472 CHAPTER 12
negative evaluation of things, it’s possible to go into a new situation, meet a new person, or be
exposed to a new idea with one’s “mind already made up” to like or dislike, agree or disagree,
and so on (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993; Petty et al., 2003; Petty & Briñol, 2015). For example, chil-
dren are known for making up their minds about certain foods before ever tasting them, sim-
ply because the foods are “green.” Those children may have tried a green food in the past and
disliked it and now are predisposed* to dislike any green food whether they’ve tasted it or not.
THE ABC MODEL OF ATTITUDES Attitudes are actually made up of three different
parts, or components, as shown in Figure 12. 3. These components should not come
as a surprise to anyone who has been reading the other chapters in this text because,
throughout the text, references have been made to personality and traits being com-
posed of the ways people think, feel, and act. By using certain terms to describe these
three things, psychologists have come up with a handy way to describe the three com-
ponents of attitudes (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993, 1998; Fazio & Olson, 2003).
AFFECTIVE COMPONENT The affective component of an attitude is the way a person feels
toward the object, person, or situation. Affect is used in psychology to mean “emotions”
or “feelings,” so the affective component is the emotional component. For example, some
people might feel that country music is fun and uplifting.
BEHAVIOR COMPONENT The behavior component of an attitude is the action that a person
takes in regard to the person, object, or situation. For example, a person who feels that
country music is fun is likely to listen to a country music station, buy country music
MP3s, or go to a country music concert.
*predisposed: referring to a tendency to respond in a particular way based on previous
experience.
Figure 12.3 Three Components of an Attitude
Attitudes consist of the way a person feels and thinks about something, as well as the way the person
chooses to behave. If you like country music, you are also likely to think that country music is good music.
You are also more likely to listen to this style of music, buy this type of music, and even go to a performance.
Each of the three components influences the other two.
I think
country music
is better than
any other kind
of music I hear.
I like country
music; it’s fun
and uplifting.
I buy country
music MP3s every
chance I get.
I only listen to
country music;
I’m going to a
country music
concert
soon.
Behavior
(actions)
Affect
(feelings)
Cognition
(thoughts)
Attitude
toward
country music
Interactive
