A comparison of three models of attitude-behavior relationships in the studying behavior domain

The theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1985) and the theory of self-regulation (TSR; Bagozzi, 1992) were applied to Italian undergraduate students' studying behavior. The main focus of the research was to ascertain the predictive power of past behavior on intention and behavior and thus test for the sufficiency of the theories. For theory sufficiency to be demonstrated, past behavior influences on intention and present behavior should be totally mediated by the focal variables of the theories (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and desire). It is argued that past behavior affects intentions and present behavior over and above attitudinal variables and that these effects will be weaker on intention for the TPB and TSR models. A structural equation approach was used to test the construct validity of measures such as the predictive validity of the theories. A total sample of 240 Italian college students participated in the research. A subsample of 90 subjects provided a self-report behavioral measure one week later. Results show that past behavior is a strong predictor of both intention and behavior in the TRA model, while it is a weaker predictor of intention in the TPB and in the TSR models. Implications for attitude–behavior relationships are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[1]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Prediction of goal directed behaviour: Attitudes, intentions and perceived behavioural control , 1986 .

[2]  Keith F Widaman,et al.  Confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory: two approaches for exploring measurement invariance. , 1993, Psychological bulletin.

[3]  Hugh J. McCANN.  Rationality and the Range of Intention , 1987 .

[4]  Karl G. Jöreskog,et al.  Lisrel 8: User's Reference Guide , 1997 .

[5]  Icek Ajzen,et al.  From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior , 1985 .

[6]  I. Ajzen.  The theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[7]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. , 1982 .

[8]  R. Bagozzi,et al.  An Examination of the Etiology of the Attitude-Behavior Relation for Goal-Directed Behaviors. , 1992, Multivariate behavioral research.

[9]  V. Kothandapani,et al.  Validation of feeling, belief, and intention to act as three components of attitude and their contribution to prediction of contraceptive behavior. , 1971, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[10]  R. P. McDonald,et al.  Choosing a multivariate model: Noncentrality and goodness of fit. , 1990 .

[11]  Shelly Chaiken,et al.  Attitudes and Attitude Change , 1987 .

[12]  P. Bentler,et al.  Attitudes "cause" behaviors: A structural equation analysis. , 1981 .

[13]  D. Davidson.  Essays on actions and events , 1980 .

[14]  Frank L. Schmidt,et al.  Implications of a measurement problem for expectancy theory research , 1973 .

[15]  Kenneth A. Bollen,et al.  Structural Equations with Latent Variables , 1989 .

[16]  Richard P. Bagozzi,et al.  Goal setting and goal pursuit in the regulation of body weight , 1998 .

[17]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. , 1977, Psychological review.

[18]  R. Bagozzi,et al.  Trying to Consume , 1990 .

[19]  J. S. Long.  Confirmatory Factor Analysis: A Preface to Lisrel , 1983 .

[20]  I. Ajzen,et al.  A Comparison of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Reasoned Action , 1992 .

[21]  R. Lazarus.  Emotion and Adaptation , 1991 .

[22]  Duane T. Wegener,et al.  Attitudes and attitude change. , 1997, Annual review of psychology.

[23]  I. Ajzen.  Attitudes, Personality and Behavior , 1988 .

[24]  R. Bagozzi.  The self-regulation of attitudes, intentions, and behavior , 1992 .

[25]  D. Bem.  Self-perception: An alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena. , 1967, Psychological review.

[26]  Martin Fishbein,et al.  The Relation Between Perceived Risk and Preventive Action: A Within-Subject Analysis of Perceived Driving Risk and Intentions to Wear Seatbelts , 1990 .

[27]  J. Beckmann,et al.  Action control : from cognition to behavior , 1985 .

[28]  Blair H. Sheppard,et al.  THEORY OF REASONED ACTION , 2014 .

[29]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research , 1977 .

[30]  S. Breckler.  Empirical validation of affect, behavior, and cognition as distinct components of attitude. , 1984, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[31]  Joel B. Cohen,et al.  An examination of the Fishbein-Ajzen behavioral-intentions model's concepts and measures ☆ , 1981 .

[32]  Wayne A. Davis.  The two senses of desire , 1984 .

[33]  R. Fazio,et al.  Attitude accessibility as a moderator of the attitude-perception and attitude-behavior relations: an investigation of the 1984 presidential election. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[34]  Karl G. Jöreskog,et al.  LISREL 7: A guide to the program and applications , 1988 .

[35]  J. H. Steiger.  Statistically based tests for the number of common factors , 1980 .

[36]  B. Tabachnick,et al.  Using Multivariate Statistics , 1983 .

[37]  R. Bagozzi.  A Field Investigation of Causal Relations among Cognitions, Affect, Intentions, and Behavior , 1982 .

[38]  F. Heider.  The psychology of interpersonal relations , 1958 .

[39]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Intention, perceived control, and weight loss: an application of the theory of planned behavior. , 1985, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[40]  D. Bem.  Self-Perception Theory , 1972 .

[41]  Richard P. Bagozzi,et al.  Expectancy-value attitude models an analysis of critical measurement issues , 1984 .

[42]  P. Bentler.  Comparative Fit Indices in Structural Models , 1990 .

[43]  Martin Fishbein,et al.  The Role of Desires, Self‐Predictions, and Perceived Control in the Prediction of Training Session Attendance1 , 1990 .

[44]  R. Bagozzi.  Attitudes, intentions, and behavior: A test of some key hypotheses. , 1981 .

[45]  Richard P. Bagozzi,et al.  Attitude organization and the attitude-behavior relation: A reply to Dillon and Kumar. , 1985 .

[46]  Dennis L. Dossett,et al.  Attitude–behavior relations: A comparison of the Fishbein-Ajzen and the Bentler-Speckart models. , 1983 .

[47]  R. Vallerand,et al.  Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action as applied to moral behavior: A confirmatory analysis. , 1992 .

[48]  Richard P. Bagozzi,et al.  A comparison of leading theories for the prediction of goal‐directed behaviours , 1995 .

[49]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior , 1980 .

[50]  P. Bentler,et al.  Models of attitude–behavior relations. , 1979 .

[51]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Predicting dishonest actions using the theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[52]  S. Chaiken,et al.  The psychology of attitudes. , 1993 .

[53]  Martin G. Evans,et al.  The problem of analyzing multiplicative composites: Interactions revisited. , 1991 .

[54]  Robert J. Meyer,et al.  Context-Induced Parameter Instability in a Disaggregate-Stochastic Model of Store Choice , 1982 .

[55]  A. Tversky,et al.  Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases , 1974, Science.

[56]  W. D. Haan,et al.  Stimulating the demand for dental care: An application of Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action. , 1985 .