analyze an advertising campaign (could be a series of ads, or just a single ad; could be either print or television, or both) aand discuss the persuasion tools and methods the advertising
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attitudes_functions_and_consequences_iii.pptxAttitudes: Functions and Consequences III
Chapter 5, Part III
MCM 380, Spring 2016
Models of Attitude-Behavior Relations
Three models of attitude-behavior relations:
Theory of Reasoned Action
Theory of Planned Behavior
Accessibility Theory
Models of Attitude-Behavior Relations
Theory of Reasoned Action
Model of attitude-behavior consistency proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen
Assumes that people rationally calculate the costs and benefits of engaging in a particular action and think carefully about how important others will view the behavior under consideration
Hallmark of the model – its emphasis on conscious deliberation
Offers a framework for predicting behavior from attitudes: behavior can be predicted, but you need to consider both likes and dislikes (attitudes) and people’s natural propensity to want to please others (norms)
Four components of the theory
Attitude toward the behavior (the person’s judgment that performing the behavior is good or bad)
Subjective norm (the person’s perception of the social pressures put on him to perform or not to perform the behavior in question)
Behavioral intention (the intent or plan to perform the behavior)
Behavior itself (action in a particular situation)
Beliefs that the behavior leads to certain outcomes
Evaluation of the outcomes
Attitude towards the behavior
Beliefs that specific referents think person should or should not perform the behavior
Motivation to comply with specific referents
Relative importance of attitudinal and normative considerations
Subjective Norms
Intention
Behavior
Theory of Reasoned Action
Models of Attitude-Behavior Relations
Theory of Planned Behavior
Adds another component to the reason action model – perceived behavioral control (Ajzen)
Argues that behavioral intention is determined by three factors – attitude, subjective norm, and perceptions of behavioral control
What is ‘perceived behavioral control’?
Perceived behavioral control is the individual’s perception of how much control he or she has over the behavior
It is a subjective estimate of how easy or difficult it will be to perform the behavior
The more I perceive that I can perform the action, the more successful I should be in translating intention into behavior
Theory of Planned Behavior
Attitude toward behavior
Subjective norm
Perceived Behavioral Control
Behavioral Intention
Behavior
Models of Attitude-Behavior Relations
Accessibility Theory
Attitudes will predict behavior if they can be activated from memory at the time of a decision. If a person is in touch with his attitudes, he will act on them. If not, he will be swayed by salient aspects of the situation. (Fazio)
Two things must happen for an attitude to influence behavior
First, the attitude must spontaneously come to mind in a situation. That is, it must be activated from memory
Second, the attitude must influence perceptions of an issue or person, serving “as a filter through which the object is viewed” (Fazio & Roskos-Ewoldsen, 1994). These perceptions should then color the way people define a situation, pushing them to behave in sync with their attitude.
Note: if people do not call up their attitude from memory, they will be susceptible to influence from other factors in the situation, such as norms.
In short: you can harbor an attitude towards a person or issue, but unless the attitude comes to mind when you encounter the other person or issue, you cannot act on the attitude in a particular situation.
Attitude Activation
Selective Perception
Immediate perceptions of the attitude object
Definition of the event
Behavior
Norms
Definition of the situation
Accessibility Theory
Models of Attitude-Behavior Relations
Summary
Despite their differences, reasoned action and planned behavior theories both emphasize that attitudes can predict behavior under certain circumstances. They also acknowledge that attitudes will not predict behavior when subjective norms apply, or when people lack the psychological ability to translate attitude into behavior.
Accessibility theory complements the reasoned action/planned behavior approach. Under some conditions, people carefully consider the consequences of behaving in a particular fashion and deliberate pros and cons of doing x or y. But when people lack the motivation or opportunity to deliberate in this fashion, they act more spontaneously. In such situations, attitude can guide behavior if people automatically call up attitudes from memory.
Implications for Persuasion
The three theories suggest different types of campaign strategies:
Theory of Reasoned Action
Target relevant beliefs. You should probe teens’ relevant beliefs to discover what would induce them to give up smoking. Don’t assume that reasons that apply to you also appeal to adolescents. Teenagers might tell you that they are least concerned with dying (they think they will live forever), but believe that smoking causes body odors or leads others to think that smokers are uncool. Use this information to devise campaign messages.
Locate relevant reference groups. Teens may be more influenced by peers than by the surgeon general, but the particular peers will differ depending on the subculture.
Implications for Persuasion
The three theories suggest different types of campaign strategies:
Theory of Planned Behavior
Suggests that you convince young people that they are psychologically capable of quitting. Messages could remind young people that they, not their parents or friends, are the ones lighting up cigarettes, and that they have the power to quit.
Accessibility Theory
Suggests that campaign planners put teenagers in touch with their desire to quit smoking. Teens might draw a self-portrait of what they look and feel like when they have smoked too many cigarettes. They could carry the picture in their wallets and look at it whenever they are tempted to take a puff. This might remind them of their commitment to give up smoking.
