6.4.1. Attitude Formation

One important question that psychologists are interested in answering is: how are attitudes formed? Like many other thoughts and concepts that develop and become part of our cognitive system, attitudes towards different topics, things, and people also are formed as we interact with others. However, there are specific conditions that lead to the formation of specific attitudes.

Psychologists study how our interactions with the world shape our views. Attitudes are formed through experiences and social interactions. For example, when you spend time with friends who enjoy a particular music genre, you might develop a liking for it too. This shows that our environment plays a crucial role in shaping our attitude.

Imagine you're new in a class and all your friends are crazy about a superhero movie. At first, you might not care about it, but as you hear them talk about it and see how excited they are, you might start watching it and enjoying it as well. So, your attitude towards the movie changed because of social interaction.

In general, attitudes are learned through one’s own experiences, and through interaction with others. There are a few research studies that show some sort of inborn aspect of attitudes, but such genetic factors influence attitudes only indirectly, along with learning. Therefore, most social psychologists have focused on the conditions which lead to the learning of attitudes.

Attitudes are mainly formed by what we go through in life and who we spend time with. While genetics can play a minor role, our environment and learning experiences dominate how we form attitudes. For example, if parents often talk negatively about a political party, their children may adopt similar views based on their upbringing.

Think of a child who grows up in a sports-loving family. They see their parents cheering for a specific football team. This environment makes it likely that the child will also develop a positive attitude towards that team, simply because it's normalized in their home.

You might have seen that students often develop a liking for a particular subject because of the teacher. This is because they see many positive qualities in that teacher; these positive qualities get linked to the subject that s/he teaches, and ultimately get expressed in the form of liking for the subject.

This process refers to how positive or negative feelings towards a teacher can influence a student's attitude towards the subject they teach. If a teacher is enthusiastic and passionate, students may develop a more favorable attitude toward the subject, seeing it as exciting or interesting.

Consider a student who initially disliked science classes. However, they get a new science teacher who is enthusiastic and engages in cool experiments. Over time, the student starts to enjoy science due to the positive association with the teacher's exciting lessons.

If an individual is praised for showing a particular attitude, chances are high that s/he will develop that attitude further. For example, if a teenager does yogasanas regularly and gets the honour of being ‘Miss Good Health’ in her school, she may develop a positive attitude towards yoga and health in general.

Rewards and incentives can greatly influence attitude formation. If someone receives positive reinforcement for a certain behavior, they are more likely to continue that behavior and develop a positive attitude associated with it. This reflects how society signals which attitudes are 'good' or 'bad.'

A practical example can be found in school sports. If a student wins a trophy for their performance in basketball, they are likely to harbor a more positive attitude towards not only basketball but also exercising regularly; the recognition and praise they receive reinforce their positive feelings.

Often it is not through association, or through reward and punishment, that we learn attitudes. Instead, we learn them by observing others being rewarded or punished for expressing thoughts, or showing behavior of a particular kind towards the attitude object.

Observational learning indicates that we form attitudes by watching others and the consequences they face. For instance, if a child sees their parent being praised for their volunteering efforts, the child may develop a positive attitude towards helping others, wanting to imitate that behavior.

A clear example could be seen in a family gathering where a child observes their elders discussing environmental conservation. Seeing their parents express admiration for those who recycle might encourage them to adopt recycling habits themselves, modeling after their admired role models.

There are several factors that provide the context for the learning of attitudes through the processes described above. These include family and school environment, reference groups, personal experiences, and media-related influences.

The settings and environments we interact with greatly shape our attitudes. Family teachings, peer influences at school, experiences we encounter, and media representations all contribute to how we perceive different subjects and issues in life. Each of these contexts introduces varying attitudes based on learned behavior.

For instance, a child raised in a pro-environment family may grow up valuing sustainability and conservation, while another from a family which prioritizes economic gain may opt for a more consumption-focused perspective. Each environment influences the children in different ways, highlighting the importance of context in learning attitudes.

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