Docsity
Log inSign up
Docsity
Prepare for your exams
Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Earn points to download
Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Guidelines and tips
Guidelines and tips
Sell on Docsity
Sell on Docsity
Log inSign up

Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Find documents

Prepare for your exams with the study notes shared by other students like you on Docsity

Search Store documents

The best documents sold by students who completed their studies

Search through all study resources
Docsity AINEW

Summarize your documents, ask them questions, convert them into quizzes and concept maps

Explore questions

Clear up your doubts by reading the answers to questions asked by your fellow students

Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Share documents
download point icon20 Points

For each uploaded document

Answer questions
download point icon5 Points

For each given answer (max 1 per day)

All the ways to get free points
Get points immediately

Choose a premium plan with all the points you need

Study Opportunities

Choose your next study program

Get in touch with the best universities in the world. Search through thousands of universities and official partners

Community

Ask the community

Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts

University Rankings

Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users

Free resources

Our save-the-student-ebooks!

Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors

From our blog

Exams and Study
Go to the blog

The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Understanding Pro-Environmental Intention and Behaviour, Study notes of Behavioural Science

Central Connecticut State University (CCSU)Behavioural Science

The theory of planned behaviour is a widely-used model in environmental science and psychology to explain pro-environmental behaviours such as recycling, energy consumption, and travel mode choice. According to the theory, behavioural intention is influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. An overview of the theory, its determinants, and its applications in various contexts.

What you will learn

  • What are some criticisms of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and how do they impact its applications?
  • What are the three determinants of behavioural intention according to the Theory of Planned Behaviour?
  • How does the Theory of Planned Behaviour explain the relationship between intention and behaviour?

Typology: Study notes

2021/2022

Uploaded on 03/31/2022

amodini
amodini 🇺🇸

4.7

(19)

258 documents

1 / 2

Toggle sidebar

This page cannot be seen from the preview

Don't miss anything!

bg1
Theory of Planned Behaviour
The theory of Planned Behaviour is one of the models most frequently used in the
literature to explore pro-environmental behaviour including recycling, travel mode
choice, energy consumption, water conservation, food choice, and ethical investment
(Stern, 2000; Staats, 2003). Armitage and Conner (2001) identified its application in
154 different contexts. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1988) assumes that
the best prediction of behaviour is given by asking people if they are intending to
behave in a certain way. Here we note that the intention will not express itself in
behaviour if it is physically impossible to perform the behaviour or if unexpected
barriers stand in the way.
Assuming intention can explain behaviour, how can intention be explained?.
According to Azjen, three determinants explain behavioural intention:
1. The attitude (opinions of oneself about the behaviour);
2. The subjective norm (opinions of others about the behaviour);
3. The perceived behavioural control (self-efficacy towards the behaviour).
Figure 1. The Theory of Planned Behaviour
attitude
According to the model attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control
predict the intention, which in turn predicts the behaviour. Background variables, as
demographical factors, are supposed to influence the behaviour through the three
determinants and the intention. Attitudes, subjective norms and the perceived
behavioural control, explain the behavioural intention before the behaviour takes
place. The intention is a good predictor of the actual behaviour. Theory also says that
the perceived behavioural control is an estimate of the skills needed for expressing the
behaviour and the possibility to overcome barriers. Therefore, a direct influence of
perceived behavioural control on behaviour is supposed. The actual behaviour leads to
feedback about the expectations of the behaviour. In Figure 1, this is shown by the
‘feedback’ arrow.
Furthermore, Ajzen states that for a good and predictive value of the model, it
is necessary that the several model variables are defined on the same level of
specificity: For example, when investigating the explaining factors of buying solar
subjective norm
Perceived
behavioural control
Intention
feedback
behaviour
background
variables
pf2

Partial preview of the text

Download The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Understanding Pro-Environmental Intention and Behaviour and more Study notes Behavioural Science in PDF only on Docsity!

Theory of Planned Behaviour

The theory of Planned Behaviour is one of the models most frequently used in the literature to explore pro-environmental behaviour including recycling, travel mode choice, energy consumption, water conservation, food choice, and ethical investment (Stern, 2000; Staats, 2003). Armitage and Conner (2001) identified its application in 154 different contexts. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1988) assumes that the best prediction of behaviour is given by asking people if they are intending to behave in a certain way. Here we note that the intention will not express itself in behaviour if it is physically impossible to perform the behaviour or if unexpected barriers stand in the way. Assuming intention can explain behaviour, how can intention be explained?. According to Azjen, three determinants explain behavioural intention:

  1. The attitude (opinions of oneself about the behaviour);
  2. The subjective norm (opinions of others about the behaviour);
  3. The perceived behavioural control (self-efficacy towards the behaviour).

Figure 1. The Theory of Planned Behaviour

attitude

According to the model attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control predict the intention, which in turn predicts the behaviour. Background variables, as demographical factors, are supposed to influence the behaviour through the three determinants and the intention. Attitudes, subjective norms and the perceived behavioural control, explain the behavioural intention before the behaviour takes place. The intention is a good predictor of the actual behaviour. Theory also says that the perceived behavioural control is an estimate of the skills needed for expressing the behaviour and the possibility to overcome barriers. Therefore, a direct influence of perceived behavioural control on behaviour is supposed. The actual behaviour leads to feedback about the expectations of the behaviour. In Figure 1, this is shown by the ‘feedback’ arrow. Furthermore, Ajzen states that for a good and predictive value of the model, it is necessary that the several model variables are defined on the same level of specificity: For example, when investigating the explaining factors of buying solar

subjective norm

Perceived behavioural control

Intention

feedback

behaviour

background variables

boilers, prediction will not be found in the attitude toward the environment, but in the attitude toward solar boilers. If one wants to study pro-environmental behaviour in general, than the determinants should be measured on this general level.

Comments on theory of Planned Behaviour

The model of the theory of Planned Behaviour assumes that consumers make decisions by calculating the costs and benefits of different courses of action and choosing the option that maximises their expected net benefits. The theory of Planned Behaviour belongs to the so-called group of ‘rational choice models’. It builds on the following key assumptions:

  • Individual self-interest is the appropriate framework for understanding human behaviour; rational behaviour is the result of processes of cognitive deliberation;
  • Internal factors, especially the attitude, play the most important role. The policy interventions that flow from this model are relatively straightforward. Policy should seek to ensure that consumers have access to sufficient information to make informed choices. Though familiar and widely used, rational choice models have been subject to an extended critique. This critique is based on the following important claims and arguments.
    • It is well known that human behaviour is extremely complex and consists of social, moral and altruistic behaviour as well as simply self- interested ones. More often, behaviour is embedded in collective and social decision-making contexts and other contextual factors. These factors continually shape and constrain individual preference.
    • Habits and routines - which Simon (1957) referred to as procedural rationality
      • bypass cognitive deliberation and undermine a key assumption of the model.
    • Emotional or affective responses appear to confound cognitive deliberation. It is well known in marketing theory, for example, that consumers build affective relationships with consumer goods.