Which of the following is a component of attitudes?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → Cognitive aspect

An attitude has three components, the A-B-C components: the thought component (cognitive aspect), the emotional component (affective aspect) and the tendency to act (behavioural or conative aspect). Apart from these, attitudes have four features: valence, extremeness, simplicity or complexity, and centrality.

Option (1) Valence aspect — Incorrect. Valence tells us whether an attitude is positive or negative towards the attitude object. It is a feature of an attitude, not one of its components.

Option (2) Cognitive aspect — Correct. The thought component of an attitude, the views or beliefs one holds about the attitude object, is referred to as the cognitive aspect, the ‘C’ of the A-B-C components.

Option (3) Centrality — Incorrect. Centrality refers to the role of a particular attitude in the attitude system, how much it influences the other attitudes. It is a feature, not a component.

Option (4) Extremeness — Incorrect. Extremeness indicates how positive or negative an attitude is. It is a feature, not a component.

NCERT (2025-26): “Nature and Components of Attitudes … All definitions of attitudes agree that an attitude is a state of the mind, a set of views, or thoughts, regarding some topic (called the ‘attitude object’), which have an evaluative feature (positive, negative or neutral quality). It is accompanied by an emotional component, and a tendency to act in a particular way with regard to the attitude object. The thought component is referred to as the cognitive aspect, the emotional component is known as the affective aspect, and the tendency to act is called the behavioural (or conative) aspect. Taken together, these three aspects have been referred to as the A-B-C components (Affective-Behavioural-Cognitive components) of attitude.…”

“…In addition to the affective, cognitive and behavioural components, attitudes also have other properties. Four significant features of attitudes are : Valence (positivity or negativity), Extremeness, Simplicity or Complexity (multiplexity), and Centrality.…”