44. THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR/ REASONED ACTION Explaining human behavior.
History and Orientation Ajzen and Fishbein formulated in 1980 the theory of reas oned action (TRA). This resulted from attitude research from the Expectancy Valu e Models. Ajzen and Fishbein formulated the TRA after trying to estimate the dis crepancy between attitude and behavior. This TRA was related to voluntary behavi or. Later on behavior appeared not to be 100% voluntary and under control, this resulted in the addition of perceived behavioral control. With this addition the theory was called the theory of
planned behavior (TpB). The theory of planned behavior is a theory which predict s deliberate behavior, because behavior can be deliberative and planned.
Core Assumptions and Statements Theory of Reasoned Action suggests that a person 's behavior is determined by his/her intention to perform the behavior and that this intention is, in turn, a function of his/her attitude toward the behavior a nd his/her subjective norm. The best predictor of behavior is intention. Intenti on is the cognitive representation of a person's readiness to perform a given be havior, and it is considered to be the immediate antecedent of behavior. This in tention is determined by three things: their attitude toward the specific behavi or, their subjective norms and their perceived behavioral control. The theory of planned behavior holds that only specific attitudes toward the behavior in ques tion can be expected to predict that behavior. In addition to measuring attitude s toward the behavior, we also need to measure people‘s subjective norms – their bel iefs about how people they care about will view the behavior in question. To pre dict someone‘s intentions, knowing these beliefs can be as important as knowing th e person‘s attitudes. Finally, perceived behavioral control influences intentions.
Perceived behavioral control refers to people's perceptions of their ability to perform a given behavior. These predictors lead to intention. A general rule, t he more favorable the attitude and the subjective norm, and the greater the perc eived control the stronger should the person‘s intention to perform the behavior i n question.
Conceptual Model
Source: Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavio r and Human Decision Processes, 50, p. 179-211.
Favorite Methods Ajzen provides fairly clear instructions for designing theory o f planned behavior questionnaires on his website. Ajzen uses a questionnaire to define the elements of behavior and uses direct observation or self-reports late r on.
Scope and Application Provide useful information for the development of communic ation strategies. This theory is also used in evaluation studies. Other usages o f the model include: voting behavior, disease prevention behavior, birth control behavior (Jaccard & Davidson, 1972), consumption prediction.
Example Examples of items which can be researched with the theory of planned beh avior are whether to wear a seat belt, whether to check oneself for disease and whether to use condoms when having sex.
References Key publications
Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D. & Akert, R.M. (2003). Social Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In J. Kuhl & J. Beckman (Eds.), Action-control: From cogni tion to behavior (pp. 11-39). Heidelberg: Springer. Ajzen, I. (1987). Attitudes, traits, and actions: Dispositional prediction of behavior in personality and so cial psychology. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psycholo gy (Vol. 20, pp. 1-63). New York: Academic Press. Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, p ersonality, and behavior. Milton-Keynes, England: Open University Press & Chicag o, IL: Dorsey Press. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizat ional Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211. Ajzen, I. (2002). Perc eived Behavioral Control, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, and the Theory of Pla nned Behavior.Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 665-683. Ajzen, I., & Fi shbein, M. (in press). Questions raised by a reasoned action approach: Reply to Ogden (2003). Health Psychology. Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (in press). Theory-ba sed behavior change interventions: Comments on Hobbis and Sutton (in press). Jou rnal of Health Psychology. Manstead, A. S. R., & Parker, D. (1995). Evaluating a nd extending the theory of planned behavior. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European Review of Social Psychology (Vol. 6, pp. 69-96). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons. Notani, A. S. (1998). Moderators of perceived behavioral control's predictiveness in the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis. Journal of C onsumer
Psychology, 7, 247-271. Sparks, P. (1994). Attitudes toward food: Applying, asse ssing and extending the theory of planned behavior. In D. R. Rutter & L. Quine ( Eds.), The social psychology of health and safety: European perspectives (pp. 25 -46). Aldershot, England: Avebury. Taylor, S. and Todd, P., 1995. An integrated model of waste management behaviour: a test of household recycling and compostin g intentions. Environ. Behav. 27, 5, pp. 603–630. Terry, D.J., Hogg, M.A. and Whit e, K.M., 1999. The theory of planned behaviour: self-identity, social identity a nd group norms. Br. J. Social Psychol. 38, 3, pp. 225– 244.
Thomas, C., 2001. Public understanding and its effect on recycling performance i n Hampshire and Milton Keynes.Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 32, 3/4, pp. 259–274. Parke r, D., Manstead, A.S.R., Strading, S.G., Reason, J.T. and Baxter, J.S., 1992. In tentions to commit driving violations: an application of the theory of planned b ehaviour. J. Appl. Psychol. 77, pp. 94–101. Phillips, P.S., Holley, K., Bates, M.
and Fresstone, N., 2002. Corby waste not: an initial review of the UKs largest h olistic waste minimisation project. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 36, 1, pp. 1–33. Pric e, J.L., 2001. The landfill directive and the challenge ahead: demands and press ures on the UK householder.Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 32, 3–4, pp. 333–348. Read, A.D.
, 1999. Making waste work- making UK national solid waste strategy work at the l ocal scale. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 26, 3/4, pp. 259–285. Read, A.D., 1999. A wee kly doorstep recycling collection, I had no idea we could! Overcoming the local barriers to participation. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 26, 3/4, pp. 217–249.
45. TRANSACTIONAL MODEL OF STRESS AND COPING