Theory of Planned Behaviour

Question 1

What is the Theory of Planned Behaviour?

Answer 1

a theory that suggests that there are 3 main components that shape an individual’s behaviour:
-attitude -subjective norms -perceived behavioural control
Ajzen 1985

Question 2

describe the ‘attitude’ component of the TPB

Answer 2

attitude is a feeling of favourableness or unfavourableness for a concept

Question 3

where does our attitude come from?

Answer 3

affect - people’s feelings and values about the attitude object
cognition - people’s beliefs about properties of the attitude object
behaviour - based on observation of how one behaves towards the attitude object

Question 4

what are the two types of attitude and how can they be measured?

Answer 4

explicit attitude - intentional, conscious thoughts, behaviours and actions. can be measured through questionnaires
implicit attitude - unconscious and automatic thoughts, behaviours and actions. can be measured through an implicit association test which measures small differences in reaction times to different concepts and objects

Question 5

when do attitudes best predict behaviour?

Answer 5

1. when the social influences on attitudes are minimised
2. when the level of specificity of attitudes and behaviours matches
3. when attitudes are strong
4. when explicit measures are used to predict deliberate behaviours, & implicit measures are used to predict automatic behaviours

Question 6

give an example of attitude-behaviour inconsistency

Answer 6

Atchley 2011 - young people’s attitudes toward texting and driving had no correlation with whether they actually text and drive

Question 7

describe the ‘subjective norms’ component of the TPB

Answer 7

the views and attitudes towards the concept and behaviour that the majority of society or a specific group hold - what other people think you should or should not do in relation to the behaviour

Question 8

describe the ‘perceived behavioural control’ component of the TPB

Answer 8

an individual’s perception of their ability to perform a particular behaviour

Question 9

what are the two components of ‘perceived behavioural control’?

Answer 9

control beliefs - the extent to which the individual believes he can influence what is happening/will happen
perceived facilitating of inhibiting power - what factors the individual believes are controlling his behaviours

Question 10

what are the two components of ‘subjective norms’?

Answer 10

normative beliefs - what everyone else thinks

motivation to comply - what are the individuals personal reasons to comply with this behaviour?

Question 11

what are the two components of ‘attitude’?

Answer 11

behavioural beliefs - what the individual believes will happen as a result of engaging in a behaviour
outcome evaluation - how the individual evaluates these outcomes: positive/negative

Question 12

what are some limitations of the TPB?

Answer 12

• intentions don’t always predict behaviour e.g condom use

- not good at predicting spontaneous behaviour