bases of an attitude
the types of information from which an attitude is derived. Traditionally, researchers have distinguished between three categories of bases: The affective basis refers to the emotions, feelings, and moods associated with the attitude object; the cognitive basis refers to beliefs about evaluative attributes associated with the attitude object; and the behavioral basis refers to responses, such as past behaviors and future intentions, associated with the attitude object. Also called components of an attitude. See also tripartite model of attitudes.