Passage Based Questions: Attitude and Social Cognition | Psychology Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Passage - 1

I. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Passage:
Process of Attitude Change
(A) The concept of balance, proposed by Fritz Heider, is sometimes described in the form of the ‘P-O-X’ triangle, which represents the relationships between three aspects or components of the attitude. P is the person whose attitude is being studied, O is another person, and X is the topic towards which the attitude is being studied (attitude object). It is also possible that all three are persons. The basic idea is that an attitude changes if there is a state of imbalance between the P-O attitude, O-X attitude, and P-X attitude. This is because the imbalance is logically uncomfortable. Therefore, the attitude changes in the direction of balance. Imbalance is found when (i) all three sides of the P-O-X triangle are negative, or (ii) two sides are positive, and one side is negative. Balance is found when (i) all three sides are positive, or (ii) two sides are negative, and one side is positive.
(B) Leon Festinger proposed the concept of cognitive dissonance. It emphasizes the cognitive component. Here the basic idea is that the cognitive components of an attitude must be ‘consonant’ (opposite of ‘dissonant’), i.e., they should be logically in line with each other. If an individual finds that two cognitions in an attitude are dissonant, then one of them will be changed in the direction of consonance.

Q1: Who proposed the Balance Theory of Attitude Change?
Ans: The balance theory was given by Fritz Heider.

Q2: What is the concept of the POX triangle?
Ans: The POX triangle represents the relationships between three aspects or components of the attitude. P is the person whose attitude is being studied, O is another person, and X is the topic towards which the attitude is being studied (attitude object). The basic idea is that an attitude changes if there is a state of imbalance between the P-O attitude, O-X attitude, and P-X attitude. This is because the imbalance is logically uncomfortable. Therefore, the attitude changes in the direction of balance.

Q3: Who introduced the concept of Cognitive Dissonance?
Ans: Cognitive Dissonance was introduced by Leon Festinger.

Q4: Explain the theory of Cognitive Dissonance.
Ans: The basic idea of cognitive dissonance is that the cognitive components of an attitude must be ‘consonant’ (opposite of ‘dissonant’), i.e., they should be logically in line with each other. If an individual finds that two cognitions in an attitude are dissonant, then one of them will be changed in the direction of consonance.

Passage - 2

II. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Passage:
Social psychologists have shown that prejudice has one or more of the following sources:
• Learning: Like other attitudes, prejudices can also be learned through association, reward and punishment, observing others, group or cultural norms, and exposure to information that encourages prejudice. The family, reference groups, personal experiences, and the media may play a role in the learning of prejudices. People who learn prejudiced attitudes may develop a ‘prejudiced personality,’ and show low adjusting capacity, anxiety, and feelings of hostility against the outgroup.
• A strong social identity and ingroup bias: Individuals who have a strong sense of social identity and have a very positive attitude towards their own group boost this attitude by holding negative attitudes towards other groups. These are shown as prejudices.
• Scapegoating: This is a phenomenon by which the majority group places the blame on a minority outgroup for its own social, economic, or political problems. The minority is too weak or too small in number to defend itself against such accusations. Scapegoating is a group-based way of expressing frustration, and it often results in negative attitudes or prejudice against the weaker group.
• Kernel of truth concept: Sometimes people may continue to hold stereotypes because they think that, after all, there must be some truth, or ‘kernel of truth’ in what everyone says about the other group. Even a few examples are sufficient to support the ‘kernel of truth’ idea.
• Self-fulfilling prophecy: In some cases, the group that is the target of prejudice is itself responsible for continuing the prejudice. The target group may behave in ways that justify the prejudice and confirm the negative expectations.

Q1: What is meant by ingroup bias?
Ans: Ingroup bias refers to the tendency of individuals who have a strong sense of social identity and a very positive attitude towards their own group to hold negative attitudes towards other groups, which are shown as prejudices.

Q2: How is scapegoating defined?
Ans: Scapegoating is a phenomenon where the majority group blames a minority outgroup for its own social, economic, or political problems.

Q3: What is the difference between prejudice and stereotype?
Ans: Prejudices are usually negative attitudes against a particular group. A stereotype is a cluster of ideas regarding the characteristics of a specific group.

Q4: What does the self-fulfilling prophecy mean?
Ans: The self-fulfilling prophecy refers to the idea that the group that is the target of prejudice may behave in ways that justify the prejudice and confirm the negative expectations, thereby continuing the prejudice.