Question

An individual's attitude towards a particular topic may be contrary to his/her behaviour.' Justify this statement with evidence.

Answer 1

When Americans were rumoured to have prejudice against Chinese people, American social psychologist Richard LaPiere performed a study. He asked a Chinese couple to travel to the United States during that time and stay in various hotels. Only once during this did one of the hotels refuse to provide service. Later, when Richard LaPiere issued a survey to owners of hotels and vacation rental properties asking if they would provide lodging for any Chinese visitors, it was discovered that a sizable majority had responded negatively. This demonstrated a mistrust of Chinese culture, but it was also inconsistent because the Chinese couple was only turned away once. This experiment demonstrates how a person's behaviours and attitude towards a given issue might differ.