, based on the three-attitudinal categories 'cognitive', 'affective', and 'conative'. The study population consisted of the 427 undergraduate students at foreign institutions partaking agreements with a Brazilian public university. Attitudes were analysed using exploratory factor analysis to correlate potential impact on Brazils' country brand image. Results of this study indicate that the conative dimension received the highest scores of the respondents implying strong behavioural intentions in relation to Brazil's country brand image.

Do hedonic- versus nutrition-based attitudes toward food predict food choices? a cross-sectional study of 6- to 11-year-olds

BackgroundImplicit and explicit attitudes are potential precursors of food choices and combine affective and cognitive components that can vary in their relative dominance. Yet, the affective and cognitive components of attitudes toward food can lead to distinct predisposition toward a food item and potentially to different food choices. In the food domain, the affective component pertains to the hedonic tone of consumption, while the cognitive component encompasses nutritional value or health consequences of food. The present study investigated whether hedonic- versus nutrition-based implicit and/or explicit attitudes toward food predicts children’s healthy versus unhealthy food choices.MethodsA total of 63 children (age range = 6.3–11.5) participated in a 90-min session at 5 pm (i.e., afterschool snack time in France). The children were asked to choose five food items from a buffet featuring five healthy and five unhealthy sweet foods pretested as being highly liked. Children ate what they had chosen. Moreover, their implicit attitudes were assessed with a pairing task in which children were presented with 10 food triplets and asked to choose two food items that “best go together”. For each triplet, foods could be paired according to their hedonic or nutritional characteristics. Explicit attitudes were assessed with a task in which children placed each of 48 food items into one of the following categories: “yummy”, “yucky” (i.e., hedonic categories), “makes you strong”, or “makes you fat” (i.e., nutritional categories).ResultsBoth implicit and explicit attitudes significantly influenced children’s food choices. We observed that children with more hedonic-based implicit or explicit attitudes toward food were more likely to choose healthy food options from the buffet. Conversely, children with both implicit and explicit nutrition-based attitudes chose less healthy foods.ConclusionsHedonic-based attitudes toward food seem to drive healthier food choices in children compared with nutrition-based attitudes in this particular eating context. These findings suggest that pleasure from eating might be an ally with regard to healthy eating among children. Additional research is needed to understand the etiology of children’s attitudes toward food in order to provide insights on how to shape adequate children’s attitudes to guide them toward healthy food choices.

Myths about autism: An exploratory study using focus groups.

Individuals with autism are often stigmatised and isolated by their typically developing peers according to parental, teacher and self-reports. While quantitative studies often report negative attitudes towards individuals with autism, it is still unclear how understandings of autism influence attitudes. In this exploratory study, misconceptions or myths about autism, that is, the cognitive component of attitudes, were examined using focus groups. Purposive sampling was used to recruit undergraduate and postgraduate students, and adults with and without experience of autism, to one of the five focus groups (n = 37). Content analysis was used to identify emergent themes. The data identified seven commonly held beliefs about individuals with autism. The first four were related to social interaction, such as that people with autism do not like to be touched. The fifth reflected the view that all individuals with autism have a special talent, and the final two concerned beliefs that people with autism are dangerous. The findings from this study demonstrate that people with varying experience or knowledge of autism often hold inaccurate beliefs about autism. These findings improve our understandings of lay beliefs about autism and will aid the development and implementation of interventions designed to improve lay knowledge of autism.

Reasons to Participate: The Role of Political Attitudes in Digital Activism

In this paper, we study the effects of political attitudes on digital activism. We operationalise political attitudes through three constructs used in classical political science studies: citizenship norms, institutional trust and psychological political engagement. In addition, following the social-psychological models of explanation of political conduct, we suggest the existence of a qualitative difference between the affective component of attitudes, which would coincide with psychological political engagement, and the cognitive component of attitudes, which are made up of political beliefs and values. The latter influences the former, which, in turn, has an influence on political conduct. To achieve our goals, we have analysed digital political participation in Spain. Our results support the qualitative differentiation between cognitive and affective components of attitudes; as a result, there is a clear need to study those political beliefs that specifically characterise digital activism.

Affective and Cognitive Components of Attitudes in High‐Stakes Decisions: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Hormone Replacement Therapy Use

ABSTRACTConsumers are increasingly encouraged to take charge of high‐stakes decisions such as those regarding medical treatments. However, the important inputs into overall evaluations of risky and important behaviors, such as undergoing medical therapy, are not well understood. The purpose of this research is to study the interplay of cognitive and affective factors in determining consumer attitudes and intentions toward high‐stakes decision behaviors. This is done in the context of consumer choices regarding medical treatments, and specifically, the decision to use (or not to use) hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Overall, both affective and cognitive responses are found to be independent significant predictors of attitude toward HRT use. Moreover, the results support an extended version of the theory of planned behavior model that is useful in predicting consumer's intentions to engage in high‐stakes decision behaviors, such as using HRT. These findings have implications for the design of decision support systems and behavioral change interventions.

Will you touch a dirty diaper? Attitudes towards disgust and behaviour

Individuals differ in their willingness to engage with disgusting stimuli (e.g., dirty diapers). We propose that such differences are associated with attitudes towards disgust. Specifically, we predicted that people with less negative attitudes towards disgust (i.e., those who evaluate disgust less negatively) would be more willing to engage with disgusting stimuli. We asked participants to engage with disgusting stimuli in the laboratory and used two measures that assess behavioural and affective or cognitive components of attitudes towards disgust. As predicted, less negative attitudes towards disgust were associated with greater engagement with disgusting stimuli, above and beyond the current experience of disgust and the tendency to experience disgust. These findings stress the importance of attitudes towards emotions in understanding emotion-relevant behaviour.

Japanese university students' attitudes toward the Fukushima nuclear disaster

This study investigated Japanese university students' attitudes about the Fukushima nuclear accident and the relations between their attitudes and their opinions about post-disaster reconstruction policies. Gender and geographical differences were also examined. Attitude components were identified, including nuclear power plant efficiency, trust in institutions, and fear of radioactive contamination. Results revealed that men reported higher perceived nuclear power plant efficiency than women did, whereas women showed slightly higher fear of radioactive contamination than men did. Students in Miyagi had higher levels of trust in institutions than students in Tokyo did. Controlling for the effects of gender and geographical differences, fear of radioactive contamination was revealed as a predictor of opinions about post-disaster policies. In contrast, the cognitive components of attitudes did not predict the opinions.

Attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education

The aims of this work were to examine the attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education (DE) and the relationships between attitudes and participants' personal characteristics. Forty-one adults with visual impairments, who ranged in age from 20 to 40, participated in this study. A self-constructed questionnaire measuring the attitudes towards DE was employed. The participants' answers revealed slightly positive emotions towards DE according to the affective component of attitudes, slightly positive attitudes when DE is compared with traditional education, and positive attitudes as far as the cognitive component of attitudes and participants' intention to participate in a DE programme were concerned. The elder participants seem to have more positive attitudes towards DE compared with younger participants. Furthermore, the greater the level of education, the more positive were the attitudes towards DE, and the greater the frequency of computer usage, the more positive were the attitudes towards DE. The analysis of the data collected revealed that the sample of individuals with visual impairments had slightly positive attitudes towards DE. Age, level of education, and frequency of computer usage were found to be significant predictors of the participants' attitudes.

Attitude toward the website scale development in professional sports: a research note

PurposeSports’ team websites are the front door to their relationship management programs with teams’ fan bases. As such, consumer attitudes toward these websites are a vital and important measure for the success of a team's CRM program. The purpose of this paper is to present the conceptualization and development of a four‐item unidimensional measure of attitude toward the Website.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected via a pen and paper survey at a professional hockey event in the USA. The confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using generalized structural component analysis GeSCA www.sem‐gesca.org/. The scale's face, convergent, predictive and discriminant validity are all empirically demonstrated via regression and correlation.FindingsThe measure is shown to meet the four criteria for validation for positivist research in information systems set by Straub, Boudreau and Gefen in 2004. The internal consistency is assessed by Cronbach's alpha (0.917) as is the unidimensionality, which was assessed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The study develops a four item measure, attitude toward the website, that addresses both the affective and cognitive components of attitudes. The scale is shown to have predictive and discriminant validity.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected via a convenience sample at one professional sporting event and represents the fan base and the attitude toward that team's website. The significant implication is that it provides researchers with a unidimensional measure of attitude toward the website. The scale is parsimonious and will benefit researchers exploring the impact of attitudes toward websites on a variety of constructs such as brands, sales and site visits.Originality/valueThe paper is important because it provides a new measure of attitude toward the website and because it demonstrates the use of generalized structural component analysis.

Cognitive, Affective and Behaviors’ Attitudes towards Learning Arabic as a Second Language: A Case Study at SMKA Maahad Hamidiah Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the attitude of students studying Arabic language as a second language and their achievement in the Lower Secondary Examination (PMR). The research also investigated which component of attitude; cognitive, affective and behaviour, gives most impact on achievement in PMR examination. The study was conducted in SMKA Maahad Hamidiah Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. The instrument used was a questionnaire with 34 items. It was distributed to 132 Form Four students.The study employed descriptive and inferential statistics in the data analysis. The study revealed that the cognitive and affective components of attitude were found to be significantly correlated with achievement. However, the result also showed that there was no relation between the behaviour component and achievement. In addition, the cognitive component of attitude was found to contribute significantly to achievement in Arabic. Thus, the finding of this study suggests that attitude is crucial in determining achievement in Arabic language. Therefore, teachers should encourage positive attitude towards learning Arabic among students in order to improve their achievement in the subject.

Possible Effects of the Financial Crisis on Managers’ Attitudes to Older Workers

The article explores the possible short-term effects of the financial crisis in Norway on cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of managers’ attitudes to older workers. The quick shifts in business cycles in 2008 and 2009, i.e., the financial crisis, produced some immediate reactions among managers. In particular, the protection of older workers by downsizing (the seniority principle) gained less support within the first half year of the crisis; however, there was a return to the former level of support within the next half year. This pattern of change was observed in the private sector, while managers in the public sector changed attitudes on a smaller scale and in the direction of increased support for the seniority principle. The data are from the Norwegian Senior Policy Barometer where national samples of managers in private companies and in the public sector are interviewed. The study has a time series design with new samples (N=750) each year from 2003 to 2011. The cognitive component of attitudes was less affected by the financial crisis than the behavioral disposition mentioned above. The tendency was for more positive conceptions of older workers among managers in the public sector. In the private sector, the views of managers changed even less and in the opposite direction. An impact of more gradual business cycles is seen in the affective component of attitudes. Yet, older workers are among the least popular categories to recruit in both rising and falling cycles. The finding that managers in the private sector are more affected than managers in the less market-exposed public sector supports the possible effects of the financial crisis on attitudes to older workers. For senior policy, it is notable to keep track of long-term trends and not to be beset by short-term shifts in the need for older workers. Lasting effects of falling business cycles on the employment of older workers may be prevented by reinforcing a solid basis of realistic cognitions about older workers and by openness concerning affective aspects of aging and older workers.

Offshore wind power in Sweden—A qualitative analysis of attitudes with particular focus on opponents

The Swedish Parliament has voted for massive expansion of wind power within the next decade. As in many other countries, the establishment of new wind farms has aroused local opposition. This paper contributes to the literature using a qualitative methodology to analyse attitudes towards wind power. In 2007, we carried out in-depth interviews with 40 stakeholders concerned with two planned near-shore farms in Sweden; despite their location, the wind farms' visual impact provoked strong negative attitudes. However, we found no evidence of the NIMBY-syndrome; rather, those opposing the wind farms question wind power more generally, especially vis-à-vis nuclear power. The analysis of attitudes is based on three components: cognition, feeling and action tendency. The results show high consistency between the feeling and cognitive components of attitudes: a negative feeling regarding landscape impact, for example, is accompanied by a belief that wind power is inefficient and unprofitable. However, in many cases the action tendency component is in dissonance with the other two: opponents remain passive despite being against the establishment of new wind farms. These passive opponents represent elements of uncertainty as they may suddenly, at a late stage, turn into active opponents exerting an effect on the decision process.

Factors determining social distance toward people with depression among community pharmacists

ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to measure stigma among community pharmacists regarding patients with depression, using social distance as a proxy measure. Furthermore, factors influencing stigmatization were identified. MethodsA survey consisting of questions regarding social distance, cognitive attitude components, stereotypical beliefs and behavioural tendencies towards pharmaceutical care for patients with depression was carried out. The survey was completed by 149 community pharmacists with a response rate of 82%. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to the results of the survey. ResultsMost pharmacists endorsed social distance towards patients with depression. The social distance further increased the more the situation described implied “social closeness”. Age, depression care attitude, the stereotypical belief “danger to others” and the level of involvement pharmacists showed towards patients with depression were found to predict social distance. The present model explains 32.3% of the variance in social distance. ConclusionThe results showed that community pharmacists have a stigmatizing attitude towards patients with depression. The determinants found to influence these stigmatizing attitudes might be addressed when trying to reduce stigmatization of patients with depression.

Affective Focus Increases the Concordance Between Implicit and Explicit Attitudes

Two attitude dichotomies – implicit versus explicit and affect versus cognition – are presumed to be related. Following a manipulation of attitudinal focus (affective or cognitive), participants completed two implicit measures (Implicit Association Test and the Sorting Paired Features task) and three explicit attitude measures toward cats/dogs (Study 1) and gay/straight people (Study 2). Based on confirmatory factor analysis, both studies showed that explicit attitudes were more related to implicit attitudes in an affective focus than in a cognitive focus. We suggest that, although explicit evaluations can be meaningfully parsed into affective and cognitive components, implicit evaluations are more related to affective than cognitive components of attitudes.

Examining the Attitude–Behavior Relationship in Prosocial Donation Domains

Positive attitudes have been identified across prosocial donation domains, but have not translated into a stable donor base. One explanation for this attitude‐behavior inconsistency is a failure to consider the affective and cognitive components of attitude. Studies were conducted to examine vested interest as a moderator of the attitude–behavior relationship in donation, while accounting for the multidimensional construction of attitude. Study 1 revealed a 3‐factor structure (stake, salience, self‐efficacy) for vested interest. Study 2 found no support for vested interest as a moderator of the attitude–behavior relationship, but revealed that self‐efficacy mediated the relationship between attitudes and behaviors for organ/tissue and blood donation. Results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of this research in crafting donation campaigns.

Individual Differences in Attitude Structure and the Accessibility of the Affective and Cognitive Components of Attitude

Research has demonstrated that some individuals possess attitudes that are highly consistent with both their feelings and beliefs, whereas other individuals possess attitudes that are less consistent with these sources of information (Haddock & Huskinson, 2004). The current research investigated whether individuals with strongly versus weakly structured attitudes differ in the accessibility of their affective and cognitive responses. In two experiments, participants provided timed affective and cognitive judgments toward different attitude objects. Overall, individuals with highly structured attitudes provided faster affective and cognitive attitudinal responses. Affective responses were also made more quickly than cognitive responses. Two additional experiments ruled out the possibility of a generalized response latency advantage for individuals with highly structured attitudes. The results speak to the importance of considering individual differences in how people organize their attitudes, as well as the distinction between the affective and cognitive components of attitude.

Preference for textual information and acting on support devices in multiple representations in a computer based learning environment for statistics

Two studies researched the relevance for knowledge construction in statistics of learners preference for representational system and the mediating role of learners acting with information delivered in textual, graphical and mathematical-symbolic mode. The data were collected in a broader experimental research setting investigating the effectiveness of a computer based independent learning environment for statistics. Preference for representational system, achievement in statistics, self-efficacy in mathematics and attitude towards computers were captured for 211 students enrolled in the first-year statistics course at the department of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Ghent in Belgium. In the second study learners acting on devices in multiple representations was investigated in an aselect sample of 60 students, drawn from the 211 learners. These learners were assigned to the computer based independent learning condition where acting on devices was registered in log-files. The study reveals that preference is related to performance in statistics, self-efficacy in mathematics and to the behavioral and cognitive component of attitude towards computers. The findings suggest the existence of a compensation mechanism, induced by acting on graphs demanding high cognitive processing. The overwhelming majority, 3 against 1, of learners with textual preference raises challenges for instructional designers of service statistics courses. Preference is an important aspect of individual differences to be included in the research concerning cognitive style and self-regulation.

Relative Influences of Affect and Cognition on Behavior: Are Feelings or Beliefs More Related to Blood Donation Intentions?

Relative Influences of Affect and Cognition on Behavior: Are Feelings or Beliefs More Related to Blood Donation Intentions?

Assessing the Cross-Cultural Applicability of Affective and Cognitive Components of Attitude

This research tests the cross-cultural applicability of the affective and cognitive component model of attitude using within-group and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis in the context of food attitudes. French from France and Chinese from the People’s Republic of China were selected for their differences in cultural orientation toward food; the French display strong affective-cognitive ambivalence, whereas the Chinese have a balanced attitude toward food. The third group, English-Canadian Chinese, allows investigation into the consequences of acculturation on the attitude structure. Results strongly support the cross-cultural applicability of the affective-cognitive model. The affective-cognitive model was validated within groups, and invariance in model measurement was established across groups. In addition, cross-cultural differences and similarities in the latent means and in the pattern of correlations between affective and cognitive components were consistent with theoretically derived expectations.

Preservice Physical Education Teacher Attitudes Toward Fitness Tests and the Factors Influencing Their Attitudes

This study examined preservice teacher (PT) attitudes toward fitness tests in schools. A total of 613 PTs at 10 state universities took part in the study. Participants completed a previously validated instrument designed to measure the affective and cognitive components of attitude toward fitness tests. Results suggested that PTs had only slightly positive attitudes toward fitness tests. They did not believe strongly that fitness tests were important or useful. Similar attitude responses were found as students’ professional preparation increased. Thus, physical education teacher education (PETE) programs did not appear to significantly change PT attitudes. Age, gender, associations with professional organizations, or the type of fitness test PTs had performed in their K-12 education also did not impact their attitudes. PT previous experience with fitness tests, however, did influence their attitudes. As might be expected, those who had positive experiences had more positive attitudes.