Attitudes — AQA A-Level Physical Education

Attitudes are a core topic in AQA A-Level Physical Education, exploring how individuals develop predispositions towards exercise, sport, and healthy behaviours. The topic covers the definition of attitudes, the triadic model (cognitive, affective, behavioural components), and the factors that shape them, including socialisation, peers, family, media, and personal experiences. Understanding attitudes is essential for explaining why people adopt or avoid physical activity and for designing interventions to promote active lifestyles.

This topic links closely with other areas such as motivation, aggression, and group dynamics, providing a psychological foundation for understanding behaviour in sport. It is frequently examined through definition, application, and evaluation questions, requiring students to not only recall the components but also apply them to sporting scenarios and suggest strategies for attitude change. Mastery of this topic supports analysis of real-world issues like participation rates and adherence to exercise programmes.

• →Attitudes are learned predispositions to respond consistently towards an attitude object, which can be positive, negative, or neutral, and are relatively stable but changeable.
• →The triadic model comprises three components: cognitive (beliefs and knowledge), affective (feelings and emotions), and behavioural (intended or actual actions), which interact to form the overall attitude.
• →Attitudes are formed through socialisation processes, including primary socialisation (family) and secondary socialisation (peers, school, media, and culture), and can be influenced by significant others and personal experiences.
• →Measurement of attitudes can be conducted using Likert scales, Thurstone scales, and semantic differential scales, each with strengths and limitations regarding validity and reliability.
• →Attitude change can be achieved through strategies such as cognitive dissonance, positive reinforcement, modelling, and creating positive experiences, often targeting one or more components of the triadic model.

• The triadic model treats an attitude as having three components: cognitive, affective and behavioural.
• The cognitive component concerns beliefs, knowledge and thoughts about the attitude object.
• The affective component concerns feelings and emotions towards the attitude object.
• The behavioural component concerns intended or actual actions towards the attitude object.
• The components interact, so a change in one can influence the others.
• A multiple-choice stem describing a belief points to the cognitive component, a feeling to the affective component and an action to the behavioural component.
• An attitude is a settled way of thinking and feeling about an attitude object.
• The cognitive component is made up of beliefs, knowledge and thoughts about the object.
• The affective component is made up of feelings and emotions towards the object.
• The behavioural component is made up of intended or actual actions towards the object.
• The components can be inconsistent with one another, which helps explain behaviour that seems to contradict stated beliefs.
• In multiple-choice assessment, each option must be judged against the definition of the component it names.
• Attitudes are learned predispositions to respond consistently towards an attitude object such as a sport, training or competition.
• Formation occurs through direct experience, including success and failure in physical activity.
• Formation occurs through social learning: observing, imitating and modelling significant others such as coaches, peers and family.
• Formation occurs through social and cultural influences such as media, team norms and the values of the sporting environment.
• The triadic model describes attitudes as having cognitive (beliefs), affective (feelings) and behavioural (actions) components.
• A positive attitude can be strengthened by repeated positive experiences and credible role models; a negative attitude can be entrenched by repeated negative experiences.
• Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort experienced when a person's beliefs, feelings and behaviour are inconsistent.
• Dissonance motivates the individual to reduce inconsistency, for example by changing the behaviour or changing the belief.
• Persuasive communication can change attitudes through a credible source, a clear message, a suitable medium and an attentive receiver.
• The likelihood of attitude change increases when the message is relevant, the source is trusted and the receiver is motivated and able to process it.
• Attitude change may also require practical support, such as access to facilities or social approval, so that new behaviour can be maintained.

• 💡Underline the key noun in the stem: belief, feeling or action, then select the matching component.
• 💡Check whether the stem describes what a performer thinks, feels or does before looking at the options.
• 💡Eliminate options that name a component already ruled out by the stem wording, then choose between the remaining options.
• 💡Read each option and ask whether it describes a belief, a feeling or an action before choosing.
• 💡Watch for distractors that describe ability or fitness rather than any component of an attitude.
• 💡Where two options seem similar, choose the one that matches the component named in the stem most precisely.
• 💡In multiple-choice questions, identify the attitude object first, then decide whether the option describes a learned evaluation rather than an innate trait.
• 💡When a stem describes a performer's beliefs, feelings and actions, check whether the option correctly links all three components of the triadic model.
• 💡Eliminate options that describe only one influence on formation when the stem asks for the broad process of attitude formation.
• 💡In multiple-choice questions, match the scenario to the correct process: look for internal inconsistency for cognitive dissonance and for a credible source delivering a message for persuasive communication.
• 💡Check whether the option names a condition that makes persuasion more effective, such as source credibility or personal relevance, rather than an unrelated factor.
• 💡Reject options that describe changing a skill or a physical capacity when the stem asks about changing an attitude.
• 💡Always define attitudes precisely in your first sentence when a question asks for a definition, using the phrase 'learned predisposition to respond consistently towards an attitude object' to secure the mark.
• 💡When applying the triadic model, explicitly label each component (cognitive, affective, behavioural) and provide a specific sporting example for each to demonstrate understanding and application.
• 💡For questions on attitude change, link your strategy to a specific component of the triadic model and explain how it leads to a change in attitude, using named techniques like cognitive dissonance or positive reinforcement.

• Treating the triadic model as three separate attitudes rather than three components of one attitude; correct this by stating that cognitive, affective and behavioural parts combine into a single attitude towards one object.
• Labelling a statement of feeling, such as enjoying training, as cognitive; correct this by reserving cognitive for beliefs and knowledge and affective for emotions.
• Labelling an intention to act, such as planning to join a club, as purely cognitive; correct this by placing intended or actual behaviour in the behavioural component.
• Assuming the three components must always agree; correct this by noting that a person can know exercise is healthy yet dislike it and avoid it.
• Defining an attitude as only a feeling; correct this by including beliefs and behaviour alongside emotion.
• Confusing the affective component with the behavioural component; correct this by linking affective to emotions and behavioural to actions or intentions.
• Assuming attitudes are fixed for life; correct this by recognising that attitudes can be formed and changed through experience and persuasion.
• Ignoring the attitude object; correct this by naming the specific sport, activity or person the attitude is directed towards.
• Believing attitudes are innate and unchangeable; correction: attitudes are learned through experience, observation and social influence, so they can be formed and reformed.
• Treating attitude as only a feeling; correction: the triadic model includes cognitive beliefs, affective feelings and behavioural actions, and all three should be considered.
• Assuming one bad session permanently creates a negative attitude; correction: formation depends on repeated experiences and the wider social environment, so a single event is rarely decisive.
• Confusing attitude with personality; correction: personality is a relatively stable trait pattern, whereas an attitude is a learned evaluation of a specific attitude object.
• Thinking cognitive dissonance is simply feeling nervous before performance; correction: dissonance is specifically the discomfort caused by inconsistency among beliefs, feelings and behaviour.
• Believing any message from any source will change attitudes; correction: persuasive communication depends on source credibility, message clarity and relevance, suitable medium and receiver motivation.
• Assuming attitude change is always immediate and permanent; correction: change is a process that may need repeated persuasive messages, reduced dissonance and ongoing support.
• Confusing dissonance with persuasion; correction: dissonance is an internal state of discomfort, whereas persuasive communication is an external attempt to influence attitudes.
• Students often think attitudes are innate and unchangeable. Correction: Attitudes are learned through socialisation and experience, and they can be changed through targeted interventions, although they may be resistant to change.
• Students frequently confuse the triadic model components, especially cognitive and affective. Correction: Cognitive refers to thoughts and beliefs, affective refers to feelings and emotions, and behavioural refers to actions or intentions. Use 'Think, Feel, Do' to remember.
• Students sometimes believe that measuring attitudes directly predicts behaviour perfectly. Correction: Attitudes do not always predict behaviour due to factors like social pressure, situational constraints, and attitude strength; measurement tools have limitations such as social desirability bias.

1. 1Day 1-2: Learn the definition of attitudes and the triadic model. Create flashcards for each component with sporting examples and test yourself using active recall.
2. 2Day 3-4: Study the formation of attitudes, including socialisation agents and the influence of peers, family, and media. Make a mind map linking each agent to positive and negative attitude outcomes.
3. 3Day 5-6: Learn the methods of measuring attitudes (Likert, Thurstone, semantic differential) and their strengths and limitations. Practice writing 4-mark evaluation answers.
4. 4Day 7-8: Explore strategies for attitude change, such as cognitive dissonance and reinforcement. Apply each strategy to a sporting scenario and explain which component it targets.
5. 5Day 9-10: Complete past paper questions on attitudes, focusing on 6-mark application and evaluation questions. Review mark schemes and refine your answers to include precise terminology and examples.

• 📋Definition and component identification questions (2-4 marks): Typically ask students to define attitudes or identify the components of the triadic model. Advice: Use precise definitions and label each component clearly with an example.
• 📋Application questions (4-6 marks): Require students to apply the triadic model to a given sporting scenario, explaining how each component influences behaviour. Advice: Structure your answer by component, using specific examples from the scenario.
• 📋Evaluation questions (6-9 marks): Ask students to evaluate methods of measuring attitudes or strategies for changing attitudes. Advice: Provide balanced arguments with strengths and limitations, and link to sporting contexts.
• 📋Extended response questions (8-15 marks): May combine attitudes with other topics like motivation or adherence, requiring synthesis. Advice: Plan your answer to cover definition, application, and evaluation, using connectives to link ideas.