Attitudes and behaviour II Flashcards
theory of reasoned action - FIshbein and Azjen (1975)
Attitude component (A; +/- (valence), expectancy, value)
Behavioral intentions (BIs; do you intend to…)
Subjective norm (SNs; what do others think? Normative beliefs plus motivation to comply)
Lots of support but also lots of issues
see notes
the pros and cons of the TRA
Whether feel can actually perform behav – missing from model
Proved quite good at predicting behaviour (evidence?) but…
Something was missing – what?
The CAN factor (does person feel they can perform behaviour) – self-efficacy
Revisions needed!
the theory of planned behaviour - Ajzen (1991)
Incorporated Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC)
PBCs determined by control beliefs
HOW does PBC influence behaviour?
- Affects BIs
- Directly affects behaviour
see notes
is the theory of planned behaviour any better?
Adding in PBC should be an improvement over TRA
Both have been much studied and support for both found – the literature is very split
Albarracin et al. (2001) - meta-analysis (96 studies) - TRA and condom use
Armitage & Connor (2001) - meta-analysis (185 studies) – stopping smoking, blood donation, using public transport
Albarracin et al. (2001)
Future condom use behaviour significantly related to BIs to use condoms (r = .45)
BIs predicted by Attitudes (r = .58) and SNs (r = .39)
As towards condom use predicted by behavioural beliefs (r = .56)
SNs predicted by normative beliefs (r = .46)
So, TRA variables did a pretty good job of helping predict behaviour.
Armitage & Conner (2001) – found good support for TPB
Across both meta-analyses, pretty good evidence that each is effective in predicting “thoughtful behaviour”
BUT – not the complete picture…a few unanswered questions…
- Are some types of belief more important than others?
- Which is more important at predicting BIs – As or SNs?
- When do intentions translate into behaviour?
- Does thinking about our As make them better predict behaviour? (already covered; remember Wilson et al.,?)
are some types of belief more important than others?
Liked versus disliked outcomes:
- negative outcomes more important in predicting speeding behaviour BUT
- positive outcomes more important in predicting initiation of smoking (Lawton et al., 2007)
Material costs and benefits to the self – consequences of action for feelings and well-being (instrumental vs. emotional beliefs)…
instrumental v emotional beliefs
Action: eating fruit – instrumental outcomes = better energy levels, easier weight control, improved cardiovascular health – concerned with material and beneficial costs; emotional outcomes = feelings of pride and vitality
This distinction v. important when understanding risky behaviours (skiing, smoking) (Lowenstein et al., 2001)
Emotional reactions more powerful driver of decisions
Negative emotional beliefs really important
which is more important at predicting behavioural intentions (BIs) - attitudes of SNs?
Usually…BIs better predicted by attitudes than SNs, but…not always…
Sometimes there are differences in terms of whether people or situations emphasise personal (what I think) or collective (what others who matter to me think) beliefs
Trafimow and Finlay (1996)
students completed measures of As, SNs and BIs towards 30 things like:
- Paying bills on time
- Eating vegetables regularly
- About 80% had BIs better predicted by As than SNs
- So for 20% pattern reversed
- Linked to cultural background?
- Individual differences? More normative = more conformist?
- Weaker attitudes?
- More aware of views of others
and so, why do we differ on this?
Ybarra & Trafimow (1998) – is it to do with whether we think more in terms of our private self vs. our collective self?
Got people to think about private-self vs. collective-self cognitions to see if these affected results
Private-self cognition – “I am funny”
Collective-self cognition – “My family thinks that I am funny”
what Ybarra and Trafimow did
One group of pps asked to think about themselves, their expectations and how they differed from family and friends
The other asked what they had in common with family and friends
First tried to make personal-self beliefs salient; second made collective-self beliefs salient
Then rated As, SNs and BIs towards condom use during sex
what Ybarra and Traffimow found
Private-self belief primed pps: BIs more highly correlated with (and predicted by) As (r = .64) than SNs (r = .48)
Collective-self belief pps: BIs more highly correlated with (and predicted by) SNs (r = .67) than As (r = .54)
take home points
Highlight conditions where SNs can become more important in predicting BIs
Fits findings from other studies that different ways of thinking about ourselves affects A-B link
Relevant when looking at cross cultural differences in roles of As
how do BIs translate into behaviour
They obviously don’t always!
Important development = implementation intentions (IIs; specific If-then plans)…
“When I encounter situation A, I will perform behaviour B”
“When I return to Uni from my weekend at home I will go straight to the library and start researching the essay topic for PSY2203”
when implementation intentions are present, increase in A-B link
Orbell et al. (1997) – intervention group – instructed to form IIs; control group (no instructions)
One month after intervention 64% of II group reported having performed BSE; 14% in control
Loads of studies on this in health domain, IIs really do matter!
