Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Psychology

Chapter

Attitudes and Social Cognition

Question:
Attitude is a psychological concept that refers to an individual's overall evaluation or opinion towards a person, object, idea, or situation. It encompasses a person's beliefs, emotions, and behaviors, and it plays a crucial role in shaping our thoughts and actions. Attitudes are formed through a combination of personal experiences, social influences, and cognitive processes. They can be positive, negative, or neutral, and they can vary in intensity and stability. Attitudes serve as a lens through which we interpret and respond to the world around us. Attitudes can have a profound impact on our behavior. They guide our choices, influence our relationships, and shape our responses to different situations. For example, someone with a positive attitude towards physical fitness may engage in regular exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle, while someone with a negative attitude may avoid physical activity altogether. Attitudes are not static and can be subject to change through various factors, such as new information, persuasive communication, or personal experiences. Understanding attitudes is essential in fields such as psychology, marketing, and social sciences, as it provides insights into human behavior and decision-making processes.

What does centrality refer to in relation to attitudes?

Options:

The simplicity or complexity of attitudes

The positivity or negativity of attitudes

The role ofa  specific attitude in the attitude system

The degree of extremeness in attitudes

Correct Answer:

The role ofa  specific attitude in the attitude system

Explanation:

Four significant features of attitudes are valence (positivity or negativity), extremeness, simplicity or complexity (multiplexity), and centrality.

  1. Valence indicates whether an attitude is positive or negative towards the attitude object.
  2. Extremeness reflects the degree of intensity in an attitude, with higher values indicating stronger positivity or negativity.
  3. Simplicity or complexity refers to the number of attitudes within a broader attitude system, where a simple system contains few attitudes and a complex system encompasses many attitudes.
  4. Centrality denotes the role of a specific attitude within the attitude system, with central attitudes exerting more influence on other attitudes compared to peripheral ones.