Assertion: In many instances, attitudes are not acquired solely through association or through rewards and punishments.

Reasoning: We learn attitudes by witnessing others being rewarded or punished for expressing certain thoughts or displaying specific behaviors towards a particular attitude object.

Both Assertion (A) and reasoning (R) are correct and R is the correct explanation of A.

The correct answer is option 1: Both Assertion (A) and reasoning (R) are correct and R is the correct explanation of A.

Assertion: In many instances, attitudes are not acquired solely through association or through rewards and punishments. This is true. Attitudes are not always learned directly through classical conditioning (association) or operant conditioning (rewards/punishments). There are other ways, like observational learning or social learning.

Reasoning: We learn attitudes by witnessing others being rewarded or punished for expressing certain thoughts or displaying specific behaviors towards a particular attitude object. This is also true and explains A. One of those "other ways" is observational learning — where we learn attitudes by watching others, especially when we see them being rewarded or punished for their behavior toward certain objects or ideas. This concept is well supported by Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which states that people learn not only from direct experience, but also by observing others and the consequences they face.

"Attitudes can also be learned through the process of observing others, known as modelling. In many instances, attitudes are not acquired solely through association or through rewards and punishments. Instead, we learn attitudes by witnessing others being rewarded or punished for expressing certain thoughts or displaying specific behaviors towards a particular attitude object. The students in a classroom may develop a positive attitude towards environmental conservation by observing their teacher's consistent efforts to reduce waste, recycle, and promote eco-friendly practices. As they witness their teacher receiving recognition and praise for their environmental consciousness, the students are likely to adopt a similar positive attitude towards protecting the environment."