Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Psychology

Chapter

Attitudes and Social Cognition

Question:

In the two-step concept of attitude change, the second step involves:

Options:

The target imitating the source's behavior.

The source changing her/his behavior towards the attitude object.

The source showing positive feelings for the target.

The target changing her/his behavior towards the attitude object.

Correct Answer:

The source changing her/his behavior towards the attitude object.

Explanation:

According to Mohsin, attitude change unfolds in two distinct steps. In the first step, the target of change establishes identification with the source. The "target" refers to the individual whose attitude is the focus of change, while the "source" represents the person who seeks to influence this change. Identification occurs when the target develops liking and respect for the source, empathizing and attempting to understand their perspective. In turn, the source must hold a positive attitude towards the target, fostering mutual regard and attraction. In the second step, the source actively demonstrates an attitude change by modifying their behavior towards the attitude object. By observing this altered attitude and behavior from the source, the target undergoes a corresponding attitude change through their own behavior. This process resembles imitation or observational learning, where the target mirrors the source's changed attitude as a result of observing and modeling their behavior. Thus, the two-step process involves establishing identification between the source and target, followed by the target adopting the source's changed attitude through behavioral imitation.