Three-component structure of attitudes

Traditionally, attitudes have been conceived of as having a complex structure involving three interrelated components: the cognitive component, the affective component, and the behavioral component.

This three-component model, often referred to as the "ABCs of attitudes," helps us understand the multifaceted nature of our evaluations.

Cognitive Component: Beliefs and Knowledge

The cognitive component of an attitude refers to a person's thoughts, beliefs, knowledge, and information about the attitude object.

These cognitions can be objective facts, opinions, stereotypes, or any other ideas associated with the object.

For example, a person's attitude toward a particular car model may include beliefs about its fuel efficiency, safety, price, or design.

These thoughts and knowledge contribute to a person's overall evaluation of the car.

Affective Component: Feelings and Emotions

The affective component relates to the feelings and emotions that the attitude object evokes in the person.

These emotional reactions can be positive (such as liking, sympathy, admiration) or negative (such as dislike, fear, hate).

Continuing with the car example, the affective component could include the feeling of pleasure experienced when driving it, admiration for its aesthetics, or the anxiety that its high maintenance cost might generate.

Often, attitudes are strongly influenced by these emotional responses, even more than by cognitive information.

Behavioral (or Conative) Component: Intentions and Actions

The behavioral component (sometimes called conative) refers to the behavioral intentions or past and present actions of the person towards the attitude object. It includes the predisposition to act in a certain way in relation to the object.

In the case of a car, this component could be manifested in the intention to buy that model, in recommending it to others, or in having driven it in the past and having the intention to do so again.

Although there is not always a direct correspondence between attitudes and observable behavior, this component is crucial to understanding how our evaluations can be translated into actions.

These three components are usually interrelated and tend to be consistent with each other, although there may be variations in the relative importance of each depending on the specific attitude or the person.