Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow :-
The problem of household garbage is common in most Indian cities. Despite the increasing concern for clean environment we do not know to what extent citizens are aware about how to dispose the garbage at home. Sanyogita, a high school teacher took the lead to organise a team comprising of her colleagues in school and started going door to door in the nearby colonies to educate people on how to separate domestic waste and hand it over to the garbage collection agencies. She also avidly read about methods used by other developed countries and felt distressed when she observed how callous some people were towards keeping a clean environment. The local newspapers appreciated Sanyogita's efforts and applauded her publicly. Sanyogita's students and children joined her mission to segregate garbage and send the bio-degradable waste to the nearby recycle plant.
Which factor affects the shaping of attitudes in the early years of life?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Family and School environment
Option (1) Reference group — Incorrect. Reference groups show a person the norms of acceptable behaviour and ways of thinking. Their influence is noticeable especially at the beginning of adolescence, when it matters to feel that one belongs to a group, not in the early years of life.
Option (2) Personal experience — Incorrect. Many attitudes are formed through direct personal experience of an event or a person, which can bring a drastic change in one’s attitude. Such experiences can come at any age; they are not the factor the question ties to the early years.
Option (3) Media-related influences — Incorrect. Audio-visual media, the Internet and even the books read in school are powerful sources of information that lead to attitude formation and change, for good or bad. They are not the influence that shapes attitudes in the early years of life.
Option (4) Family and School environment — Correct. Particularly in the early years of life, parents and other family members play a significant role in shaping attitudes; later the school environment becomes an important background. In both, attitudes are learnt by association, through rewards and punishments, and through modelling.
NCERT (2025-26): “Factors that Influence Attitude Formation … The following factors provide the context for the learning of attitudes through the processes described above. 1. Family and School Environment : Particularly in the early years of life, parents and other family members play a significant role in shaping attitude formation. Later, the school environment becomes an important background for attitude formation. Learning of attitudes within the family and school usually takes place by association, through rewards and punishments, and through modelling.…” “Factors that Influence Attitude Formation … 2. Reference Groups : Reference groups indicate to an individual the norms regarding acceptable behaviour and ways of thinking. Thus, they reflect learning of attitudes through group or cultural norms.…” |