Cooke, Richard (2003) Moderation of cognition-behaviour consistency by properties of cognition. PhD thesis, University of Sheffield.
Abstract
The present research investigated the impact of properties of cognitions as moderators of cognition-behaviour consistency within the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB: Ajzen, 1991). Study I compared accessibility, direct experience and temporal stability as moderators of cognition-behaviour relations for donation behaviour. Temporal stability was the only significant moderator of cognition-behaviour consistency. Study 2 used meta-analysis to quantify the impact of seven properties of cognitions-accessibility, affective-cognitive consistency, ambivalence, certainty, direct experience, involvement and temporal stability--on cognition-behaviour and cognition intention relations. All variables moderated cognition-behaviour and/or cognitionintention relations. Temporal stability emerged as the most effective moderator of attitude-behaviour and intention-behaviour relations. Study 3 examined the factor structure of properties of intentions and provided a second test of properties of intentions as moderators of intention-behaviour relations. Principal components analysis found a four factor solution for five properties of intentions with accessibility and temporal stability loading on independent factors and the other factors consisting of the other three properties. Temporal stability was the only variable to moderate intention behaviour relations. Two further studies showed that temporal stability had a direct effect on participants' information processing. In Study 4, participants with more stable intentions had better recognition memory for intention-relevant information whereas Study 5 found that temporal stability moderated the effect of a rating scale manipulation on participants' ratings such that participants with more stable intentions were unaffected by the manipulation, whereas participants with less stable intentions were affected by the manipulation. Overall, the findings demonstrate that temporal stability (a) is a conceptually distinct property of participants' cognitions, (b) is the most effective moderator of cognition-behaviour relations in previous research, and (c) affects participants' information processing and social judgment. These findings have important implications both for the TPB and health-promotion interventions.
Metadata
Awarding institution: | University of Sheffield |
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Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Psychology (Sheffield) |
Identification Number/EthosID: | uk.bl.ethos.690768 |
Depositing User: | EThOS Import Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 02 Dec 2016 14:21 |
Last Modified: | 02 Dec 2016 14:21 |
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