Ira and her cousin Dhruv grew up in the same town. In Class 7, both of them disliked Science. In Class 8, Ira moved to a new school. Her Science teacher there, Mrs. Rao, was warm, patient and kind, and Ira looked forward to her classes. By Class 9, Ira liked Science about as strongly as she had once disliked it. Dhruv's Science teacher was harsh and often impatient, and Dhruv still dislikes the subject. Their grandmother says the two children were just born with these likes and dislikes.
Between Class 7 and Class 9, which feature of Ira's attitude towards Science has changed?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Its valence
Option (1) Its extremeness — Incorrect. Extremeness shows how positive or negative an attitude is; a rating of 1 is as extreme as a rating of 5. Ira now likes Science as strongly as she once disliked it, so the strength has not changed.
Option (2) Its valence — Correct. Valence tells whether an attitude is positive or negative towards the object. Ira moved from disliking Science to liking it, so her attitude turned from negative to positive.
Option (3) Its centrality — Incorrect. Centrality is the role of one attitude in an attitude system; a central attitude influences the other attitudes much more. Nothing shows her Science attitude shaping her other attitudes.
Option (4) Its simplicity or complexity — Incorrect. This feature is about how many member attitudes sit within a broader attitude. Ira's change concerns one attitude towards one subject.
NCERT (2026-27): “NATURE AND COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDES … “Extremeness : The extremeness of an attitude indicates how positive or negative an attitude is. Taking the nuclear research example given above, a rating of 1 is as extreme as a rating of 5 : they are only in the opposite directions (valence). …” |