Attitude is expressed through an evaluation of a particular entity or object. Indeed, it is “an evaluative judgment about a stimulus object” (Maio et al., 2019). It is specifically defined as “a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor” (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993; 2007). In general terms, its meaning describes “people’s global and relatively enduring (i.e., stored in long-term memory) evaluations of objects, issues, or persons” (Petty, 2012). In practical terms, attitude is how we evaluate the stimulus object around us according to the beliefs we associate with that object, the linked emotions, and the past behaviours or experiences regarding that object (Maio et al., 2019).
References
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (2007). The advantages of an inclusive definition of attitude. Social cognition, 25(5), 582-602.
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
Maio, G. R., Verplanken, B., & Haddock, G. (2019). The psychology of attitudes and attitude change. Sage.
Petty, R. E. (2012). Attitude Change. In: V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, Second Edition, (pp. 224-229). Elsevier.
