Psychology 3721F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Church Attendance, Theory Of Reasoned Action, Theory Of Planned Behavior

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 3721F/G
• Professor: Taylor Kohut

Document Summary

Attitudes usually measured through verbal report, likelihood attitudes and actions may not correspond. Usefulness of attitude depends on empirical evidence regarding its relationship to behaviour. Racial prejudice experiment of chinese couple traveling though usa. Served @ 250 establishments, rejected at one (attitude measure) When asked establishments if they would accept members of chinese race as guests, majority said no. Major discrepancy; concluded attitudes must be studied through observation of actual social behaviour. Situational thresholds= verbal attitude statements and overt behavioural measures studied have diff thresholds or levels of probability of occurrence. Analysis if pi to earlier study= inconsistency was primarily a matter of differences in situational thresholds, for discrimination is much harder in the face to face situation than in written abstract letter situation. Other methodological critiques: phone/sending questionnaires= no certainty that attitude measure was provided by same person whose behave was earlier observed. Several refinements have shown to yield higher attitude-behaviour relationships.