Class 12 Psychology - HARYANA
Attitude and Social Cognition
The chapter 'Attitude and Social Cognition' in Class 12 Psychology explores how we form impressions of others, explain their behavior through attribution, and develop evaluations called attitudes. For Haryana (BSEH) board exams, this chapter is crucial as it forms the foundation of social psychology. Students learn about cognitive processes involved in understanding the social world, the ABC components of attitudes, how attitudes change, and the consistency between attitudes and behavior. Mastering this chapter helps students answer both objective and descriptive questions, scoring high by relating psychological theories to everyday social interactions and real-life scenarios.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Social Cognition
The mental process of gathering, processing, and remembering information about other people and social situations.
Attribution
The process by which we assign causes to our own and other people's behavior, categorized into internal (dispositional) and external (situational) causes.
Attitude
A state of the mind, a set of views, or thoughts regarding some topic (called the attitude object), having cognitive, affective, and behavioral components.
A-B-C Components of Attitude
Stands for Affective (emotional), Behavioral (action tendency), and Cognitive (thought) components that structure any attitude.
Cognitive Dissonance
A psychological state of discomfort experienced when two cognitive elements or an attitude and behavior are inconsistent with each other.
Pro-social Behaviour
Actions that are intended to help or benefit another person or group without expecting any external reward in return.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
This chapter typically carries around 6-8 marks in the Haryana (BSEH) Class 12 Psychology board examination. Questions commonly include 1-mark objective questions (MCQs/Fill-in-the-blanks), 2-mark short answer questions defining key terms like attribution or cognitive dissonance, and 4 to 6-mark long answer questions explaining the process of attitude formation, change, or the fundamental attribution error.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination?
Prejudice is an attitude or pre-conceived opinion (usually negative) about a group, whereas discrimination refers to the actual behavioral expression or unfair treatment of people based on that prejudice.
How can we change an existing attitude?
Attitudes can be changed through persuasion, cognitive dissonance (creating inconsistency between beliefs and actions), two-sided messages, and positive interaction between different groups.
What is the fundamental attribution error?
It is the tendency of people to overemphasize internal dispositional causes and underestimate external situational factors when explaining other people's behavior.
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