Constructivism, Social Psychology, and Elite Attitude Change: Lessons from an Exhausted Research Program

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Pollack
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Research Program

Major Theories in Social Psychology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Fiedler ◽  
Karolin Salmen
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Semantic Representation ◽  
Group Behavior ◽  
Change Motivation ◽  
Psychological Inquiry ◽  
Dissonance Theory

A synopsis of major theories of social psychology is provided with reference to three major domains of social-psychological inquiry: attitudes and attitude change, motivation regulation, and group behavior. Despite the heterogeneity of research topics, there is considerable overlap in the basic theoretical principles across all three domains. Typical theories that constitute the common ground of social psychology rely on rules of good Gestalt consistency, on psychodynamic principles, but also on behaviorist learning models and on semantic-representation and information-transition models borrowed from cognitive science. Prototypical examples that illustrate the structure and the spirit of theories in social psychology are dissonance theory, construal-level, regulatory focus, and social identity theory. A more elaborate taxonomy of pertinent theories is provided in the first table in this article.

Attitude Formation and Attitude Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Supriya Srivastava ◽  
Kuldeep Chand Rojhe
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Attitude Formation ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Attitude Object ◽  
The Core

The study of attitudes formation and attitude change are two defining features at the core of social psychology. An attitude is a set of beliefs that people hold in relation to an attitude object, where an attitude object is a person, a product, or a social group. Since attitudes have been a strong influence on human behavior, social psychologists have viewed attitudes as important to understand behavior of individuals. Firstly, the chapter will introduce the concept of attitude with social psychological perspective. Attitude formation is important to understand to know why people hold different attitudes and how attitudes help to predict their behavior. In the second section, distinct ways of attitudes formation are discussed. It is also important to understand how attitudes influence in decision making, which is also discussed in the next section of the chapter. In the later section, changing processes of attitudes have been discussed.

Dissonance and Attitude Change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Stone ◽  
John J. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Cognitive Dissonance ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
The Self ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Cognitive Dissonance Theory ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Dissonance Theory ◽  
And Behavior

Cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) was first introduced by Leon Festinger. Cognitive dissonance is the process by which people detect an inconsistency between cognitions, such as attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. When individuals become aware of an inconsistency between cognitions, they experience a state of psychological discomfort that motivates them to restore consistency. Factors such as the importance of the cognitions and the magnitude of the discomfort play a role in determining how people restore consistency. Festinger described three primary ways people can reduce dissonance: change a cognition; add new cognitions; or change the importance of the inconsistent cognitions. Many early studies showed that when people are unable to change their behavior, they will change their attitudes to be more in line with the inconsistent behavior. Over the years, CDT has undergone many challenges and revisions. Some revisions focus on the importance of cognitions about the self in the processes by which dissonance motivates attitude change. Others focused on the consequences of the behavior and various cognitive mechanisms that underlie the experience of dissonance. In the early 21st century, research has examined the underlying motivation for dissonance-induced attitude and behavior change, and how people prefer to reduce dissonance once it is present. And, as with the entire field of social psychology, dissonance researchers are also raising concerns about the replicability of classic dissonance effects and focusing their attention on the need to improve the methods the field uses to test predictions going forward.

Social Policy

2012 ◽  
pp. 803-829
Author(s):  
Allen M. Omoto
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Policy Work

This chapter explores some of the historical linkages between personality, social psychology, and social policy, and especially as exemplified in the action research tradition. It does not review specific policies or case examples, but instead focuses on conceptual issues in integrating personality and social psychology for social policy research, program development, and evaluation. The chapter describes general orientations in personality and social psychology and how they may produce different understandings and solutions for social problems. Some of the differences in orientation are proposed as hindering the integration of personality and social psychology, whereas others are framed as complementary and likely to enhance policy work. Illustrative examples are offered of ways to integrate personality and social psychology in policy-relevant research, and other possible levels and contexts for personality and social psychologists to engage in policy work are also noted. The chapter concludes by outlining several systemic influences on policy involvement by personality and social psychologists, with a call for training programs to “rediscover” emphases on social policy, and by encouraging personality and social psychology to more highly value and actively participate in social policy research and work of all types.

Fear: The Potential of an Appeal Neglected by Marketing

1970 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Ray ◽  
William L. Wilkie
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Sharp Contrast ◽  
Fear Appeal ◽  
Advertising Appeals ◽  
Research Show

Considerable social psychology and communications research show that intelligent use of fear messages can have favorable effects on attitude change and action. Yet the unique persuasive possibilities offered by the fear appeal have been neglected by marketing. This is in sharp contrast to the creative pursuit of positive advertising appeals. This article presents a marketing-oriented discussion and summary of research on the fear appeal.

Levels of analysis in etiological research on schizophrenia

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
TYRONE D. CANNON ◽  
ISABELLE M. ROSSO
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Molecular Genetics ◽  
Clinical Manifestation ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Multifactorial Causation ◽  
Different Levels

Etiological research spanning domains of inquiry as diverse as social psychology and molecular genetics has identified a number of potential factors that likely contribute to the development and clinical manifestation of schizophrenia. In this article, we first highlight the challenges inherent in developing cogent etiological models that represent both the diversity of suspected causal influences and their mechanisms of action. Then, using our own research program as a heuristic context, we present a general analytical framework for identifying and integrating multiple types of etiologic factors across different levels of analysis in the prediction of schizophrenia. In recognition of the myriad complexities of multifactorial causation, we argue that a multilevel causal perspective is required for the development and advancement of a fully nuanced theory of schizophrenia etiology and pathophysiology.

Introduction

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne R. Smith ◽  
Winnifred R. Louis ◽  
P.Wesley Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Basic And Applied Research

The study of social influence is central to social psychology and to understanding group processes and intergroup relations. Social influence research covers a broad range of topics, from persuasion and attitude change, to compliance and conformity, to collective action and social change. This Special Issue presents eleven empirical articles that represent the diversity of current basic and applied research on social influence.

Measuring Psychological “Knowledge” by Means of Instructors' Test Manuals

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Furnham ◽  
Charlotte Thompson ◽  
Bahman Baluch
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
The Third ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Psychology Courses ◽  
New Students ◽  
Psychological Knowledge

American social psychology textbooks often provide instructors' manuals that include Multiple Choice Quizzes (MCQ's) used by researchers examining the extent to which “lay people” could predict the outcomes of psychological research and theories. This study examined the extent to which students could choose a correct answer from social psychology instructors' manuals without having attended a related course. Three different manuals were used to look at tests of 57, 46, and 36 items, chosen to avoid technical jargon, real names, and experimental details, as well as to cover the broad range of social psychology. Subjects in Study 1 (n = 98 life sciences students) and Study 3 (n = 100 new students) got over 50% of the answers correct (53% and 52%, respectively), while in Study 2 (n = 139 student applicants) they got 48% correct. Scores were unrelated to gender and age, and there was no clear relationship between knowledge and particular areas of social psychology (i.e., social influone, prosocial behavior, attitude change). In the first study, prior knowledge of psychology did not relate to total score, while in the second sample, students who attended lectures did score higher than those who did not. In the third study, subjects who reported reading books, or who had how on social psychology courses, did score marginally higher. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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