IS THE CONGRUENCE BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL INTENTION, ATTITUDE, NORM AND BEHAVIORAL CONTROL NORMATIVE?

Abstract

IntroductionIn the fields of philosophy and psychology, the concept of intention has for a long time attracted particular attention, due to the fact that it is said to express the impact of human will on human behavior. McClure (1991) defines intention as planning for action, the reasons for which are said to be motives or goals. Malle, Moses and Baldwin (2001) also consider intention to be a mental state, which represents the action and appears to be the result of reasoning and a commitment to the action. Fishbein and Ajzen's (2010) conception agrees with the first two, in describing intention as the desire to engage in behavior, which involves the expression of will, expectations and effort. Therefore, taking account of intention and its determinants (attitude, norm and behavioral control) may allow us to predict the activation of controllable and conscious behaviors (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010, p. 304). However, this point of view has been subject to criticism. One of these points of criticism concerns the link between intention and its determinants (attitude, norm and behavioral control), this link being characterized by a congruence bias (Budd & Spencer, 1986). In this case, the researchers consider that the elements of knowledge, which support the intention, are spontaneously matched with the intention. This hypothesis is supported by divergent results (Budd, 1987; Budd & Spencer, 1986). The aim of the study we are presenting is to explain this congruence through the existence of a social norm which, when the context makes it salient, would seek to express a consistent point of view with regard to intention and the knowledge associated with it. Our study is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, which uses behavioral intention and its determinants (attitude, norm and behavioral control) to explain behaviors.The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) postulates that behavior can be predicted from behavioral intention (Ajzen, 1991). According to this point of view, behaviors are the result of an act of reasoning based on behavioral intention, a motivational factor resulting from 1) the overall evaluation of the perceived consequences of the behavior (attitude), 2) the perception of the behavior from the point of view of the social environment (subjective norm) and the perceived possibility of achieving it (perceived behavioral control). More precisely, the variation of intention can be explained by attitude (i.e., level at which the behavior is evaluated, more or less favorably both on the basis of associated affects and its perceived consequences) and the subjective norm (i.e., level at which the individual thinks that the behavior is more or less (dis)approved of socially and socially widespread amongst important people in their close circle). The TPB also considers that variations of intention and/or behavior can be explained by perceived behavioral control (i.e., level at which the individual thinks that the behavior is more or less influenced by uncontrollable external elements and how easy/difficult it would be for them to be accomplished).These models prove to be strong and effective in predicting very diverse behaviors (Kraus, 1995; Armitage & Conner, 2001; McEachan, Conner, Taylor, & Lawton, 2011) even if the contribution of each determinant (attitude, norm and behavioral control) is considered as a variable. It is also considered that the latter depends on the context and individual differences (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). Two perspectives have been adopted to improve the predictive capacity of these models. The first consists in adding variables, as for example emotions, identity, temporal distance from the behavior, habit and norms in their different aspects. The additive or moderating impact of norms helps to underline the importance of expectations and internalized behavioral standards (Godin, Conner, & Sheeran, 2005). The second concerns the structure, which unites intention and its determinants through the strength of attitude (Petty & Krosnick, 1995). …