PART I: FOUNDATIONS
CHAPTER 3: ATTITUDES: FUNCTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

TERMS AND ISSUES TO KNOW

Functional approach: a loose collection of theoretical perspectives that explore why people hold the attitudes they do, and specifically the functions attitudes serve.
Attitude function: the reason people hold an attitude; the need an attitude serves.
Attitude dysfunction: a drawback of holding an attitude; negative consequence to self or others that occurs as a result of an individual's holding a particular attitude.
Attitude-behavior relationship: the connection or correlation between attitude and behavior; the degree to which attitude predicts behavior.
Script: internalized mental sequence of actions associated with a particular role.
Self-monitoring: personality trait that influences attitude-behavior consistency. Self-monitoring concerns the degree to which people monitor or observe the public impressions of self they convey in social situations. People can be high self-monitors, concerned with displaying appropriate behavior in social situations, or low self-monitors, consumed with "being themselves" and consulting inner feelings and attitudes.
Compatibility (or correspondence) principle: a strong relationship between an attitude and behavior is possible only if the attitudinal predictor corresponds with the behavioral criteria. "Corresponds with" means the attitudinal and behavioral entities are measured at the same level of specificity. Generally, a specific attitude toward a behavior predicts a specific act. A general attitude forecasts broad classes of behavior that cut across different situations.
Theory of Reasoned Action: a model that assumes people rationally assess costs and benefits of engaging in a particular action and consider how important others will view the behavior under consideration. It emphasizes the impact of attitude toward the behavior and subjective norm in predicting behavior.
Theory of Planned Behavior: a model of social behavior and attitude-behavior consistency that supplements the theory of reasoned action. It adds the factor of perceived behavioral control, or the individual's perception of how much control he or she has over the behavior.
Accessibility Theory: theoretical approach introduced in chapter 2 that emphasizes the degree to which people can access attitudes quickly from memory. Accessibility helps mediate the attitude-behavior relationship.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Think of an attitude or activity that intrigues you. It could be attitude toward religion, political protest, shopping, heavy television viewing, or body-piercing, as discussed in the book. Based on chapter 3, discuss the functions that this attitude performs for different individuals.
2. List the dysfunctions of the above attitude for different individuals. More generally, what are strengths and shortcomings of the functional approach?
3. What are the similarities and differences among the theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior, and accessibility when it comes to attitude-behavior consistency? What are strengths and weaknesses of each approach?
4. Are people who do not translate attitudes into behavior hypocrites? Why or why not? Is the hypocrite label useless and unfair, or a useful way of applying judgments to others? What role might culture play in applying the label? Develop criteria for when it is appropriate and inappropriate to use the term, "hypocrite."
   

PRACTICE TEST QUESTIONS

1. When we say that an attitude performs a function, we mean that it:
   a. serves a need
   b. predicts behavior
   c. changes society
   d. tells us the right thing to do
2. A student adopts a pro-environmental attitude to get along with a new group of environmentally-conscious friends. The attitude fulfills which function:
   a. knowledge
   b. value-expressive
   c. social adjustive
   d. utilitarian
3. According to functional theory, a message is most likely to change an attitude if it ____ the function the attitude serves:
   a. matches
   b. mismatches
   c. is irrelevant to
   d. condemns
4. Attitudes are LEAST likely to be consistent with behavior when:
   a. the individual is a low self-monitor
   b. social norms encourage consistency
   c. the person has very little experience with the issue
   d. the attitude is measured at the same level of specificity as the behavior
5. The theory of reasoned action emphasizes:
   a. attitude toward the behavior, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control
   b. attitude toward the behavior and subjective norm
   c. accessible attitudes
   d. emotions, thoughts, and ideas
6. A persuader hoping to increase attitude-behavior consistency opts to put the person in touch with her attitude. The persuader draws on which theoretical approach:
   a. theory of reasoned action
   b. theory of planned behavior
   c. compatibility
   d. accessibility

Answers: 1: a, 2: c, 3: a, 4: c, 5: b, 6: d

EXERCISES

1. Interview a friend or acquaintance who holds an attitude toward a social, political, fashion, or health issue you find baffling. To gain insight into the other's attitude, apply functional analysis by carefully probing the needs the attitude fulfills. Is the individual aware of any dysfunctional aspects of the attitude? How would he or she view consequences you perceive to be dysfunctional? If you care to and it seems appropriate, devise a communication to alter the individual's attitude on the issue.
2. Interview a friend or acquaintance whose behavior seems to be inconsistent with his/her attitude toward an issue. Explore the supposed inconsistency in more depth by questioning the person sensitively and in depth. Upon closer analysis, do you believe the other person is inconsistent? Or have you applied your value judgments to the individual's behavior?
   

NEWS FEATURES

You can locate the first article in the library or perhaps the Internet. The second citation is a book. After reading through the article and book, you might try answering the questions below:

"How much does monogamy tell us?," by Adam Phillips, The New York Times, October 2, 1998, p. A27. This article provides an interesting perspective on the ethics of the Clinton-Lewinsky saga, arguing that observers should not view consistency as a simple moral virtue.

The death of outrage: Bill Clinton and the assault on American ideals by William J. Bennett, 1998, New York: Free Press. This book takes Clinton to task for his statements and actions regarding former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998.

Based on these accounts, do you believe Clinton displayed inconsistency between (egalitarian sex role) attitudes and (private sexual) behavior, or between word and deed? Do you agree with Bennett's criticisms of Clinton or Phillips' more forgiving, postmodern approach?