Can We Really Categorize Attitudes as High, Medium, or Low? Seeking Clarification

Hi friends,

I want to know whether it is correct to categorize attitudes into high, medium, and low levels. Please clarify.

Hey....

People have a misconception about the word "attitude." I often hear people say, "My God, that chick has 'attitude'..." The gross ignorance is way above the permitted level.... Anyways...

Attitude is defined as a "hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of liking or disliking for an item." There are only two types of attitude:
1) Positive
2) Negative

When I show you something, you either like it or you don't... Similarly, in an organization, people will like the work - positive attitude, or they will not - negative attitude... Simple... You can't say, "I like the work a little" or "I don't like the work a little..."

Reply,
Regards,
Jeet

Dear All,

I take this opportunity to appeal to all that we should first search the web before posting our query. When we post, we should give as much information about the context and the reason for posting the query. This will help generate discussions that will be enlightening and useful.

Had Kanagalaksmi searched the web using Google, for example, she would have found a number of links at attitude measurement scales - Google Search.

Have a nice day.

Simhan
A retired academic in the UK

Dear Simhan (Super Moderator),

An amazing reply to this query by you as a Super Moderator! Alas! I wonder how a senior person like you could give a vague and irresponsible reply like this. Of course, everything is available on the internet. Then why should people like Kanagalakshmi come here to search for her query? Your answer is like suggesting to avoid schools and colleges to learn since we have the internet to know everything. Is that right?

Anyhow, coming to the query of Kanagalakshmi - Yes, attitude (though intangible) can be classified as you said, viz., high, medium, and low. But the only thing is you have to define what is high (as applicable to your organization) and then deploy measuring scales accordingly. For example, you can set a rating scale of 1-10 where 8 to 10 is high, 4 to 8 is medium, and 1 to 4 is low. However, you have to define the attitudinal attributes for each scale too.

Dear David,

As a retired academic, I teach people to become independent learners rather than spoon-feed them. Had you taken the trouble to see the papers available at the site indicated, you would have found that there are articles that discuss attitude scales starting from the Thurstone scale.

My wife complimented on your English.

Have a nice day.

Simhan

[QUOTE=David Wilson;1028194]

Dear Simhan (Super Moderator),

Amazing reply to this query by you as a Super Moderator!! Alas! I wonder how come a senior person like you gives a vague and irresponsible reply like this. Of course, everything is available on the net (for that matter). Then why should people like Kanagalakshmi come here to search for her query? Your answer is like avoiding schools and colleges to learn since we have the internet to know everything. Is that right?

hello
Attitudes are evaluative statements/ inclination towards objects and human beings. It defines the way we look at things.

Example: ‘Children are naughty.' ‘Women are mentally strong.'

So it cannot be refered to as high low or medium

Attitude can also be said to an individual's characteristic way of responding consistently in favourable or unfavourable manner to objects events or people in his environment.

I hope the answer is to your satisfaction

Thank You

Leena

Dear Friend,

Greetings.

As I have found out from "Wikipedia," an attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of liking or disliking for an item. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event, often referred to as the attitude object. People can also be conflicted or ambivalent toward an object, meaning that they simultaneously possess both positive and negative attitudes toward the item in question.

Attitudes are judgments. They develop on the ABC model (affect, behavior, and cognition). The affective response is an emotional response that expresses an individual's degree of preference for an entity. The behavioral intention is a verbal indication or typical behavioral tendency of an individual. The cognitive response is a cognitive evaluation of the entity that constitutes an individual's beliefs about the object. Most attitudes are the result of either direct experience or observational learning from the environment.

T D Joshi
Visiting Faculty

Dear Leena,

If the attitude is defined as what you have mentioned here, then it can be measured too. What you have referred to as attitude here are all adjectives. Adjectives have degrees, and when there is a degree, there is a measurement. This is a general logic. However, as Mr. Simhan said in his earlier post, had you looked into the history of attitudinal measurement, then you would not have come to this conclusion. Please refer to Mr. Simhan's post, wherein he has mentioned the Thurston scale as well. Thanks, Mr. Simhan, for your inputs (but of course, for asking a query, the case is different). Thanks, Mrs. Simhan, for your compliments.

With best regards,

David Wilson