Ethical Intentions and the Theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behavior1

This study compares the explanatory power of Fishbein and Ajzen's (1991) theory of reasoned action, Ajzen's (1975) theory of planned behavior, and a modified version of the theory of planned behavior, which includes a measure of moral obligation, to predict insurance agents' e]thical intentions toward their clients. Two hundred and forty-five insurance agents in the U.S. were sent surveys, and with 59% of them responding, results suggest that the modified version of the theory of planned behavior best explains agents' e]thical intentions. Theoretical considerations and suggestions for future research, highlighting the perceived behavioral control and moral obligation constructs, are provided.     

Cross-Cultural Testing of Three Social Cognitive Theories: An Application to Condom Use1

The aim of this study was to test the cross-cultural validity of Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action, Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, and Triandis' theory of interpersonal behavior and to apply them to understanding the intention to use a condom with a new partner in three ethnocultural communities: Latin American, English-speaking Caribbean, and South Asian. All respondents were recruited from multiple ethnocultural-venues using predetermined sampling frames and quotas for each community. The results indicated that the three theories have cross-cultural validity, but the theories of Ajzen and Triandis performed better than the theory of Fishbein and Ajzen. It is recommended that role beliefs and moral norm (personal normative belief) be added to Ajzen's model to maximize its predictive and explanatory ability.     

Examining the Relationships Between Voting Behavior, Intention, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Expectation

The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985) are compared in terms of predictive validity and a comparison between behavioral expectation (BE) and behavioral intention (BI) as the immediate antecedent of behavior is offered. In addition, the relationships between attitude-toward-the-act (Aacf), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) as predictors of BE are examined. Results indicate that the theory of planned behavior is a better predictor of intention than the theory of reasoned action and that BI is a stronger predictor of behavior than BE. The results also suggest that Aact, SN, and PBC are better predictors of BI than of BE and that development of a behavioral plan moderates the Aact-BI-B relations.     

An examination of premarital sexual behavior among college students in hong kong

Abstract

This study examined the determinants of Hong Kong Chinese college students' intentions to engage in premarital sexual behavior. Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) theory of reasoned action (TOFA) and Ajzen's (1985) perceived behavioral control were used as the theoretical framework for our investigation. Two hundred and thirty eight students completed a questionnaire designed to measure constructs of the two theories. Results from the regression analysis: (a) support the applicability of TORA in predicting these students' intentions to engage in premarital sex; (b) suggest that while attitudes toward engaging in premarital sex were more important in predicting male students' intentions, subjective norms were more important for female students; (c) reveal that the additional prediction contributed by the behavioral control components was relatively weak. Other findings were basically consistent with premarital sex research conducted in Western societies. Given the fact that promoting abstinence is one way to stop the transmission of the AIDS virus, both the theoretical and applied implications of our results for health intervention are discussed.     

Predicting intended contraception in a sample of ethiopian female adolescents: The validity of the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

The purposes of the study were threefold. First, to test the validity of Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting intended contraception in the Ethiopian cultural setting. Second, to examine the additional predictive roles of past behavior and perceived pregnancy risk in the TPB model. Third, to identify the salient contraceptive beliefs influencing intended contraception. Data stemmed from a community sample of 354 sexually active female adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. The findings of the study supported TPB as a robust model in Ethiopian cultural setting, with subjective norm being the strongest predictor of intended contraception. In addition, both past contraceptive behavior and perceived pregnancy risk demonstrated to have significant contributions in predicting intention over and above that explained by attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control elements of the TPB. Moreover, the study also identified salient and important contraceptive beliefs that need to be addressed in family life education and counseling programs designed for adolescents and the youth.     

Problem Drinking: A Problem for the Theory of Reasoned Action?1

The present study examined the sufficiency of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to predict intention and behavior with respect to problem drinking, as well as the ability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict intention and behavior over and above the TRA. The role of perceived control in the TPB was also examined. A 12-year longitudinal study on alcohol and drug use attitudes and behavior provided the context for this investigation. Two criterion variables were examined: intention to get drunk and frequency of getting drunk. It was hypothesized that heavier drinkers would perceive less control over their drinking. Coincidentally, the TRA, which assumes the behavior being predicted is volitional, would become less predictive as drinking became heavier. Furthermore, the TPB, which extends the TRA to include perceived (volitional) control over the behavior would be more predictive of intention and behavior than the TRA. All three hypotheses were supported. In addition, perceived control proved to be differentially predictive for nonproblem and problem drinkers. Specifically, perceived control contributed to the prediction of intention to get drunk for nonproblem drinkers, but to the prediction of behavior (frequency of getting drunk) for problem drinkers. Implications of these results for theory development and application are discussed.     

Informational Bases of Behavioral Intentions and Behavioral Expectations or Self-Predictions

Ninety subjects were randomly assigned to respond to a list of intention or expectation (self-prediction) questions regarding the performance of social, academic, and health-related behaviors. After responding to these questions, subjects were asked to describe the information they drew on when responding to the questionnaire items. A content analysis conducted on these responses revealed that subjects who completed the intention questionnaire relied more heavily on information regarding behavioral beliefs, and that subjects who completed the expectation (self-prediction) questionnaire focused more on their past behavior and circumstance information. The manna in which the results of the content analysis data support Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) theory of reasoned action and the way in which these findings are related to the enhanced predictive validity obtained in previous research that employed an expectation question (self-prediction) format are discussed.     

The Search for Employment: Motivation to Engage in a Coping Behavior1

The search for employment was examined as coping through engagement in motivated behavior. A model predicting social networking and employer contact behavior was tested with a sample of persons anticipating college graduation. Proposed relations among behavioral antecedents were primarily drawn from Ajzen's (1985) theory of planned behavior, with the addition of cognitively appraised challenge. Structural equations analysis revealed general support for hypothesized relations among attitude, norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and behaviors. Cognitively appraised challenge partially mediated the effects of perceived behavioral control on job search intentions. Significant variance in job search attitude was attributed to a valence by outcome expectancy interaction. Findings may be useful in promoting job search efforts, as well as furthering theoretical delineation of the search process.     

Predicting Participation in Cancer Screening: The Role of Perceived Behavioral Control1

We examined the role played by perceived behavioral control in predicting participation in colorectal cancer screening among individuals recently informed that they were at high risk for this type of cancer. A telephone interview based primarily on the theory of reasoned action was administered to 96 high-risk individuals and 144 average-risk individuals. All participants then were sent materials needed to complete the screening test. In both groups, perceived behavioral control enhanced prediction of intention to complete the test over and above the contributions of attitude and subjective norm. In addition, perceived behavioral control had a direct effect on behavior but only in the high-risk group. Further, for high-risk subjects, knowledge about test procedures moderated the relationship of perceived behavioral control and intention to behavior, but in ways only partially consistent with theory. Finally, the model was better at predicting behavior in the average than in the high-risk group. We conclude that perceived behavioral control plays an important role in the prediction of screening behavior. Perceived behavioral control's motivational role manifests itself unambiguously through its influence on intention. The role of perceived behavioral control above and beyond its influence on intention, however, needs further study and clarification.     

Explaining Unit Nonresponse in Online Panel Surveys: An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior1

Unit nonresponse is a critical issue in survey methodology. The purpose of this paper is to understand better the mechanisms that underlie unit nonresponse; i.e., the individual's decision to participate in online panel surveys. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the determinants of unit nonresponse are one's attitude toward participating in online panel surveys, the subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Using a student sample at the University of Berne (N = 308), our results show only a marginal effect of the intention to predict participation behavior, and no effect was found for perceived behavioral control. Instead, additional explanatory variables (e.g., moral obligation, frequency of past behavior) led to a better explanatory power of the TPB.     

Predicting Intentions to Conserve Water From the Theory of Planned Behavior,Perceived Moral Obligation,and Perceived Water Right1

This study tested the explanatory power of Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB), and a modified TPB model including perceived moral obligation (PMO) and perceived water right (PWR), to predict people's intentions to conserve water. The study had 244 government employees who participated. The TPB variables improved the prediction of intention to use less water, but were less successful in predicting intention to install water-efficient appliances. A significant interaction was found between attitude and subjective norm, suggesting that past studies have overlooked moderating effects in the TPB model. In addition to the TPB variables, PWR further improved the prediction of intention to install water-efficient appliances. Results also suggest that water-saving procedures should be differentiated into curtailment and efficiency procedures.     

A Comparison of Health Behavior Constructs: Social Psychological Predictors of AIDS-Preventive Behavioral Intentions

The present study focused on predicting AIDS-preventive behavioral intentions (i. e., intentions to discuss AIDS-related information and to use condoms) from constructs taken from the health belief model, the theory of reasoned action/planned behavior, and social cognitive theory. Questionnaire data were collected from 124 undergraduates using scales from previously published work as well as some new measures designed for this study. Perceived behavioral control, perceived risk, attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, negative expected outcomes, and perceived severity of HIV infection were correlated with at least one intention measure; but regression analyses showed that perceived behavioral control was the strongest independent predictor of condom use intentions and of intentions to discuss AIDS information with a partner. Implications for theory and application are discussed.     

The Role of Desires,Self-Predictions,and Perceived Control in the Prediction of Training Session Attendance1

Employee attendance at a training session was examined using the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). In addition, based on Audi (1973a, b) and Warshaw and Davis (1985), a distinction was made between desires (I want) and behavioral self-predictions (I will), and as in Ajzen (1985, 1987), the role of perceived control as a determinant of these desires, self-predictions, and attendance behavior, per se, was investigated. The results indicated that the best predictors of attendance at the training session were one's desire or motivation to attend the training session and the extent to which one perceived pressure from his or her supervisor to do so. Consistent with the theory of reasoned action, the motivation to attend training was predicted accurately from attitudes and subjective norms (R=.76, p < .001). Moreover, these attitudes and subjective norms were themselves predicted from a consideration of behavioral and normative beliefs, and key beliefs underlying one's desire to attend were identified. However, a consideration of perceived control did not improve the prediction of one's desire to attend training, and neither perceived control nor behavioral self-predictions improved prediction of actual attendance. The discussion focused on the roles of perceived control and different measures of intention in behavioral prediction.     

Determinants of College Women's Intentions to Tell Their Partners to Use Condoms1

In assessing college women's intentions to tell their partners to use condoms every time they have sexual intercourse, the present study examined the applicability of the theory of reasoned action (TORA, Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), and the additional prediction contributed by Ajzen's (1985) perceived behavioral control and Triandis’(1977) emotional reaction variables. Three hundred and twelve female college students completed a questionnaire designed to measure the aforementioned constructs. Consistent with TORA, the results suggested that these women's intentions were significantly predicted from attitudes and subjective norms. Regarding the effects of the two additional variables, only emotional reaction increased the prediction of intentions beyond that explained by TORA, whereas perceived behavioral control did not improve the prediction. Both conceptual and applied implications of these findings for health interventions to increase condom use were discussed.     

The Theory of Planned Behavior and Breast Self-Examination: Distinguishing Between Perceived Control and Self-Efficacy

This paper reports an application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to the prediction of breast self-examination (BSE) intentions and behavior. The study also considered the distinction between perceived control and self-efficacy within the TPB and the additional predictive utility of past behavior. A sample of 95 women completed questionnaires based on the TPB and were followed up at 1 month. Support for the distinction between perceived control and self-efficacy was provided by principal components analysis. The TPB was found to be highly predictive of intention to perform BSE and subsequent BSE behavior. Regression analyses revealed self-efficacy and attitude to be predictive of intention to perform BSE. Intention, in turn, was the sole predictor of BSE at 1-month follow-up. Past behavior was found to explain additional variance in intention, but not BSE behavior at 1-month follow-up. The results are discussed in relation to the conceptual status of the perceived behavioral control construct, and the practical implications of the results are highlighted.     

Explaining Internet Banking Behavior: Theory of Reasoned Action,Theory of Planned Behavior,or Technology Acceptance Model?

A key objective of information technology (IT) research is to assess the value of technology for users and to understand the factors that determine this value in order to deploy IT resources better. This paper uses structural equation modeling to ascertain the extent to which 3 popular models of users' behavior—theory of reasoned action (TRA), theory of planned behavior (TPB), and technology acceptance model (TAM)—are predictive of consumers' behavior in the context of Internet banking. Unlike other tests of these models, this paper employs independent measures of actual behavior, as well as behavioral intention. The results indicate that TAM is superior to the other models and highlights the importance of trust in understanding Internet banking behavior.     

Ends Over Means: Self-Affirmation Strengthens Attitudinal and Weakens Perceived Control Effects on Behavioral Intention

ABSTRACT

Self-affirmation research suggests that allowing people to affirm important values can improve acceptance of health messages. However, how self-affirmation improves message acceptance is not fully understood. Integrating construal level theory and reasoned action theory, this research tested two hypotheses: first, self-affirmation affects the abstractness of how people construe behavioral choices, and second, self-affirmation influences the associations between intention and its key determinants. Data were obtained from two studies on sunscreen use and flossing (n = 123 college students, and n = 294 adults). Our findings confirmed that self-affirmation induced abstract, high level construals of behaviors in terms of ends rather than means, and that self-affirmation strengthened the impact of attitude on intention and weakened the impact of perceived control.     

Predicting Cigarette Use: The Need to Incorporate Measures of Salience in the Theory of Reasoned Action1,2

It is shown that incorporating a measure of belief salience in the theory of reasoned action improves both the model's predictive and explanatory power. It is demonstrated that the sum of the five evaluative-beliefs which are most salient for each person is more predictive of a semantic differential measure of that person's attitude than is the sum of the remaining nonsalient evaluative beliefs. In addition, it is shown that the perceived utilities of smoking are differentially salient for smokers and nonsmokers. It is argued that latitude of rejection, centrality, and certainty can be used as measures of the degree of definition of a person's attitudes and subjective norms. It is consequently predicted that these variables will be correlated and that attitudes and subjective norms which are well defined will be more highly predictive of a person's intention and behavior. While some support was found for these hypotheses, it is argued that the present results suggest that the relationship between these variables may be more complicated than was initially hypothesized.