Procedural Information and Behavioral Control: Longitudinal Analysis of the Intention-Behavior Gap in the Context of Recycling

Sonny Rosenthal

doi:10.3390/recycling3010005

Abstract

The theory of planned behavior states that individuals act on their intentions, especially when they have behavioral control. The current study examines how seeking recycling-related procedural information—i.e., information about how and where to recycle—is related to behavioral control. Hypothesis testing used hierarchical ordinary least squares regression analysis of longitudinal data from 553 survey respondents. Results supported seven hypotheses. Most notably, procedural information seeking both mediated and moderated the relationship between intention and behavior. Further, the moderation effect was itself mediated by behavioral control. The argument for this mediated moderation is that information seeking enhances behavioral control, and it is primarily behavioral control that moderates the relationship between intention and behavior. These results have implications for the theory of planned behavior and, more generally, for how individuals use information to support their behaviors.

Highlights

There are a number of procedural steps involved in household recycling, such as identifying recyclable items, separating them from non-recyclables, rinsing away food residue, and placing them in appropriate receptacles
This study proposes that individuals have greater behavioral control and are more likely to engage in recycling when they seek information about how and where to recycle
This study showed that the linkage between recycling intention and behavior is stronger when individuals have sought information about how and where to recycle

Summary

Introduction

There are a number of procedural steps involved in household recycling, such as identifying recyclable items, separating them from non-recyclables, rinsing away food residue, and placing them in appropriate receptacles. The theory of planned behavior [5,6] supports the linkage between procedural competence and recycling behavior. Individuals have stronger intention to perform a behavior when they have a positive attitude toward it, believe that it is socially acceptable or encouraged, and feel they have control over engaging in it [7]. Intention is more likely to translate to actual behavior when individuals have actual behavioral control [8]. This intuitive linkage between competence and performance of a behavior appears in myriad contexts, including environmental behaviors

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