CHAPTER 2

Attitudes

WHAT IS AN ATTITUDE?

While there are many ways of defining an attitude, the Making Friends program is based on one of the early definitions: “an attitude is an idea charged with emotion which predisposes a class of actions to a particular class of social situations” (Triandis, 1971, p. 2). Notably, attitudes are complex, with a cognitive component (ideas and thoughts), an affective component (feelings), and a behavioral component (behavioral intentions, behavior or actions toward/away from the attitude referent; Ajzen, 1988; Eagly & Chaiken, 1993; Triandis, 1971). In this case, the attitude referent—Ms. Eacott—as mentioned in Chapter 1, uses attitude change research (Triandis, Adamopoulos, & Brinberg, 1984) as a foundation to create accepting multicultural inclusive classes. Therefore, this chapter provides more in-depth information on attitudes, including the definition of an attitude, developmental information on how and when attitudes are formed, a brief summary of research findings on attitudes, and implications for teachers and family members.

HOW ARE ATTITUDES FORMED?

Attitudes are formed over time by many influences that begin occurring when a child is very young. Simply put, children learn attitudes. Attitudes do not just happen; attitudes are encouraged and supported in particular directions (toward or away; positive or negative) by three primary sources: indirect experiences, direct experiences, and the child’s primary social group (Derman-Sparks, Tanaka Higa, & Sparks, 1980; Triandis, 1971; Triandis, Adamopoulos, & Brinberg, 1984).

Let’s take a look at each source that influences attitude development.

Indirect Experiences

There are many indirect experiences or sources of information that shape attitudes by indirectly providing information. These include but are not limited to how individuals are portrayed in books, movies, television, photographs, and conversations. Each of these sources of information indirectly informs a child’s sense of self and sense of others. Stated another way, each of these sources of information provides both a mirror (shaping perceptions of self) and a window (shaping perceptions of others; Blaska, 2000).

Therefore, children are indirectly exposed to the attitude referent (e.g., child with disabilities, child from a different race or ethnicity, child who uses multiple languages, child who is from a diverse family structure) through the information they receive in print and visual media or through conversations in daily life. Over time, the collection of these indirect experiences plays a role in shaping the development of positive or negative attitudes. Here are three examples that illustrate the influence of indirect experiences:

1. If a person is not portrayed at all in conversations, books, or popular media, this sends a strong and silent message that such a person is excluded, invisible, or does not belong (Blaska, 2000; Hughes, Rodriguez, Smith, Johnson, Stevenson, & Spicer, 2006).
2. If a person is repeatedly portrayed in a negative light in conversations, books, movies, television, or video games (e.g., a character with a disability or a character from a specific ethnic or racial group is often the “villain”) or is portrayed in ways that emphasize that he or she belongs to a different world (e.g., only Caucasian characters succeed, only Latino or African American characters live in poverty), it can predispose children to have a stereotypic view, to be less accepting, or to espouse negative attitudes toward others.

William, a child with a disability, was very welcomed back after his weeklong absence for surgery.

Direct Experiences

A similar thing happens with direct experiences. Direct experiences are authentic, firsthand encounters with individuals who are different in some way.

• If repeated experiences and/or interactions with others who are different from one’s self are negative, uncomfortable, or unsuccessful, this will likely have a negative impact on early perceptions, setting the stage for negative attitudes.
• If repeated experiences and/or interactions with individuals who are diverse are positive, comfortable, or successful, it will likely have a positive impact on early perceptions, setting the stage for positive attitudes.

Primary Social Group

Last, a child’s primary social group greatly influences the attitudes that he or she adopts (Castelli, Zogmaister, & Tomelleri, 2009; Hughes et al., 2006; Jeynes, 2005; Peretti & Sydney, 1984; Sinclair, Dunn, & Lowery, 2005; Thornton & Camburn, 1987; Weinraub, Clemens, Sockloff, Ethridge, Gracely, & Myers, 1984). Families are the first primary social group for young children, and consequently, parents and other family members play a critical role in the development of perceptions and attitude formation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Research has consistently demonstrated that teachers and family members have a powerful impact on children’s attitudes. In fact, every day, teachers and family members communicate their attitudes about a myriad of people, events, and situations to children through the ways they talk about others or answer questions, the ways they behave, and the ways they show positive conversations and activities that model acceptance of human differences.

So what can be done to ensure that attitudes of acceptance are developed in children? The following things are important to consider:

1. Knowing oneself and one’s own attitudes.
2. Involving family members, especially when children make the transition into new educational settings on a fairly regular basis.
3. Using a multicomponent approach.
4. Being a discriminating consumer.
5. Planning for maintenance of an accepting, welcoming, and inclusive setting.

These strategies suggested in this program are consistent with the position statement of the National Association for practitioners as they strive to create more inclusive and welcoming early childhood classrooms.