Ms. Kavita, a school counsellor in Pune, is planning a campaign to reduce junk food among Class 11 students. She first notes the present attitudes of four students. Rohan strongly dislikes green vegetables; this dislike is extreme and central to his views on food. Ishita mildly likes fried snacks, but the liking matters little to her. Farhan's attitude towards fast food rests on one belief: it is tasty. Tanya's attitude towards fast food rests on many beliefs about taste, price, friends and convenience. Kavita also plans to ask some students to praise healthy tiffins to juniors, offering them only a small token reward instead of a big prize.
Between Farhan and Tanya, whose attitude towards fast food is likely to be easier to change, and why?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Farhan's, because simple attitudes are easier to change than multiple attitudes
Option (1) Tanya's, because peripheral attitudes are easier to change than central attitudes — Incorrect. Peripheral attitudes are easier to change than central ones. But the passage does not describe either attitude as central or peripheral.
Option (2) Tanya's, because multiple attitudes are easier to change than simple attitudes — Incorrect. The rule is reversed here. A multiple attitude has many parts holding it up, so it is harder to change than a simple one.
Option (3) Farhan's, because positive attitudes are easier to change than negative attitudes — Incorrect. Positive attitudes are easier to change than negative ones. But the passage gives no difference in valence between Farhan and Tanya, so this does not decide between them.
Option (4) Farhan's, because simple attitudes are easier to change than multiple attitudes — Correct. Farhan's attitude rests on one belief, so it is <strong>simple</strong>. <strong>Simple attitudes are easier to change than multiple attitudes</strong>, so Farhan should be easier to change than Tanya.
NCERT (2026-27): “Factors that Influence Attitude Change “• Characteristics of the existing attitude : All four properties of attitudes mentioned earlier, namely, valence (positivity or negativity), extremeness, simplicity or complexity (multiplexity), and centrality or significance of the attitude, determine” “Box 6.2 attitude change. In general, positive attitudes are easier to change than negative attitudes are. Extreme attitudes, and central attitudes are more difficult to change than the less extreme, and peripheral (less significant) attitudes are. Simple attitudes are easier to change than multiple attitudes are.” |