atitudes

Atitudes are evaluations or judgments that people hold about objects, persons, events, or ideas. In psychology and social science, attitudes are often described as having three components: affective (feelings), cognitive (beliefs and thoughts), and behavioral (predispositions to act). The strength and direction of an attitude influence how a person perceives information, interacts with others, and makes choices.

Attitudes are measured through self-report scales like Likert-type questions and semantic differentials, as well as indirect methods such as the implicit association test. They vary in strength, accessibility, and stability, and can be context-dependent.

Formation of attitudes occurs through learning, direct experience, socialization, exposure to media, and interpersonal influence. They are reinforced by confirmation of beliefs and social identity.

Attitudes can change through persuasion, new evidence, cognitive dissonance reduction, and social influence. The elaboration likelihood model distinguishes central route processing (careful consideration) from peripheral route processing (cues).

Functions of attitudes include knowledge, instrumental, ego-defensive, and value-expressive roles, helping people simplify information and regulate behavior.

Attitudes differ from beliefs and values: attitudes are evaluative and more malleable; beliefs are propositions about facts; values are guiding principles that orient overall conduct.

Cultural and social factors influence attitudes, which vary across cultures and groups and can be linked to prejudice and intergroup relations when addressing social issues.

In Portuguese, the corresponding term is atitudes (plural) for the same concept.