Ms. Kavita, a school counsellor in Pune, is planning a campaign against junk food in Class 11. She first studies four students. Rohan refuses green vegetables at every meal, argues against them with anyone, and builds his whole idea of good food around avoiding them. Ishita enjoys fried snacks a little but seldom thinks about them. Farhan and Tanya like burgers to the same mild degree. Farhan likes them only because they taste good. Tanya likes them because they taste good, cost little, are what her friends eat and are quick to buy.
Kavita expects Rohan's attitude towards green vegetables to be much harder to change than Ishita's attitude towards fried snacks. Which of the following best supports her expectation?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Extreme and central attitudes are more difficult to change than less extreme and peripheral ones.
Option (1) Negative and simple attitudes are more difficult to change than positive and multiple ones. — Incorrect. The first half holds: negative attitudes are harder to change than positive ones. The second half is reversed, because simple attitudes are easier to change than multiple ones.
Option (2) Positive and central attitudes are more difficult to change than negative and peripheral ones. — Incorrect. Valence is reversed here. Positive attitudes are easier to change, and Rohan's attitude is negative in any case. Only the part about central attitudes is right.
Option (3) Extreme and central attitudes are more difficult to change than less extreme and peripheral ones. — Correct. Rohan's dislike is strong, and his whole idea of good food is built on it, so it is extreme and central. Ishita's liking is mild and rarely in her thoughts, so it is less extreme and peripheral (less significant). Extreme and central attitudes are more difficult to change, which supports Kavita's view.
Option (4) Extreme and simple attitudes are more difficult to change than less extreme and multiple ones. — Incorrect. Extreme attitudes are indeed harder to change, but simple attitudes are easier to change than multiple ones. The case also says nothing about how many reasons lie behind Rohan's dislike.
NCERT (2026-27): “Factors that Influence Attitude Change … “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.” |