Attitude

Question 1

What is attitude?

Answer 1

• a predisposition (an opinion held because of previous experiences) towards an attitude or object
• it is made up of beliefs, feelings and behaviour

Question 2

What are the 3 components of attitude?

Answer 2

1. Cognitive
2. Affective
3. Behavioural

Question 3

What is the cognitive component?

Answer 3

• it is our beliefs/ knowledge that are (formed through past experiences and from others)

Question 4

What is the affective component?

Answer 4

• it refers to our emotional reaction towards an attitude/ object whether we like or dislike something

Question 5

What is the behavioural component?

Answer 5

• it is how we actually behave/ react/ respond, (which may/ may not reflect our cognitive belief)

Question 6

Example of cognitive component

Answer 6

• you know/ believe/ think spinning class is good for our health

Question 7

Example of affective component

Answer 7

• you enjoy going to spinning class and feel good after going

Question 8

Example of behavioural component

Answer 8

• you go to spinning class twice a week

Question 9

Components of attitude (Triadic model)

Answer 9

Cognitive (knowledge and beliefs) example: fitness training keeps me fit
Affective (feelings and emotions) example: i enjoy training
Behavioural (intended behaviour) example: i attend training sessions regularly

Question 10

Factors that affect how attitudes are formed

Answer 10

• past experience
• education
• media
• other group members or peers
• cultural norms
• perceived need for health and exercise
• parental influence

Question 11

Strategies to use to change your attitude from a negative towards a positive one

Answer 11

• use appropriate role models
• show the benefits to health
• emphasis positive body image
• persuasion

Question 12

What are the 2 most commonly used methods to change people’s attitudes?

Answer 12

1. Persuasive communication
2. Cognitive dissonance

Question 13

What does the persuasive communication method involve?

Answer 13

The attitude being altered by persuasion

Question 14

What must the persuasive communication theory have?

Answer 14

1. The persuader- significant other with high status
2. The message- positive to initiate the change
3. The recipients- easy to changed an attitude if the recipient really wishes to be changed
4. The situation- the presence of other persuaders

Question 15

In persuasive communication the person must:

Answer 15

• pay attention
• understand
• accept
• retain
  The message being given

Question 16

In persuasive communication the coach must:

Answer 16

• be expert
• be trustworthy

Question 17

In persuasive communication the message must:

Answer 17

• be clear
• be unambiguous
• be balanced between pros and cons

Question 18

What is the triadic model?

Answer 18

• an attitude that consists of 3 components - affective (emotions), behavioural (actions) and cognitive (thoughts)

Question 19

What is dissonance?

Answer 19

An emotional conflict

Question 20

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 20

• changing 1 of the components of the triadic model developing a new attitude or retaining existing approach

Question 21

Strategy 2- cognitive dissonance

Answer 21

• festigner (1957) proposed that an individuals beliefs and thoughts have a direct influence on his/ her behaviour
• if these ideas or cognitions are challenged with new information, then a person will experience a sense of psychological discomfort and will attempt to restore the balance of harmony
• such a conflict of beliefs is known as dissonance
• the aim of this method to change an attitude is based on the assumption that one of the components of the triadic model can be manipulated to create dissonance
• after reviewing the new information or experience the individual either then develops a new attitude or retains the existing approach

Question 22

If dissonance does occur the feelings of discomfort can be dispelled by the following 3 stages:

Answer 22

1. Making the cognition/ thought less important
2. Changing the cognition
3. Replacing the cognition

Question 23

Strategy 2: cognitive dissonance (continued)

Answer 23

1. To alter the cognitive component of an attitude, new information can be provided
2. The affective component may be changed by giving a different experience, which may be viewed as more positive
3. The behavioural component can be altered by ensuring the skill is simplified, success is achieved and subsequently reinforced, thus causing a positive affective component of an attitude

Question 24

A PE teacher is encouraging male pupils to attend netball practice but most of the boys refuse. Using the triadic model of attitudes, explain how the boys have formed a negative attitude towards netball

Answer 24

1. (A01) Cognitive component is a persons beliefs/ beliefs formed through previous experiences/ knowledge formed from parents or peers
2. (A02) Boys believe that netball is for girls/ no male role models for netball/ friends have said that netball is for girls
3. (A01) Affective component is a persons emotional response to an attitude object/ whether a person likes or dislikes something based on previous experiences/ if a person enjoys an experience, then it forms their attitude towards it
4. (A02) girls have said negative things in the past to the boys/ boys lack confidence in the rules/ girls are better than them
5. (A01) Behavioural component is how a person actually behaves/ persons response to an attitude object/ reaction to a situation and may not reflect cognitive belief
   6 (A02) Boys do not attend netball club/ do not want to take part in netball/ don’t want to play

Question 25

A PE teacher is encouraging male pupils to attend netball practice but most of the boys refuse. Explain how the PE teacher could use her knowledge of cognitive dissonance to change their attitude

Answer 25

1. (A01) Teacher must introduce two or more opposing beliefs/ teacher needs to create an imbalance in the components of the triadic model/ destabilise the three elements involved in an attitude 2. (A02) Teacher tells the boys that netball is not just for girls/ netball is not only for girls/ netball is not feminine 3. (A01) Teacher introduces new information to challenge current belief/ teacher changes the cognitive component/ teacher can alter the affective component 4. (A02) Teacher shows the boys a video of an all-male netball team/ teacher takes students to see the boys’ sixth form netball team/ male PE teachers promote netball in school 5. (A02) Teacher makes the sessions fun to increase enjoyment/ praise and encouragement boosts boys’ confidence/ teacher explains the rules to make it more engaging 6. (A01) Attitude components are brought in line/ students feel more content/ teacher removes the discomfort 7. (A02) Boys start to see role models with netball/ Boys’ beliefs start to change/ boys can enjoy netball 8. (A01) The greater the dissonance, the greater the desire to change attitude/ attitude will change as new belief becomes dominant/ attitude will change as dissonance is reduced 9. (A02) Boys are more positive about netball/ improved attitude of male students/ positive attitude formed

Question 26

Explain the components of woods triadic model of attitude formation (3 marks)

Answer 26

Model- cab - cognition/ ideas- what we think, believe and know, about an object/ subject - affects/ effects/ emotions- what we feel, emotional response, about an object/ subject - behaviour/ actions- intention to behave/ what we do physically with reference the object/ subject

Question 27

Describe the three components of a attitude as identified in woods triadic model (3 marks)

Answer 27

- cognitive/ideas/cogntion/thoughts: Performers thoughts about an object - affective/emotional: Performers feelings/emotional responses towards an object - behavioural/actions: How a performer acts when faced with an object

Question 28

Define cognitive dissonance (festinger)

Answer 28

Tension resulting from having contradictory thoughts or beliefs about something or someone

Question 29

How attitudes are formed Attitudes in sport can be shaped by:

Answer 29

1. Past experiences- positive outcomes (winning, praise) can create positive attitudes 2. Social influences- family, coaches, teammates all affect attitude 3. Media- positive portrayals of sports can boost participation 4. Conditioning/ learning- if an athlete is rewarded for effort, a positive attitude can form (operant conditioning)

Question 30

Changing attitudes: cognitive dissonance (festinger)

Answer 30

Cognitive dissonance theory - when a person holds two conflicting thoughts/ feelings, it creates psychological discomfort - to reduce this discomfort, the person is motivated to change their attitude or behaviour

Question 31

Strategies to change negative attitudes in sport

Answer 31

1. Cognitive dissonance: challenge current beliefs with positive outcomes 2. Positive reinforcement: reward desired behaviours (praise, success) 3. Role models: use influential figures to promote positive behaviours 4. Education: provide facts and benefits (e.g. nutritional talks, injury prevention)