Kavya's devotion while offering sweets and flowers at the temple is b…

Kavya, 10, lives with her parents in a joint family in Jaipur. Every morning her father touches the feet of her grandparents, and relatives praise him for it. Soon Kavya, too, starts greeting elders with respect. During Diwali, families in her neighbourhood offer sweets and flowers at the local temple. The children are expected to join in, and elders approve when they do. Over the years, Kavya comes to feel a warm devotion while doing so. Her elder brother Arjun has never met a scientist. He reads the life stories of great scientists on the Internet and develops a positive attitude towards hard work.

Kavya's devotion while offering sweets and flowers at the temple is best explained as learning attitudes through:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Group or cultural norms

Option (1) Group or cultural norms — Correct. Offering at the temple is a practice that others show, that is expected and socially approved. Norms are unwritten rules about behaviour that everyone is supposed to show. Over time such norms become attitudes, here a feeling of devotion.

Option (2) Modelling (observing others) — Incorrect. Modelling means learning an attitude by observing others being rewarded or punished for a behaviour. Kavya does watch elders offer and win approval, but the offering is a shared, expected practice of her community. Learning through norms can include modelling, so norms is the best fit.

Option (3) Exposure to information — Incorrect. Exposure to information means learning attitudes from media or reading, without others being present. That fits Arjun reading about scientists.

Option (4) Reward and punishment — Incorrect. Reward and punishment means the learner forms an attitude after being praised or punished for showing it. The elders' approval is a reward, but it is approval of a practice the whole group is expected to follow. Learning through norms may include reward, modelling and association, so norms is the wider and better answer.

NCERT (2026-27): “Process of Attitude Formation …
• Learning attitudes through group or cultural norms : Very often, we learn attitudes through the norms of our group or culture. Norms are unwritten rules about behaviour that everyone is supposed to show under specific circumstances. Over time, these norms may become part of our social cognition, in the form of attitudes. Learning attitudes through group or cultural norms may actually be an example of all three forms of learning described above — learning through association, reward or punishment, and modelling. For example, offering money, sweets, fruit and flowers in a place of worship is a normative behaviour in some religions. When individuals see that such behaviour is shown by others, is expected and socially approved, they may ultimately develop a positive attitude towards such behaviour and the associated feelings of devotion.”

Kavya's devotion while offering sweets and flowers at the temple is best explained as learning attitudes through:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Group or cultural norms