Attitudes and Opinions
Psychology Press – 2004 – 400 pages
Notable advances resulting from new research findings, measurement approaches, widespread uses of the Internet, and increasingly sophisticated approaches to sampling and polling, have stimulated a new generation of attitude scholars. This extensively revised edition captures this excitement, while remaining grounded in scholarly research.
Attitudes and Opinions, 3/e maintains one of the main goals of the original edition--breadth of coverage. The book thoroughly reviews both implicit and explicit measures of attitudes, the structure and function of attitudes, the nature of public opinion and polling, attitude formation, communication of attitudes and opinions, and the relationship between attitudes and behaviors, as well as theories and research on attitude change. Over 2,000 references support the book's scientific integrity. The authors' second goal is to demonstrate the relevance of the topic to people's lives. Subsequently, the second part of the book examines many of the topics and research findings that are salient in the world today--political and international attitudes (including terrorism), voting behavior, racism and prejudice, sexism and gender roles, and environmental attitudes.
This thoroughly revised new edition features:
*an entirely new chapter on implicit measures attitudes;
*a new chapter on environmental attitudes;
*updated opinion poll data throughout the book;
*additional material on time trends in attitudes about many issues; and
*expanded, updated sections on international attitudes reflecting the events of 9/11 and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Attitudes and Opinions' broad and interdisciplinary perspective makes this an ideal text in courses on attitudes, public opinion, survey research, or persuasion, taught in a variety of departments including psychology, communication, marketing, sociology, and political science.
"This book would be a valuable addition to the general reference shelf of any technical communicator….shows newcomers the lay of the land and provides signposts for navigating the more than 2000 references. It provides a solid refresher on research methods and schools of thought. Its greatest value may lie in being a reference work….Specific chapters however, could be useful in technical communication courses."
"…the book addresses the important theoretical and applied topics an instructor would want to see covered, while also dealing with important issues of measurement and methodology."
—Icek Aizen, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
"…an important textbook for several decades…the writing of the revised chapters is clear, coherent, and vivid. Students should find the book interesting to read."
—Dolores Albarracin, Ph.D.
University of Florida
Contents: Part I:Approaches to Studying Attitudes and Opinions. Background: History and Concepts. Social Perception and Social Cognition. Measurement of Explicit Attitudes. Implicit Measures of Attitudes. Structure and Functions of Attitudes and Beliefs. Public Opinion Polling. The Structure of Public Opinion. Formation of Attitudes and Opinions. Communication of Attitudes and Opinions. Attitude Change Theories and Research: Methodology, Learning, and Judgment Approaches. Attitude Change: Cognitive Theories and Research. Attitude-Behavior Consistency and Related Issues. Part II:Public Opinion on Socially Important Topics. Political Attitudes I. Political Attitudes II. International Attitudes. Racism and Prejudice. Gender Role Attitudes. Environmental Attitudes.