Review the earlier description of the sources of attitude change. Which of the three causes you to change your attitudes about some object most quickly?

Attitude Change

Attitudes are dynamic and change over time. The sources of change are within the person and in the person’s social environment. Attitude change happens because 

(1) Something persuades the person to shift his attitudes,

(2) The norms of a social group important to the person affect his attitudes, or

(3) The person becomes uncomfortable with some aspects of his beliefs about certain matters.

Common sources of attitude change are the persuasive communications designed to affect our beliefs, such as those found in radio, television, newspaper, and magazine advertising. Persuasive communication tries to change the cognitive part of an attitude and assumes the affective part will change in either a positive or a negative direction.

Persuasive communication changes attitudes through four separate, but related, processes. First, the communication must win the target’s attention. Television advertising, for example, often plays at a higher volume than the main program to get the attention of the viewer. Second, the target of the attitude change must comprehend the message. A persuasive communication must be presented in a language and format understandable by the target. The third process is acceptance. No matter how logical and persuasive a communication, if the target does not accept it, attitude change will not follow. The last process is retention.