LOVE ATTITUDE SCALE

AIM: To assess the attitude towards love using the Love Attitudes Scale.

INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS ATTITUDE?
The word ‘attitude’ is derived from the Latin word, which means ‘fit and ready
for action’ and this is is not only the term to describe someone as being
sassy or as being a team player. Psychologists have a more clear definition of
“attitude,” and they use it to look at the ways we communicate, defend
ourselves, and make judgements about the world. The study of attitudes has
been at the core of social psychology since decades ago, psychcologists
have devoted considerable attention into the research on this topic. A
significant proportion of our social thinking involves the attitudes we hold
(beyond attributions and impressions).

DEFINATIONS OF ATTITUDE:

An attitude is a “mental and neural state of readiness, organised through

experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s
response to all objects and situations with which it is related.” Allport (1935).

An attitude is "a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and

behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or
symbols" Hogg & Vaughan (2005).

Attitude Formation
The attitude that a person holds towards something is not predetermined at
birth. Attitudes develop through direct experiences, interactions with others,
or they are a product of cognitive processes and thought. The process of
forming our attitudes, mainly through these factors, is known as attitude
formation. Attitude formation is the result of a number of different influences.
 DIRECT CONTACT- One way to form an attitude towards something is
through direct contact with that thing. For example, a person who tries
and likes practising yoga will develop a positive attitude toward yoga.
  DIRECT INSTRUCTION- Attitudes are also severely affected by direct
instruction by others. For example, a child whose parents tell him that
smoking is an unhealthy habit might develop a negative attitude toward
smoking.
 INTERACTION WITH OTHERS- Attitudes tend to be ‘infectious’ as well.
Sometimes, a person may develop an attitude toward something simply
because he is around people with that attitude.
 VICARIOUS CONDITIONING (OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING)- Several
attitudes are the result of a person’s observation of others’ attitudes. For
example, a person whose friends present a fear of dogs might develop a
negative attitude toward dogs or a child whose parent shows a positive
attitude toward classical music might grow up to do the same.
 INSTRUMENTAL OR OPERANT CONDITIONING-According to this type of
learning, behaviour that is followed by positive outcomes or
consequences are strengthened, while behaviour that is followed by
negative outcomes is reduced or suppressed. Thorndike described this
type of learning as “trial and error” learning.

FUNCTIONS OF ATTITUDE

The most prominent models of attitude functions were developed around 60

years ago (Katz, 1960; Smith, Burner & White, 1956). Based on their model,
there are five major functions of attitude.
 The object appraisal function refers to the ability of attitudes to help
save energy by allowing us to readily summarize the positive and
negative attributes of objects. For example, knowing that you like a
certain brand of chocolates helps you narrow down your choices in the
aisle packed with dozens of options.
 The utilitarian function exists in attitudes that maximise rewards and
minimize punishments obtained from the attitude object.
 The social adjustment function helps us identify with people we like and
dissociate from people we dislike. For example, individuals may buy a
certain pack of cells because it is endorsed by their favorite singer.
 The ego-defensive function serves to protect an individual’s self-esteem.
For example, poor football players might develop a bad attitude towards
the game because their poor performance threatens their self-esteem.
  The value-expressive function helps the individual’s attitude express
their attitude. For example, a person might cycle to work because she
values health and wishes to protect the environment

FACTORS AFFTECTING ATTITUDE

There are various factors affect our attitude:
 Personal Experiences: is one of the main factors that affect the attitude of
an individual. Attitudes which are formed as a result of personal experience
are long-lasting and hard to change.
 Family is the most powerful source of attitude formation. Children through
social learning learn the attitude of their parents. The influence of parents’
attitudes is stronger in the early years of a child’s life.
 Peers and Teachers play an important role in the formation of an attitude. A
teacher’s influence starts from an early age of a child. Students generally
view teachers as their role model. Peers also have a strong influence on one
another in adolescence. As individuals try to fit in secondary groups.
 The cultural setup is also an important factor. Every culture has its own
norms. B.F. Skinner (in, Azwar 2005) emphasized the influence of the
environment (including culture) in shaping one's personality.
 Media such as television, and radio has a major influence in shaping
people's opinions and beliefs. There is new information on media that
provides the foundation for the emergence of new cognitive attitudes
towards it
 Association or conditioning can also be a factor in attitude formation. When
we are conditioned or adjusted to a certain set up of people, situation, etc.,
we will be influenced by that.

Attitude Scale
Psychologists measure attitude by formal means, in order to avoid certain
biases and other problems, generally involving the use of scales or
questionnaires. The items on these measurement instruments are constructed
with great care to be related to a particular issue, object or group of interest,
and the participants’ attitudes are revealed through their responses to the
items. (Researchers want to choose items that yield stable (reliable) scores and
that actually measure the attitudes of interest (validity)).
One important approach for the measurement of attitudes includes the LIKERT
SCALE. In 1932, Likert developed the Likert Scale that will produce a
reasonable attitude measure with relative ease. In this scale, the respondents
use a 5-point response scale to indicate the extent to which they agree or
disagree to each item in the scale. The respondents’ score is summed up and
the total is used as an index of that person’s attitude.