Attitudes In Social Context

Write a 3–4-page assessment in which you examine the relationship between behavior and attitude and apply one theory to support your position.

Attitudes help guide behavior, although sometimes people act in ways that contradict their attitudes (Baumeister & Bushman, 2014). Some have said that attitudes are directly related to behavior; others say there is no strong relationship between attitude and behavior. Examining theories of how people develop attitudes and perceptions can lead to heightened self-awareness.

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

FMG Video

Click the following link to view a video purchased through Films Media Group for use in this Capella course. Any distribution of video content or associated links is prohibited.

• Teenage Girls: Body Image |  Transcript

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course. Note: some of the articles included here are fairly old but are included because they are considered seminal works in the field of social psychology.

• Burnette, J. L., O'Boyle, E. H., VanEpps, E. M., Pollack, J. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Mind-sets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation. Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 655–701.
• Sitzmann, T., & Ely, K. (2010). Sometimes you need a reminder: The effects of prompting self-regulation on regulatory processes, learning, and attrition. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 132–144.
• Hu, H., & Driscoll, M. P. (2013). Self-regulation in e-learning environments: A remedy for community college?Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 16(4), 171–184.
• Crabb, P. B. (2003). Technology and self-regulation: The case of alarm clock use. Social Behavior and Personality, 31(4), 343–348.
• Schmitz, B., Schmidt, M., Landmann, M., & Spiel, C. (2007). New developments in the field of self-regulated learning. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 215(3), 153–156.
• Mischel, W., Ayduk, O., Berman, M. G., Casey, B. J., Gotlib, I. H., Jonides, J., . . . Shoda, Y. (2011). 'Willpower' over the life span: Decomposing self-regulation. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 6(2), 252–256.
• Casey, B. J., Somerville, L. H., Gotlib, I. H., Ayduk, O., Franklin, N. T., Askren, M. K., & . . . Shoda, Y. (2011). Behavioral and neural correlates of delay of gratification 40 years later. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 108(36), 14998–15003.
• Radovic, S., & Hasking, P. (2013). The relationship between portrayals of nonsuicidal self-injury, attitudes, knowledge, and behavior. Crisis, 34(5), 324–334.
• Kaufman, G. F., & Libby, L. K. (2012). Changing beliefs and behavior through experience-taking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(1), 1–19.
• Boer, D., & Fischer, R. (2013). How and when do personal values guide our attitudes and sociality? Explaining cross-cultural variability in attitude–value linkages. Psychological Bulletin, 139(5), 1113–1147.
• Kim, J., & Roselyn Lee, J. (2011). The Facebook paths to happiness: Effects of the number of Facebook friends and self-presentation on subjective well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(6), 359–364.
• Rivis, A., & Sheeran, P. (2013). Automatic risk behavior: Direct effects of binge drinker stereotypes on drinking behavior. Health Psychology, 32(5), 571–580.
• Kross, E., & Grossmann, I. (2012). Boosting wisdom: Distance from the self enhances wise reasoning, attitudes, and behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(1), 43–48.
• Vogel, D. L., Heimerdinger-Edwards, S. R., Hammer, J. H., & Hubbard, A. (2011). "Boys don't cry": Examination of the links between endorsement of masculine norms, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes for men from diverse backgrounds. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(3), 368–382.
• Rodriguez, M. L., Mischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (1989). Cognitive person variables in the delay of gratification of older children at risk. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(2), 358–367.
• Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Peake, P. K. (1988). The nature of adolescent competencies predicted by preschool delay of gratification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(4), 687–696.

Assessment Instructions

To prepare for this assessment, search the Capella library for scholarly research articles on attitude and behavior. Use the articles you locate to support your work.

In your assessment, address the following:

• Explain what is meant by "attitude."
• How do people develop attitudes? Support your explanation with theory.
• Is there a relationship between behavior and attitude? Apply one theory to support your position.
• It is often said that morality cannot be legislated; yet changes in civil rights laws and policies have been accompanied by changes in attitudes. Since the passage of civil rights laws, the number of white Americans who support integrated schools has steadily risen, while the number of white Americans who describe their neighborhoods, friends, and co-workers as "all white" has steadily decreased. How does theory help explain this?

Your submitted assessment should be 3–4 pages in length excluding title page and reference page. Be sure you support your statements and analyses with references to at least three scholarly research articles and follow APA guidelines for format and style.

Additional Requirements

• Include a title page and reference page.
• At least three current scholarly or professional resources.
• Times New Roman font, 12 point.
• Double spaced.

Attitudes in Social Context Scoring Guide

CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT DISTINGUISHED Explain what is meant by the term "attitude" from a social psychology perspective.Does not explain what is meant by the term "attitude" from a social psychology perspective. Explains what is meant by the term "attitude" but not from a social psychology perspective. Explains what is meant by the term "attitude" from a social psychology perspective. Analyzes the term "attitude" from a social psychology perspective. Apply theory to explain how people develop attitudes.Does not apply theory to explain how people develop attitudes. Applies theory to explain how people develop attitudes, but the theory is not appropriate to social psychology, or the explanation omits key elements. Applies theory to explain how people develop attitudes. Applies theory to explain how people develop attitudes and uses examples from real life to support explanation. Analyze the relationship between attitude and behavior.Does not describe the relationship between attitude and behavior. Describes the relationship between attitude and behavior. Analyzes the relationship between attitude and behavior. Analyzes the relationship between attitude and behavior; supports analysis with real life examples. Apply theory and research to examine how behavior and attitude are influenced by the social context.Does not apply theory and research to describe how behavior and attitude are influenced by the social context. Applies theory and research to describe how behavior and attitude are influenced by the social context. Applies theory and research to examine how behavior and attitude are influenced by the social context. Applies theory and research to determine how behavior and attitude are influenced by the social context. Use valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology.Does not use valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology. Uses research resources that are not valid, scholarly, or relevant to the field social psychology such as Wikipedia or About.com. Uses valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology Uses valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field social psychology and establishes the credibility of the research. Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional.Writing does not support a central idea. Does not use correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional. Writing supports an idea but is inconsistent and contains major errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Writing coherently supports a central idea with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Writing is coherent, using evidence to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional. Use APA format and style.Does not use APA format and style. Uses APA format and style but inconsistently and with errors. Uses APA format and style consistently and with few errors. Uses correct APA format and style consistently and with no errors.