From Ajzen, A., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Theory of Reasoned Action
Intention to perform a behavior is a function of attitudes toward engaging in the behavior and perceived normative pressure to perform the behavior.
Performing
a behavior is a function of intention to perform the behavior.
Attitudes
don’t directly predict behavior, they predict intention.
Norms
don’t directly predict behavior, they predict intention.
Intention
predicts behaviors.
Depending
on the behavior:
Attitudes
may have more influence on intention
·
Personally
relevant behavior
·
Not
very observable behavior
§
What
you intend to eat in front of the TV at home
Norms
may have more influence on intention
·
Socially
relevant behavior
·
Highly
observable behavior
§
What
you intend to eat in front of the in-laws on holiday visit
Determinants of Attitudes
toward an Act
Behavioral
Beliefs:
The
person’s beliefs that the behavior leads to certain outcomes and his or her
evaluations of these outcomes. Attitudes are determined by behavioral beliefs.
For
any given behavior at a given time, we will have a set of salient beliefs.
For
each belief, we have an outcome evaluation
For
each belief, we also have a belief strength:
“How
certain are you that using birth control pills will cause you to gain weight?
An
attitude toward a behavior can be predicted this way:
For
each belief, the outcome evaluation and belief strength are multiplied.
E.g.,
gaining weight is “quite bad” (-2), and is “extremely certain (+3), leading to
a product of –6.
This
is done for each salient belief, and then the products are summed to assess the
overall valence (positivity vs. negativity) of the attitude.
So
for this person, while the belief about weight gain is very negative and
certain, its influence is reduced by the other beliefs that are positive and
certain.
Implications
of this approach:
·
Two
people may have the same set of beliefs about a behavior but a totally
different attitude
§
Because
of different outcome evaluations or belief strengths.
·
A
person’s attitude can be changed in several ways
§
Changing
what beliefs are salient in a situation
§
Changing
evaluations of beliefs
§
Changing
strength of belief
Intervening to Change Attitudes
When
intervening with a population, it’s necessary to elicit the beliefs of a sample
of the population:
Modal
salient beliefs: the set of beliefs that are salient in a given population.
Determined
through surveys, interviews, focus groups.
Differences
between people who do the desired behavior and people who don’t do it, in
beliefs, strength, and outcome, can help guide interventions.
·
Successful
interventions have to assess underlying beliefs and their evaluations and
strength, and then work to change these components as necessary
·
Using
condoms…
o Will protect me from HIV
§
This
is good (positive outcome evaluation)
§
But
I don’t really believe it because nobody I have sex with could have HIV, so it
won’t really have an effect on my HIV risk (low certainty)
Determinants of Subjective
Norms
Subjective
Norm: A
person’s belief that most of his or her important others think that she or he
should or should not perform that behavior.
Referent: specific individual or
group who may influence one’s behavior
Normative
beliefs:
belief about what a specific referent person thinks one should or should not do
regarding the behavior.
For
any given behavior at a given time, we will have a set of salient referents.
For
each referent, we have a normative belief: what we think that referent would
want us to do:
For
each referent, we have a specific level of motivation to comply with their
wishes for us:
A
person’s subjective norm is a function of their normative beliefs for salient
referents, and motivation to comply with these different referents.
For
each referent, the normative belief and motivation to comply are multiplied.
Then the product is summed across all referents.
Implications
of this approach:
·
Two
people may have the same set of referents about a behavior but a totally
different subjective norm
§
Different
normative beliefs or motivations to comply.
·
A
person’s attitude can be changed in several ways
§
Changing
what referents are salient in a situation
§
Changing
perceptions of normative beliefs
§
Changing
motivation to comply
For
interventions, normative referents in a population may be determined.
Common
approach: change perception of referent’s normative beliefs
Theory of Reasoned Action
Before
predicting or influencing behavior:
Study
Attitude toward the Act
·
Determine
salient beliefs regarding the behavior
·
Determine
outcome evaluation of the beliefs
·
Determine
belief strength for each belief
Study Subjective Norms
·
Determine
salient referents for the behavior
·
Determine
normative beliefs for each referent
·
Determine
motivation to comply for each referent
Use
this information in interventions:
Two
ways:
Empirically
test to see what attitudes and norms differentiate performers vs.
nonperformers.
Specifically
address attitudes and norms that affect the behavior in that population.
Important
Health Behaviors:
Never
drinking more than two alcoholic beverages in a 24-hour period
Quitting
smoking
Avoiding
second-hand smoke
Exercising
for at least 45 minutes a day
Wearing
a face mask to prevent infection from SARS
Breast
self-examination once a month in the shower
Testicular
self-examination once a month in the shower
Seeing
a doctor about a persistent pain in the abdomen
What
variables are missing?
Fishbein
and Ajzen argue that all other variables are “external variables” that operate
through attitudes and norms.
Later
on, Ajzen incorporated self-efficacy to create the Theory of Planned Behavior
Attitude Toward The Act or Behavior Subjective Norm
Regarding the Act or Behavior Behavior
(B) Self-Efficacy Regarding
the Act or Behavior
The
Information – Motivation – Behavioral Skills Model
This
model incorporates the Theory of Reasoned Action variables, Self-Efficacy, and
specific information regarding the behavior:
Behavior
is a function of Relevant Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills
Depending
on the behavior, one or more of these components is necessary.