Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Attitudes represent evaluations of individuals, objects, or concepts. Social psychology identifies several key characteristics of attitudes that influence their potency and effect.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the identified characteristics:
Valence: This denotes the direction of the attitude: positive, negative, or neutral. This is a fundamental characteristic.
Centrality: This indicates how integral an attitude is to an individual's value system. A central attitude aligns closely with core values and self-identity. This is a significant characteristic.
Extremeness: This refers to the intensity of the valence. An attitude can range from mildly positive to intensely positive. This is also a significant characteristic.
Quantity: This is not a recognized characteristic of an individual attitude. While a person possesses a "quantity" of distinct attitudes, the term itself does not describe a property of a single attitude. Other characteristics include simplicity/complexity (the number of beliefs constituting an attitude).
Step 3: Final Answer:
Valence, Centrality, and Extremeness are all significant characteristics of attitudes. Quantity is not.