How are attitudes structured and changed, and how does cognitive dissonance drive behaviour?
Describe the tri-component model of attitudes, attitude-behaviour consistency, and Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance
WACE Year 12 Psychology Unit 3 attitudes and social cognition: the tri-component (ABC) model of attitudes, attitude-behaviour consistency, attribution theory, and Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory.
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What this dot point is asking
SCSA Unit 3 examines how people form, hold and change attitudes, and how they interpret the causes of behaviour. You need to explain the structure of attitudes, the conditions under which attitudes predict behaviour, attribution theory, and cognitive dissonance. This content appears in both school assessment and the external examination.
The tri-component model of attitudes
An attitude is a learned, relatively enduring evaluation of a person, object or issue. The tri-component (ABC) model describes three parts:
- Affective: the feelings or emotions toward the attitude object (for example, fear of spiders).
- Behavioural: the way a person acts or intends to act (avoiding spiders).
- Cognitive: the beliefs and thoughts held (believing spiders are dangerous).
For a fully formed attitude these three components are usually consistent with one another.
Attitude-behaviour consistency
Attitudes do not always predict behaviour. A classic demonstration is LaPiere's 1930s study: despite restaurant and hotel staff later stating in writing that they would refuse Chinese guests, almost all had in fact served a Chinese couple in person. This gap shows attitudes and behaviour can diverge.
Attitudes predict behaviour most reliably when:
- The attitude is specific to the behaviour rather than general.
- The attitude is strong, stable and based on direct experience.
- The attitude is accessible (easily brought to mind).
- Situational pressures and social norms are weak.
Attribution: explaining behaviour
Social cognition includes how we explain the causes of behaviour. Attribution theory distinguishes:
- Dispositional (internal) attribution: explaining behaviour by personality or character.
- Situational (external) attribution: explaining behaviour by the circumstances.
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to over-attribute others' behaviour to disposition while underestimating the situation. The actor-observer bias is the tendency to attribute our own behaviour to the situation but others' behaviour to disposition. The self-serving bias is taking internal credit for success but blaming external factors for failure.
Cognitive dissonance (Festinger)
Leon Festinger proposed that people feel psychological discomfort, called cognitive dissonance, when they hold two conflicting cognitions, or when their behaviour conflicts with their attitudes. Because dissonance is unpleasant, people are motivated to reduce it.
Dissonance can be reduced by:
- Changing the attitude to match the behaviour.
- Changing the behaviour to match the attitude.
- Adding new cognitions that justify the inconsistency.
- Trivialising the conflict.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SCSA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WACE 20216 marksDescribe the tri-component (ABC) model of attitudes and explain two factors that determine how strongly an attitude predicts behaviour.Show worked answer →
A 6 mark response needs the three components defined and two factors explained.
Tri-component model. An attitude has an affective component (the feelings toward the object, such as fear of spiders), a behavioural component (how the person acts or intends to act, such as avoiding spiders), and a cognitive component (the beliefs held, such as that spiders are dangerous).
Factors affecting prediction. First, specificity: attitudes predict behaviour better when the attitude is specific to the behaviour rather than general. Second, strength and accessibility: strong attitudes based on direct experience and easily brought to mind predict behaviour more reliably, especially when situational pressures are weak.
Markers award the three components named with an example, and two factors each explained, rewarding reference to attitude-behaviour consistency rather than assuming attitudes always predict action.
WACE 20238 marksUsing Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance, explain how performing a behaviour that conflicts with an attitude can lead to attitude change. Refer to research evidence in your answer.Show worked answer →
An 8 mark extended response needs the theory, the mechanism of attitude change, and named evidence.
- Theory
- Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable tension felt when a person holds two conflicting cognitions or acts against an attitude. Because the tension is unpleasant, the person is motivated to reduce it.
- Mechanism
- When a behaviour cannot be undone, one efficient way to reduce dissonance is to change the attitude so it matches the behaviour. Dissonance is greatest, and attitude change most likely, when there is little external justification for the behaviour.
- Evidence
- In Festinger and Carlsmith's study, participants who did a boring task and were paid only one dollar to call it enjoyable later rated it as more enjoyable than those paid twenty dollars. The low-paid group had insufficient external justification, so they reduced dissonance by genuinely changing their attitude.
- Conclusion
- Markers reward naming Festinger, explaining that behaviour can drive attitude change, and using the one-dollar versus twenty-dollar finding to show that less justification produces more dissonance and more change.