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Unit 9: Learning, Attitudes and Values

(c) Modelling: Substantial social learning occurs through modelling, in which individuals Notes
acquire attitudes by merely observing others. The observer overhears other
individuals expressing an opinion or watches them engaging in a behaviour that
reflects an attitude, and the observer adopts this attitude.

Attitude Consistency, Dissonance and Change

How do attitudes change once they are formed? Can they be manipulated? How concerned are
we that our attitudes be consistent with one another and with our behaviour?
9.6.6 Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Leon Festinger, in 1957, proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance. According to this theory,
people want their beliefs to be consistent with one another and want their behaviours to be
consistent with their beliefs. When people become aware of inconsistency among their beliefs
or between their attitudes and their behaviour, they experience "cognitive dissonance", an
unpleasant state of arousal that motivates them to re-establish consistency by changing one of
their attitudes or by changing their behaviours. Thus, if a person behaves in a way that runs
counter to his or her attitude, cognitive dissonance is created in that person. He or she then
attempts to reduce the dissonance by changing either the attitude or the behaviour.
Cognitive dissonance refers to any incompatibility that an individual might perceive between
two or more of his or her attitudes or between his or her behaviour and attitudes. Festinger
argues that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals will attempt to
reduce the dissonance and hence, the discomfort. Therefore, individuals will seek a stable state
where there is a minimum of dissonance.

Coping with Dissonance

No individual can completely avoid dissonance. So how do people cope with dissonance?
According to Festinger, the desire to reduce dissonance would be determined by the importance
of the elements creating the dissonance; the degree of influence the individual believes he or she
has over the elements and the rewards that may be involved in dissonance.

1. Importance of the Elements: If the elements creating the dissonance are relatively
unimportant, the pressure to correct this imbalance will be low.
2. Degree of Influence: The degree of influence that individuals believe they have over the
elements will have an impact on how they will react to the dissonance. If they perceive the
dissonance to be an uncontrollable, they are less likely to be receptive to attitude change.
3. Rewards: Rewards also influence the degree to which individuals are motivated to reduce
dissonance. High rewards accompanying high dissonance tend to reduce the tension
inherent in the dissonance.
These moderating factors suggest that just because individuals experience dissonance, they will
not necessarily move directly toward consistency, that is, toward reduction of this dissonance. If
the issues underlying the dissonance are of minimal importance, if an individual perceives that
the dissonance is externally imposed and is substantially uncontrollable by him or her, or if
rewards are significant enough to offset the dissonance, the individual will not be under great
tension to reduce the dissonance.

Attitudes and Behaviour: Attitude-behaviour correspondence depends on five things:
1. Attitude Specificity: Individuals possess both general and specific attitudes. Specific attitude
provides a stronger link to behaviour.

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