Chat with AIExam 9: Section 2: Cognitive Structures of Attitudes
How strong is the evidence for selective exposure, attention, perception, learning, and recall? What are the limitations to our knowledge about these phenomena?
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Answered by Examlex AI CopilotThe evidence for selective exposure, attention, perception, learning, and recall is fairly strong, but there are limitations to our knowledge about these phenomena.
Research in psychology and cognitive science has provided ample evidence that individuals tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and attitudes, a phenomenon known as selective exposure. Similarly, selective attention refers to the tendency to focus on information that is consistent with one's beliefs and attitudes, while ignoring or downplaying contradictory information. This has been demonstrated in numerous studies, including those involving political beliefs, consumer preferences, and social attitudes.
Selective perception, learning, and recall also have a substantial body of evidence supporting their existence. People tend to interpret information in a way that is consistent with their existing beliefs, and they are more likely to remember information that is congruent with their pre-existing attitudes and opinions.
However, there are limitations to our knowledge about these phenomena. One limitation is that much of the research has been conducted in controlled laboratory settings, which may not fully capture the complexity of real-world decision-making and information processing. Additionally, individual differences in cognitive processes and personality traits may influence the extent to which selective exposure, attention, perception, learning, and recall occur.
Furthermore, the role of emotion, motivation, and social influence in shaping these phenomena is not fully understood. For example, individuals may selectively attend to information that is emotionally salient or that aligns with their social identity, and these factors may interact with cognitive biases in complex ways.
In conclusion, while the evidence for selective exposure, attention, perception, learning, and recall is strong, there are still many unanswered questions and limitations to our understanding of these phenomena. Future research should continue to explore the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of these cognitive processes in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how individuals process and respond to information.
What are some characteristics of strong attitudes? Describe how they are formed, how they relate to other attitudes, and some behavioral consequences of attitude strength.
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Verifieda. Strong attitudes tend to be: stable, easily accessible, consistent with other strong attitudes, & facilitate differentiation between choices.
b. Predicts information-seeking.
c. Inhibits persuasion.
d. More predictive of behavior than weak attitudes.
Which of the following would likely be more persuasive, an attractive communicator advocating an undesirable position or a desirable position? Describe why this is likely to be the case, citing empirical evidence from the text.
(47) Verifieda. An attractive communicator advocating an undesirable position is more likely to be persuasive.
b. Because attractive people are expected to advocate attractive positions. The unexpected message, given the communicator's dispositions and communication setting, are more persuasive than messages that are predictable on the basis of who is saying them.
c. Empirical example: Attractive communicator who makes pessimistic statements about college grads.
What were some of the problems with the "diffusion of responsibility" explanation for why groups gravitate toward riskier decisions than individuals? What explanations) might better fit the experimental evidence?
(27) Explain how decision making processes can be different for groups than they would be for individuals. What are some possible outcomes of group decision-making processes? What are some mechanisms underlying these effects?
(38) Name and define the three central components of conviction. Describe an attitude that you hold with conviction.
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