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Individual differences (attitude, motivation and aggression) GapFill

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Attitude can be defined as an enduring emotional feeling that alters an individual's response towards a specific situation. It is important for a performer to have a   negativepositivepassiveweak attitude, as this has a beneficial impact on motivation towards achieving goals and task persistence.

Attitude formation is dependent on a number of factors:

  • Personality type - As covered earlier, there are many different types of personality. It is suggested that extroverts are more likely to have a positive attitude towards sport by embracing social scenarios
  • Social influences - This is encapsulated by the   social learningcognitive dissonancedriveinteractionist theory, which suggests that an individual is more likely to form an attitude based on the observation of a significant other
  • Social norms - An individual is more likely to develop an attitude that is deemed socially acceptable or has been passed down through history in certain cultures
  • Education - What we are taught in school and by peers could influence our beliefs or attitudes
  • Media influence - What we see or read in the news or on social media can also shape our attitudes
  • Personal experiences - If an individual has had a large amount of positive personal experience of a certain situation, they are more likely to form a positive attitude towards this situation. The more emotional the experience, the more likely that an attitude will be formed.
Every attitude is represented by a triadic model, made up of three components: 
  • The  effectiveemotionalcognitiveaffective component - The emotional reaction towards attitude. A positive emotional reaction to exercise would promote the formation of positive attitudes towards exercise. For example, a sedentary individual who sees visible signs of improvement following two weeks of training might change their attitude towards exercise as they feel healthier.
  • The   affectivebehaviouraleffectiveemotional component - How an individual behaves compared to what they believe. Their behaviour is more reflective of their attitude than their beliefs. For example, a sedentary individual may be well educated on the health benefits of physical activity, yet may still refrain from participating, revealing their attitude towards it.
  • The  behaviouralemotionalcognitiveaffective component - An individual’s thoughts towards an attitude object. This involves an individual’s attitude being influenced by either positive or negative beliefs that the individual holds. For example, a sedentary individual does not think that exercise is that important for them in maintaining a healthy lifestyle as they already have a good diet and don’t drink or smoke.
Methods of attitude change:

 Motivational communicationPersonality manipulationPersuasive communicationSocial learning - The success of this method is dependent on the following factors:

  • The characteristics of the recipient - A more willing recipient who is open to ideas or is easily swayed by words is more likely to be convinced to change their attitude
  • The characteristics of the benefactor - If the benefactor is of a higher status than the recipient, social learning theory suggests they are more likely to change their attitude
  • The quality of the message - The message must be clear, accurate and concise to avoid overloading the recipient of information, thus demotivating them to pay full attention
 Cognitive dissonancePersuasive communicationMotivational communicationPersonality manipulation - The basis of this method is to create an imbalance in one’s beliefs by causing a conflict between the three components of attitude. This conflict is designed to influence the individual into restoring balance between the components by changing their attitude. For example, in order for a determined 800 m runner to be persuaded to take up the heptathlon due to their all-round track and field ability, their  behaviouraleffectiveemotionalcognitive component could be targeted by introducing other track and field events into their warm-up as a practical demonstration of their ability to be successful in these events.


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Pass Mark
72%