Psychology · Class 12 Arts

Ch 6Attitude and Social Cognition — Class 12 Psychology, concept-first.

Social psychology is the branch of psychology that investigates how the behaviour of individuals is affected by others and the social environment. Every day, we form attitudes — ways of thinking about specific topics and people.

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Key concepts

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Attitude Components Definition

Think about your favourite subject in school. When someone mentions it, you probably feel something positive — maybe excitement or interest.

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Define attitude. Discuss the components of an attitude.Free

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Chapter contents

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6.1

Introduction

Social psychology is the branch of psychology that investigates how the behaviour of individuals is affected by others and the social environment.

6.2

Explaining Social Behaviour

Social behaviour is not optional — it is a necessary part of human life. But being social means far more than simply being in the company of others.

6.3

Nature and Components of Attitudes

Think about the last time you said "In my opinion..." or "I feel that...". What followed was likely an opinion — a simple thought or view about something.

6.4

Attitude Formation and Change

Attitudes are not inborn. They are learned through our experiences and interactions with others. While some research hints at a genetic component, such influences are indirect and always work alongsid…

6.4.1

Attitude Formation

Psychologists ask a fundamental question: how do attitudes actually form? Like other thoughts and concepts that become part of our cognitive system, attitudes toward different topics, things, and peop…

6.4.2

Attitude Change

Attitude change is not a single event — it happens both during the process of attitude formation and after attitudes have already been formed.

6.4.3

Attitude-Behaviour Relationship

We tend to assume that what a person believes and feels will directly show up in what they do. If someone has a positive attitude towards exercise, we expect them to work out regularly.

6.5

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice is an attitude — usually a negative one — directed toward a particular group. Like any attitude, it has three components: a cognitive component (often a stereotype), an affective component (…

6.6

Strategies for Handling Prejudice

Knowing the causes of prejudice is the first step toward handling it. Any effective strategy must work on multiple fronts: reducing the chances for people to learn prejudice in the first place, changi…

Key Terms

- Attitude – A learned, relatively enduring evaluation of a person, object, or issue, comprising cognitive, affective, and behavioural components.

Summary

- Nature and components of attitudes: An attitude is a learned, relatively stable tendency to evaluate a person, issue, or object in a consistent way.