CBSE Class 12 Psychology (2026–27)
Chapter 6: Attitude and Social Cognition
20 Important Questions and Answers
The chapter covers attitudes, their components, formation and change, attitude-behaviour relationship, prejudice, discrimination, and strategies to reduce prejudice.
1. What is an attitude? Explain its main characteristics.
Answer:
An attitude is a mental tendency or state of mind that reflects a person’s views, feelings, and behavioural tendencies towards an object, person, event, or issue. It has an evaluative nature and may be positive, negative, or neutral. Attitudes are learned rather than inherited and help individuals interpret social situations. They influence decision-making and behaviour in daily life. Attitudes also possess characteristics such as valence (direction), extremeness (strength), simplicity or complexity, and centrality (importance in one’s life). Because attitudes combine thoughts, emotions, and action tendencies, they play a significant role in shaping social behaviour and interpersonal relationships.
2. Explain the A-B-C components of attitude.
Answer:
The A-B-C model explains the three components of attitude. The Affective component (A) refers to feelings or emotions towards an object. The Behavioural component (B) refers to the tendency to act in a particular way regarding the attitude object. The Cognitive component (C) includes beliefs, thoughts, and knowledge about the object. For example, a student may believe that environmental protection is important (cognitive), feel concerned about pollution (affective), and participate in tree-plantation drives (behavioural). These three components work together and influence an individual’s overall attitude towards a person, group, or issue.
3. How are attitudes formed?
Answer:
Attitudes are mainly formed through learning and social experiences. Family members, teachers, friends, and society influence attitude development from an early age. Attitudes can be formed through association, where positive or negative experiences become linked with an object. Rewards and punishments also shape attitudes by encouraging or discouraging behaviours. Observing role models and following group norms contribute significantly to attitude formation. Media and social networks further influence people’s beliefs and opinions. Since attitudes develop through interaction with the social environment, they can vary across cultures, situations, and personal experiences.
4. Discuss learning by association in attitude formation.
Answer:
Learning by association occurs when a person develops an attitude because an object becomes connected with pleasant or unpleasant experiences. If an individual repeatedly experiences positive emotions in a particular situation, a favourable attitude may develop towards that situation. Similarly, unpleasant experiences can create negative attitudes. Advertisers often use attractive celebrities or pleasant music to associate products with positive feelings. Children also develop attitudes through associations created by parents and teachers. This process is powerful because people may develop attitudes even without direct experience, simply through repeated exposure to positive or negative associations in their environment.
5. What is attitude change? Mention two factors affecting it.
Answer:
Attitude change refers to the modification of existing attitudes due to new information, experiences, or persuasive communication. It may involve making attitudes more positive, negative, or neutral. Two important factors affecting attitude change are the source characteristics and the message characteristics. A credible, trustworthy, and attractive source is more likely to influence people. Similarly, a clear, logical, and emotionally appealing message can effectively change attitudes. The target person’s intelligence, self-esteem, and openness to persuasion also influence attitude change. Successful attitude change often occurs when communication creates a meaningful impact on beliefs and emotions.
6. Explain cognitive dissonance.
Answer:
Cognitive dissonance refers to a state of mental discomfort that occurs when a person holds two contradictory beliefs or when behaviour conflicts with existing attitudes. Individuals are motivated to reduce this discomfort by changing their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviour. For example, a person who knows smoking is harmful but continues to smoke experiences cognitive dissonance. To reduce the discomfort, the person may quit smoking, justify the behaviour, or change beliefs about its harmful effects. Cognitive dissonance theory explains why people often modify their attitudes to maintain consistency between their thoughts and actions.
7. Explain the relationship between attitude and behaviour.
Answer:
Attitudes often influence behaviour, but the relationship is not always direct. People generally behave in ways consistent with their attitudes; however, social pressures, situational factors, and personal motives may create differences between attitudes and actions. For example, a person may support environmental conservation but still use plastic products due to convenience. The strength, centrality, and specificity of an attitude affect how strongly it predicts behaviour. When attitudes are important and clearly defined, they are more likely to guide actions. Therefore, attitude and behaviour are related, but external circumstances can sometimes weaken this connection.
8. Define social cognition.
Answer:
Social cognition refers to the process through which people perceive, interpret, remember, and use information about themselves and others in social situations. It helps individuals understand social behaviour and make judgments about people and events. Through social cognition, people form impressions, develop attitudes, and explain the causes of behaviour. It includes mental processes such as perception, attribution, stereotypes, and schemas. Social cognition is important because it enables individuals to interact effectively with others and respond appropriately in different social contexts. It also influences decision-making and interpersonal relationships in everyday life.
9. What is prejudice?
Answer:
Prejudice is a preconceived and usually negative attitude towards a person or group based solely on their membership in a particular social category. It involves unfair judgments that are not based on actual knowledge or experience. Prejudice contains emotional, cognitive, and behavioural components. People may dislike others, hold negative beliefs about them, and behave unfairly towards them. Prejudice often develops due to stereotypes, social learning, and group conflicts. It can lead to social tension and discrimination. Reducing prejudice is important for promoting equality, harmony, and mutual respect in society.
10. Differentiate between prejudice and discrimination.
Answer:
Prejudice and discrimination are related but different concepts. Prejudice refers to a negative attitude, opinion, or feeling towards a person or group. It exists within the mind and includes biased beliefs and emotions. Discrimination, on the other hand, is the behavioural expression of prejudice. It involves treating people unfairly because they belong to a particular group. For example, believing that a certain community is inferior is prejudice, while denying them equal opportunities is discrimination. Thus, prejudice is an attitude, whereas discrimination is an action based on that attitude.
11. What are stereotypes?
Answer:
Stereotypes are generalized beliefs or assumptions about members of a particular group. They simplify social perception by assigning similar characteristics to all members of a group, regardless of individual differences. Stereotypes may be positive, negative, or neutral. However, they are often inaccurate because they ignore unique qualities of individuals. Stereotypes form the cognitive component of prejudice and can influence judgments and behaviour. For example, assuming that all elderly people are weak is a stereotype. Such beliefs can create misunderstandings and contribute to prejudice and discrimination in society.
12. Explain self-fulfilling prophecy.
Answer:
A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person’s expectations about another individual influence behaviour in a way that causes those expectations to become true. For example, if a teacher believes a student is highly capable, the teacher may provide more encouragement and opportunities. As a result, the student performs better, confirming the teacher’s original expectation. Similarly, negative expectations can produce poor outcomes. Self-fulfilling prophecies contribute to the maintenance of stereotypes and prejudice because people may behave according to the expectations imposed on them, reinforcing existing beliefs and social biases.
13. What role does media play in attitude formation?
Answer:
Media plays a significant role in shaping attitudes by providing information, opinions, and social messages. Television, newspapers, films, and social media influence people’s beliefs about social issues, political events, and cultural values. Repeated exposure to specific messages can strengthen existing attitudes or create new ones. Media also affects attitudes through role models, advertisements, and persuasive communication. Positive media campaigns can encourage healthy behaviours and social awareness, while biased or misleading content may reinforce stereotypes and prejudice. Therefore, media is a powerful agent of socialization and attitude formation.
14. Explain balance theory of attitude change.
Answer:
Balance theory suggests that individuals prefer consistency among their attitudes, beliefs, and relationships. According to this theory, imbalance creates psychological discomfort, motivating people to restore harmony. For example, if a student likes a friend but dislikes a social issue strongly supported by that friend, an imbalance occurs. The student may change opinions about the issue or modify feelings towards the friend to achieve balance. The theory explains why attitudes change when people seek consistency among different elements of their social environment. Balanced relationships are generally more stable and psychologically comfortable.
15. What is persuasion? Mention its important elements.
Answer:
Persuasion is the process of influencing people’s attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours through communication. It is commonly used in advertising, education, politics, and social campaigns. Effective persuasion depends on three important elements: the source, the message, and the target audience. The source should be credible and trustworthy. The message should be clear, logical, and appealing. The target audience’s characteristics, such as intelligence, self-esteem, and motivation, also affect persuasion. When these elements work together effectively, attitudes can be changed in a positive and lasting manner.
16. Why do attitudes resist change?
Answer:
Attitudes resist change because they are often deeply connected to personal values, emotions, and social identity. Individuals may reject information that contradicts their existing beliefs. Strong attitudes developed through long-term experiences are particularly difficult to change. Social support from family, friends, or groups can further reinforce attitudes. People also prefer consistency in their thinking and may avoid situations that challenge their views. Fear of uncertainty and cognitive dissonance can strengthen resistance. As a result, changing attitudes often requires credible information, repeated exposure, and meaningful personal experiences.
17. Explain two sources of prejudice.
Answer:
Two major sources of prejudice are social learning and intergroup conflict. Social learning occurs when children observe prejudiced attitudes in parents, peers, or media and adopt similar beliefs. Intergroup conflict arises when groups compete for resources, power, or status. Such competition may create hostility and negative attitudes towards other groups. Prejudice can also emerge from stereotypes, cultural traditions, and lack of interaction between groups. Understanding these sources is important because it helps psychologists develop strategies to reduce prejudice and promote social harmony.
18. Suggest two strategies for reducing prejudice.
Answer:
Two effective strategies for reducing prejudice are increasing intergroup contact and promoting education and awareness. Positive interaction between different groups helps individuals understand one another and reduces stereotypes. Cooperative activities encourage mutual respect and shared goals. Education promotes critical thinking and challenges inaccurate beliefs about social groups. Schools, media, and community programs can spread awareness about diversity and equality. When people learn about different cultures and interact positively with others, prejudice decreases and social relationships improve. These strategies contribute to a more inclusive and harmonious society.
19. What is the importance of attitudes in everyday life?
Answer:
Attitudes help individuals understand and respond to the social world efficiently. They provide a framework for interpreting information and making decisions. Attitudes influence behaviour, preferences, relationships, and judgments about people and events. They simplify complex situations by offering ready-made evaluations. Positive attitudes promote cooperation, confidence, and healthy social interactions, while negative attitudes may lead to conflict and prejudice. Attitudes also guide consumer choices, political opinions, and lifestyle decisions. Therefore, attitudes are essential for effective social functioning and adaptation in everyday life.
20. Explain the significance of social cognition in human behaviour.
Answer:
Social cognition is significant because it helps individuals understand themselves and others within social situations. It enables people to interpret social cues, predict behaviour, form impressions, and make judgments. Through social cognition, individuals develop attitudes, beliefs, and expectations that guide interactions. It influences decision-making, communication, and relationship building. Social cognition also helps explain phenomena such as stereotypes, attribution, and prejudice. By understanding how people process social information, psychologists can better explain social behaviour and promote positive interpersonal relationships. Thus, social cognition plays a central role in human social life.