In psychology, an attitude is defined as an expression of favour or disfavour toward a person, event, or object. When we discuss attitudes, we look can use the ABC model to address its three components.

• Affective component: a person's feelings or emotions about a person, event, or object. 
• Behavioural component: the way the attitude affects how we act toward a person, event, or object.
• Cognitive component: a person's beliefs or knowledge about a person, event, or object.

One of the underlying assumptions about the link between attitudes and behaviour is that of consistency. This means that we often or usually expect the behaviour of a person to be consistent with the attitudes that they hold. This is called the principle of consistency. 

Psychologists believe that by changing people's attitudes, we can then change their behaviour. The question for this part of the unit is - to what extent does globalization affect or change people's attitudes?

One of the most divisive issues in many election campaigns is the question of immigration.  While globalization encourages immigration and some people welcome the diversity that immigrants may bring to society, others are against opening borders to more immigrants.  Psychologists argue that by studying the effects of globalization on attitudes, we can better understand why people may maintain these different opinions. Social psychologists are interested in how social contexts affect intergroup relations and especially attitudes towards minorities and immigrants, for example as a result of globalization.

Ariely (2011) argues that globalization is an important factor in shaping national identity and intergroup relations. The researcher distinguishes between two relationships with one’s local identity.  On the one hand, there is the nationalistic identity that believes that one’s country is better than other countries and is defensive when the country is criticized; on the other hand, there is constructive patriotism where although individuals are loyal to their country, they are also able to constructively criticize the country.   The aim of Ariely's study was to examine the effect of globalization on the relationship between 'constructive patriotism', 'nationalism', and xenophobic attitudes – that is, dislike or prejudice against people from other countries. Through the use of a cross-sectional survey of over 31 countries, Ariely found that those individuals with attitudes associated with constructive patriotism were more tolerant of foreigners, whereas those participants who were nationalistic had higher levels of xenophobia.  The study also found that the correlation between nationalism and xenophobia is stronger in countries with higher levels of globalization than in countries with lower levels of globalization.

According to Ariely, the results of her study have shown that nationalism is related to exclusionary reactions while constructive patriotism is related to integrative reactions.  Overall, Ariely's study, which is one of the first to investigate a possible link between globalization and attitudes, was not able to determine why some people react to globalization by developing a more nationalistic orientation or a more constructive patriotic orientation. In addition, it is not possible to argue that globalization directly causes these orientations to develop.

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1. Cross-sectional study

When we say that the study was cross-sectional, it means that it was done on various populations at a single point in time.  This is problematic in that it does not show change over time and is open to distortion as a result of current situational factors at the time of the survey. A recent set of terrorist attacks, a surge (or decline) in tourism, a decrease in trade, or a concert by Lady Gaga can all have a short-term effect on individuals' attitudes about globalization and foreigners.

2. Correlational research

The study is based on a survey. Although the data is quantitative in nature, no independent variable is manipulated so we cannot determine a cause and effect relationship.  We cannot assume that high levels of globalization lead to higher levels of nationalism and that this, in turn, leads to higher levels of xenophobia.

3. Operationalization of variables

When looking at the variables in this study, Ariely was measuring "nationalism", "patriotism," and "xenophobia." There are several concerns about the way these variables are measured. The survey is self-reported; especially since xenophobia is considered a negative personal trait, social desirability bias may play a role in the data collection. In addition, what is perceived as "nationalistic identity" and "constructive patriotism" is up for debate.  We could question the validity of these constructs and whether they are as distinct as Ariely would like us to think.

4. Population validity

The sample was taken from 31 countries.  We would have to consult the original study to determine if the range of countries could be considered representative.

One of the key theories of social psychology is known as the Contact Hypothesis (Allport, 1954); the theory posits that through positive contact with out-groups, we improve inter-group relationships. However, modern research shows that people living in cities are more aware of cultural differences and engage in more stereotyping than people that do not live in cities (Chen & Chui, 2010). Surprisingly, Buchtel (2014) found that students of cultural psychology who compare and contrast different cultures are more likely to believe in stereotypes than students who do not study culture.  Contrary to what the Contact Hypothesis predicts, stereotyping may be strongest when cultures are in more direct contact with each other. This is also supported in Ariely's (2002) findings that a country's level of globalization seems to play a role in whether people adopt constructive nationalism or a nationalistic attitude.   

Gries et al (2011) also found that contact with another group through media exposure actually caused more negative reactions. The researchers carried out two large surveys of US citizens to see whether there was a relationship between knowledge about China, prejudice against the Chinese, and preferences for US/China government policy.  Results showed that greater knowledge of China was actually associated with greater negativity towards China and a desire for tougher China policies.

These studies show that with regard to the Contact Hypotheses, psychological theories may need to be refined and expanded when applied to globalized contexts.  The Dynamic Constructivist Theory of Culture attempts to explain this complexity. The theory argues that by being exposed to a culture, people develop a cognitive representation of the culture made up of a central concept (e.g “American culture”) that is linked to different traits for that culture. Therefore, when the central concept is activated, this cue leads to the spontaneous activation of knowledge of traits associated with that culture. So, when shown an image associated with the culture – for example, the Statue of Liberty – one’s awareness of their culture’s values is enhanced.