The main difference between explicit and implicit attitudes is that explicit attitudes are attitudes that are at the conscious level, while implicit attitudes are attitudes that are at the unconscious level.
We can generally describe an attitude as a person’s feeling, opinion or perspective about something. Attitudes determine how we act or behave with others. Moreover, they can be categorized into two groups as explicit and implicit attitudes. Explicit attitudes are deliberate and conscious attitudes, whereas implicit attitudes are automatic and unconscious attitudes.
Key Areas Covered
1. What are Attitudes
– Definition, Features
2. What are Explicit Attitudes
– Definition, Features
3. What are Implicit Attitudes
– Definition, Features
4. Difference Between Explicit and Implicit Attitudes
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Attitudes, Behaviour, Explicit Attitudes, Implicit Attitudes
What are Attitudes
We can describe attitudes as associations between concepts and evaluations. It reports how someone sees something – positive or negative, desirable or undesirable, favourable or unfavourable. Furthermore, attitudes help to guide people’s thoughts, judgment and behaviour.
Attitudes are based on a person’s experiences, values, beliefs, and emotions. Therefore, they are personal responses set according to personal preferences. For example, two people can have two very different attitudes towards the same issue, i.e., one person may show a positive attitude while the other may show a negative attitude.
What are Explicit Attitudes
Explicit attitudes are attitudes that are at the conscious level. They are deliberately formed and easy to detect and report. They are the conscious and chosen attitudes a person displays when he/she interacts with the world. These attitudes result in the behaviours others see. For example, you can decide for yourself whether you like maths or not. Your behaviour may also reflect this.
Furthermore, attitudes are greatly influenced by a person’s background and experience. For example, someone who has grown up in a family with extreme prejudice against a certain ethnic group may show a negative attitude towards those belonging to that ethnic group. However, factors like age, education, and distance can also influence a person’s attitudes, helping him or her to adopt inclusive and non-prejudiced attitudes.
What are Implicit Attitudes
Implicit attitudes are attitudes that are at the unconscious level. They form involuntarily, usually unknown to us. The psychologists Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji define implicit attitudes as “introspectively unidentified (or inaccurately identified) traces of past experience that mediate favourable or unfavourable feeling, thought, or action toward a social object.” For example, if you had a bad experience with an insect as a child, you may have an involuntary negative attitude towards insects even as an adult, even if you claim that is not so. Similarly, someone may claim that both men and women are good at business, but it’s possible that he or she may associate business more strongly with men without being actually aware of it.
Difference Between Explicit and Implicit Attitudes
Definition
Explicit attitudes are deliberate and conscious attitudes, whereas implicit attitudes are automatic and unconscious attitudes.
Awareness
A person is aware of his explicit attitudes but not of his implicit attitudes.
Change
Explicit attitudes are more dynamic and can change over time, while implicit attitudes are likely to be resistant to change.
Measurement
Moreover, explicit attitudes involve direct measurement, while implicit attitudes involve indirect measurement.
Conclusion
In brief, attitudes are associations between concepts and evaluations. The main difference between explicit and implicit attitudes is that explicit attitudes are attitudes deliberate and conscious attitudes, while implicit attitudes are involuntary and unconscious attitudes.
Reference:
1. “Implicit Attitude.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Dec. 2020, Available here.
2. Kimuyu, Patrick. “Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Define Human Behavior.” GRIN, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Attitude” By Nick Youngson – Alpha Stock Images (CC BY-SA 3.0)via Picpedia
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