Effects of attitude action identification on congruence between attitudes and behavioral intentions toward social groups

Attitude Representation Theory (ART) holds that attitude-relevant responses are informed by mental representations of the attitude object, which include the individual's actions toward that object. Action Identification Theory (AIT) holds that the same action can be identified at multiple levels. Individuals who identify their actions at lower levels have less flexibility in how they perform the action, and thus enact the action less consistently. An integration of ART and AIT suggested that individuals who spontaneously (Experiment 1) or through manipulation (Experiments 2 and 3) identify their attitude-relevant actions toward a social group at lower levels might display less attitude-intention congruence than would individuals who identify their attitude-relevant actions at higher levels. ART and AIT are discussed as having links with each other and with other theories of attitude and judgment processes.     

Assessment and attempted modification of future teachers' attitudes toward handicapped children.

In a study designed to determine whether future teachers have negative sttitudes toward groups of exceptional children based upon the labels attached to these children, 13 special education majors and 32 students majoring in other fields of education were administered the Personal Attribute Inventory at the beginning and conclusion of an introductory course in special education. Results for labels, physically handicapped, educable mentally handicapped, and learning disabled, indicated that the latter two were evaluated significantly less positively than the first on both pre- and post-course testings. There were no significant differences between the respondents' pre- and post-course ratings of the three labels. Interestingly, special education majors were significanlty more positive in their pre- and post-course evaluations than non-special education majors. These findings certainly are not supportive of "mainstreaming" children who have been categorized as either learning disabled or educable mentally handicapped.     

The impact of attitudes toward the personal future on study motivation and work orientations of nonworking adolescents

A study of the relationship between images of the future and aspirations of nonworking adolescents was undertaken to test the hypothesis that pessimism about the future results in reduced study motivation and conventional work orientations. A sample of 171 high school and university students was administered a questionnaire to determine their attitudes toward the future, study motivation (general, value of certificates, profession oriented) and work orientations. Results were contrary to expectations. The students had a positive attitude toward the future, were highly motivated to study, and were optimistic about their professional careers. Generational differences (i.e., age differences) were pronounced. Results are discussed in the context of the value changes of the last decade.     

Nurses' attitudes and behavioral intentions concerning AIDS care

The problem of the rapidly growing AIDS epidemic is compounded by negative attitudes and unwillingness to care for such patients by reportedly high percentages of nurses. On the basis of the literature, an exploratory interactive model predicting willingness to provide care is derived and tested. Results suggest that attitude is positively related to the behavioral intention to provide AIDS care. This relationship is more pronounced for nurses who score low on the variable of conservative views.     

The present projects past behavior into the future while the past projects attitudes into the future: How verb tense moderates predictors of drinking intentions

Three studies examined how the use of the present versus the past tense in recalling a past experience influences behavioral intentions. Experiment 1 revealed a stronger influence of past behaviors on drinking intentions when participants self-reported an episode of excessive drinking using the present tense. Correspondingly, there was a stronger influence of attitudes towards excessive drinking when participants self-reported the episode in the past tense. Experiments 2 and 3 liked this effect to changes in construal level (Liberman, Trope, & Stephan, 2007; Trope & Liberman, 2003), with the present tense being similar to a concrete construal level and the past tense being similar to an abstract construal level.     

Social attitudes and voting intentions of members of the European parliament

The voting intentions of MEPs with respect to four topical issues (relating to supranationality, defence, education, and homosexuality respectively) were investigated in connection with party affiliation, nationality, social attitudes and demographic factors. Correlational and discriminant function analysis revealed that social attitudes and education were just as influential as party membership in determining voting behaviour. The relative importance of various predictors depended on the nature of the issue; social attitudes were most important with respect to the freedom of education and homosexuality issues, party affiliation was the best predictor of Euro-defence policy voting, while education was the best predictor on the supranationality issue.     

Understanding and sharing intentions: the origins of cultural cognition

We propose that the crucial difference between human cognition and that of other species is the ability to participate with others in collaborative activities with shared goals and intentions: shared intentionality. Participation in such activities requires not only especially powerful forms of intention reading and cultural learning, but also a unique motivation to share psychological states with others and unique forms of cognitive representation for doing so. The result of participating in these activities is species-unique forms of cultural cognition and evolution, enabling everything from the creation and use of linguistic symbols to the construction of social norms and individual beliefs to the establishment of social institutions. In support of this proposal we argue and present evidence that great apes (and some children with autism) understand the basics of intentional action, but they still do not participate in activities involving joint intentions and attention (shared intentionality). Human children's skills of shared intentionality develop gradually during the first 14 months of life as two ontogenetic pathways intertwine: (1) the general ape line of understanding others as animate, goal-directed, and intentional agents; and (2) a species-unique motivation to share emotions, experience, and activities with other persons. The developmental outcome is children's ability to construct dialogic cognitive representations, which enable them to participate in earnest in the collectivity that is human cognition.     

Understanding attitudes toward affirmative action programs in employment: summary and meta-analysis of 35 years of research

Affirmative action programs (AAPs) are controversial employment policies in the United States and elsewhere. A large body of evidence about attitudinal reactions to AAPs in employment has accumulated over 35 years: at least 126 independent samples involving 29,000 people. However, findings are not firmly established or integrated. In the current article, the authors summarize and meta-analytically estimate relationships of AAP attitudes with (a) structural features of such programs, (b) perceiver demographic and psychological characteristics, (c) interactions of structural features with perceiver characteristics, and (d) presentation of AAP details to perceivers, including justification of the AAP. Results are generally consistent with predictions derived from self-interest considerations, organizational justice theory, and racism theories. They also suggest practical ways in which AAPs might be designed and communicated to employees to reduce attitudinal resistance.     

Suicidal ideation and attitudes toward suicide

Although hopelessness and depression are known risk factors for suicide, most individuals who are hopeless or depressed never make a suicide attempt. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that college students' (n = 230) attitudes toward suicide (the degree to which they see it as an acceptable option under some circumstances) would moderate the link between both hopelessness and depressive symptoms and their levels of suicidal ideation. This moderation hypothesis was supported, but only among men. Specifically, among men, levels of hopelessness and depressive symptoms were significantly related to suicidal ideation among only those with relatively positive attitudes toward suicide.     

Sports ideology,attitudes toward women,and anti-homosexual attitudes

The present work tests the associations of sports ideology with sexist and anti-homosexual attitudes in a sample of 304 college students. It was found that sports ideology is positively associated with sexist and anti-homosexual attitudes, but only among males. Among females only sexist attitudes were associated with negative attitudes toward gays and lesbians. Among males, the link of sports ideology to anti-homosexual attitudes was independent of sexist beliefs. Reciprocal causal influences between sexist attitudes and sports ideology are discussed.