How Would You Use Your Knowledge of the Social Psychology Literature to Change an Entire Community’s Attitude Towards a Dangerous Practice Such as Smoking?

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Question 1 How would you use your knowledge of the social psychology literature to change an entire community’s attitude towards a dangerous practice such as smoking? INTRODUCTION: * Underlying theories of basic human functioning such as normative and informational influence (Sherif and Asch) and research on ordering (Milgram) led to the development and understanding of ways in which attitudes and behaviours can be manipulated * WWII saw the development of such theories due to the need to influence attitudes towards the war and create positive propaganda * Carl Hovland’s Yale School undertook such research creating many experiments and manipulated IV’s to discover what factors can be used to create influence * Kurt Lewin’s group dynamic approach also during war- housewives experiment * Development of Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory cornerstone to understanding how behaviours and attitudes can be changed, basis for much research on attitude change such as the use of sanctions * Forced compliance paradigm * Research especially during the time of the Korean war looked at brain washing and thought reform- this is a very real method of changing people’s attitudes and behaviours however it entails many ethical and methodological concerns in a modern world. It’s use has also led to catastrophic events such as the Jonas mass suicide in South Africa * 2 main strategies are 1) persuasion 2) use of incentives or sanctions * Both can lead to behaviour change but it is important that they also change the underlying attitude if the change is to be enduring * Petty & Cacioppo’s 1986 Elaboration Likelyhood Model of Persuasion- central or peripheral route to processing and the factors which impact on the route taken and how this route can be more or less influential * Use of government sanctions:

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