Predicting Intentions to Use a Condom From Perceptions of Normative Pressure and Confidence in Those Perceptions1

Two experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that confidence in the correctness of one's perceptions of normative pressure to use a condom influences the correspondence between those perceptions and intentions to actually perform the behavior. In Study 1, confidence in perceptions of normative influence was manipulated in an experimental paradigm using hypothetical scenarios. In Study 2, confidence in subjects' a]ctual perceptions was measured. Results from both experiments indicate that the correspondence between perceptions of normative influence and intentions was greatest when subjects were confident that their perceptions of normative influence were correct.