Attitude and Social Cognition
This domain tests attitude structure and change, social cognition, and classic findings on social influence.
Attitudes
An attitude is a learned evaluation with affective, behavioural and cognitive components (ABC). Attitudes form through direct experience, social learning and reference groups. Change occurs via persuasion (source credibility, message framing, audience involvement) and cognitive dissonance (Festinger): inconsistent cognitions motivate attitude change.
Social cognition
Attribution explains behaviour as internal (dispositional) or external (situational). The fundamental attribution error overweights disposition in others; the actor–observer bias explains our own behaviour situationally. Prejudice is an attitude; discrimination is behaviour; stereotyping is a cognitive generalisation.
Social influence
Asch showed conformity to a unanimous wrong majority. Milgram showed obedience to authority despite distress. Prosocial behaviour is helped or hindered by the bystander effect: diffusion of responsibility reduces helping in groups.
Worked example
A smoker who knows smoking harms health feels discomfort and then minimises the risk. This is cognitive dissonance reduction: changing the cognition reduces the inconsistency rather than changing the behaviour.
Traps
Prejudice and discrimination are not synonyms. The fundamental attribution error is about others, not the self. Conformity is not obedience: conformity is to peer norms, obedience is to authority. The correlation between attitude and behaviour is moderate, not perfect.