Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T06:43:06.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

31 - Attitudes and Persuasive Communication Interventions

from Part III - Behavior Change Interventions: Practical Guides to Behavior Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2020

Martin S. Hagger
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Linda D. Cameron
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Kyra Hamilton
Affiliation:
Griffith University
Nelli Hankonen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Taru Lintunen
Affiliation:
University of Jyväskylä
Get access

Summary

Attitudes are people’s stored evaluations of entities (e.g., behaviors, people, ideas, objects). Attitudes are interesting from a behavior change perspective, given theory and research suggesting that attitudes guide behavior; thus, changing attitudes may be an effective means to change behavior. This chapter provides an overview of the attitude change literature and interventions targeting attitude change in order to change behavior. The chapter also provides example materials used in attitude-based behavior change interventions across a broad range of behaviors. First, the chapter provides an overview of the conceptualization and measurement of attitudes and the psychological theories that have been employed to explain how attitude change occurs. Next, research evidence of various attitude change techniques is reviewed, including information provision, communication-persuasion, and cognitive dissonance approaches. In addition, step-by-step instructions for select attitude change techniques are provided as templates for interventionists to formulate effective attitude change interventions. The chapter also provides a range of evidence-based materials that can be delivered in a variety of delivery modes (e.g., face-to-face, online, mass media). Finally, a review of the evidence on the effective implementation of these techniques is presented. The chapter concludes with a summary of the attitude change literature and presents some challenges and future directions in moving the attitude research forward.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-TGoogle Scholar
Ajzen, I. (2011). Behavioral interventions: Design and evaluation guided by the theory of planned behavior. In Mark, M. M., Donaldson, S. I., & Campbell, B. C. (Eds.), Social Psychology for Program and Policy Evaluation. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Ajzen, I. (2019a). Constructing a Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire. https://people.umass.edu/~aizen/pdf/tpb.measurement.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ajzen, I. (2019b). Behavioral Interventions Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. https://people.umass.edu/~aizen/pdf/tpb.intervention.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Albarracín, D. (2002). Cognition in persuasion: An analysis of information processing in response to persuasive communications. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 34, 61130. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(02)80004-1Google Scholar
Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Google Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners. London: SAGE.Google Scholar
Breckler, S. J. (1984). Empirical validation of affect, behavior, and cognition as distinct components of attitude. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 11911205. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.47.6.1191Google Scholar
Buttlar, B., & Walther, E. (2018). Measuring the meat paradox: How ambivalence towards meat influences moral disengagement. Appetite, 128, 152158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.06.011Google Scholar
Cacioppo, J. T., & Berntson, G. G. (1994). Relationship between attitudes and evaluative space: A critical review, with emphasis on the separability of positive and negative substrates. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 401423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.115.3.401Google Scholar
Chaiken, S. (1980). Heuristic versus systematic information processing and the use of source versus message cues in persuasion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 752766. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.5.752Google Scholar
Chan, D. K. C., Hardcastle, S., Dimmock, J. A. et al. (2015). Modal salient belief and social cognitive variables of anti-doping behaviors in sport: Examining an extended model of the theory of planned behavior. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16, 164174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.03.002Google Scholar
Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., & Hagger, M. S. (2005). Effects of a brief intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on leisure time physical activity participation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 27, 470487. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.27.4.470Google Scholar
Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., Hagger, M. S., & Wang, C. K. J. (2008). An experimental test of cognitive dissonance theory in the domain of physical exercise. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 20, 97115. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200701601482Google Scholar
Clore, G. L., & Schnall, S. (2019). The influence of affect on attitude. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 259290). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Cone, J., & Ferguson, M. J. (2015). He did what? The role of diagnosticity in revising implicit evaluations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108, 3757. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000014CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corlett, P. R., & Marrouch, N. (2019). Social cognitive neuroscience of attitudes and beliefs. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 480519). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Cowie, E., & Hamilton, K. (2014). Key beliefs related to decisions for physical activity engagement among first-in-family students transitioning to university. Journal of Community Health, 39, 719726. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9817-3Google Scholar
Croyle, R. T., & Cooper, J. (1983). Dissonance arousal: Physiological evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 782791. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.4.782Google Scholar
de Leeuw, A., Valois, P., Ajzen, I., & Schmidt, P. (2015). Using the theory of planned behavior to identify key beliefs underlying pro-environmental behavior in high-school students: Implications for educational interventions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 42, 128138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.03.005Google Scholar
Dovidio, J. F., & Gaertner, S. L. (2000). Aversive racism and selection decisions: 1989 and 1999. Psychological Science, 11, 315319. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00262Google Scholar
Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The Psychology of Attitudes. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Google Scholar
Elliot, A. J., & Devine, P. G. (1994). On the motivational nature of cognitive dissonance: Dissonance as psychological discomfort. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 382394. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.382CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fabrigar, L. R., MacDonald, T. K., & Wegener, D. T. (2019). The origins and structure of attitudes. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 109157). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Festinger, L. (1962). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Festinger, L. (1964). Conflict, Decision, and Dissonance. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Fishbein, M., & Cappella, J. N. (2006). The role of theory in developing effective health communications. Journal of Communication, 56, S1S17. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00280.xGoogle Scholar
Freijy, T., & Kothe, E. J. (2013). Dissonance‐based interventions for health behaviour change: A systematic review. British Journal of Health Psychology, 18, 310337. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12035CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
French, D. P., & Cooke, R. (2012). Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand binge drinking: The importance of beliefs for developing interventions. British Journal of Health Psychology, 17, 117. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8287.2010.02010.x.Google Scholar
Gawronski, B. (2019). Six lessons for a cogent science of implicit bias and its criticism. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14, 574595. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619826015Google Scholar
Gawronski, B., & Brannon, S. M. (2019). Attitudes and the implicit-explicit dualism. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 158196). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Glasman, L. R., & Albarracín, D. (2006). Forming attitudes that predict future behavior: A meta-analysis of the attitude-behavior relation. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 778822. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.5.778Google Scholar
Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The implicit association test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 14641480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1464Google Scholar
Greenwald, A. G., Poehlman, T. A., Uhlmann, E. L., & Banaji, M. R. (2009). Understanding and using the Implicit Association Test: III. Meta-analysis of predictive validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 1741. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015575CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hagger, M. S. (2019). The role of attitudes in physical activity. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 2 (2nd ed., pp. 92120). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hamilton, K., Kirkpatrick, A., Rebar, A., & Hagger, M. S. (2017). Child sun safety: Application of an integrated behavior change model. Health Psychology, 36, 916926. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000533.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, K., Peden, A., Keech, J. J., & Hagger, M. S. (2018). Changing people’s attitudes and beliefs toward driving through floodwaters: Evaluation of a video infographic. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 53, 5060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2017.12.012.Google Scholar
Hamilton, K., Peden, A. E., Pearson, M., & Hagger, M. S. (2016). Stop there’s water on the road! Identifying key beliefs guiding people’s willingness to drive through flooded waterways. Safety Science, 86, 308314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.07.004Google Scholar
Hamilton, K., Price, S., Keech, J., Peden, A., & Hagger, M. S. (2018). Drivers’ experiences during floods: Investigating the psychological influences underpinning decisions to avoid driving through floodwater. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 28, 507518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.12.013Google Scholar
Hamilton, K., White, K. M., Young, R., Hawkes, A., Starfelt, L. C., & Leske, S. (2012). Identifying critical sun-protective beliefs among Australian adults. Health Education Research, 27, 834843. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cys093Google Scholar
Harmon-Jones, E., Armstrong, J., & Olson, J. M. (2019). The influence of behavior on attitudes. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 404449). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Harmon-Jones, E., Brehm, J. W., Greenberg, J., Simon, L., & Nelson, D. E. (1996). Evidence that the production of aversive consequences is not necessary to create cognitive dissonance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 516. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.1.5Google Scholar
Heider, F. (1958). The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Howe, L. C., & Krosnick, J. A. (2017). Attitude strength. Annual Review of Psychology, 68, 327351. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033600Google Scholar
Johnson, B. T., & Eagly, A. H. (1989). Effects of involvement on persuasion: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 290314. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.106.2.290Google Scholar
Johnson, B. T., Landrum, A., & McCloskey, K. (2019). Attitude scholarship in the 21st century: Accomplishments, challenges, and gaps. In Albarracín, D. & Johnson, B. T. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 625649). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Johnson, B. T., Smith-McLallen, A., Killeya, L.A., & Levin, K. D. (2004). Truth or consequences: Overcoming resistance to persuasion with positive thinking. In Knowles, E. S. & Linn, J. (Eds.), Resistance and Persuasion (pp. 215233). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Johnson, B. T., Wolf, L., Maio, G., & Smith-McLallen, A. (2019). Communication-induced persuasion or resistance: Processes and effects of who says what to whom. In Johnson, B. T. & Albarracín, D. (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes, Vol. 1 (2nd ed., pp. 557601). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Jonas, K., Broemer, P., & Diehl, M. (2000). Attitudinal ambivalence. European Review of Social Psychology, 11, 3574. https://doi.org/10.1080/14792779943000125Google Scholar
Kraus, S. J. (1995). Attitudes and the prediction of behavior: A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 5875. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167295211007Google Scholar
Kruglanski, A., & Thompson, E. (1999). Persuasion by a single route: A view from the unimodel. Psychological Inquiry, 10, 83109. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PL100201Google Scholar
Lai, C. K., Marini, M., Lehr, S. A. et al. (2014). A comparative investigation of 17 interventions to reduce implicit racial preferences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 17651785. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036260Google Scholar
Lee, J., & Thorson, E. (2008). The impact of celebrity-product incongruence on the effectiveness of the product endorsement. Journal of Advertising Research, 48, 433449. https://doi.org/449.10.2501/S0021849Google Scholar
Mann, T., & Ferguson, M. J. (2017). Reversing implicit first impressions through reinterpretation after a two-day delay. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 68, 122127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.06.004Google Scholar
McGuire, W. J. (1986). The vicissitudes of attitudes and similar representational constructs in twentieth century psychology. European Journal of Social Psychology, 16, 89130. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420160202Google Scholar
Michie, S., Richardson, M., Johnston, M. et al. (2013). The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) of 93 hierarchically clustered techniques: Building an international consensus for the reporting of behavior change interventions. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 46, 8195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9486-6Google Scholar
Montoya, R. M., Horton, R. S., Vevea, J. L., Citkowicz, M., & Lauber, E. A. (2017). A re-examination of the mere exposure effect: The influence of repeated exposure on recognition, familiarity, and liking. Psychological Bulletin, 143, 459498. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000085Google Scholar
Nisbett, R. E., & Wilson, T. D. (1977). Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes. Psychological Review, 84, 231259. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-295x.84.3.231Google Scholar
O’Keefe, D. J. (2013). The elaboration likelihood model. In Dillard, J. P. & Shen, L. (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Persuasion: Developments in Theory and Practice (pp. 137149). London: SAGE. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405186407.wbieceOl 1.pub2Google Scholar
Oswald, F. L., Mitchell, G., Blanton, H., Jaccard, J., & Tetlock, P. E. (2013). Predicting ethnic and racial discrimination: A meta-analysis of IAT criterion studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 171192. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032734Google Scholar
Patzer, G. L. (1983). Source credibility as a function of communicator physical attractiveness. Journal of Business Research, 11, 229241. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-2963(83)90030-9Google Scholar
Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In Berkowitz, L. (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 19 (pp. 123205). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Phipps, D. J., Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. (2019). A meta-analysis of implicit and explicit attitudes in children and adolescents. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/52jrsGoogle Scholar
Ross, M. (1989). Relation of implicit theories to the construction of personal histories. Psychological Review, 96, 341357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.96.2.341Google Scholar
Rothman, A. J., & Salovey, P. (1997). Shaping perceptions to motivate healthy behavior: The role of message framing. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 319.Google Scholar
Sheeran, P., Maki, A., Montanaro, E. et al. (2016). The impact of changing attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy on health-related intentions and behavior: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 35, 11781188. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000387Google Scholar
Sherif, M., & Cantril, H. (1947). The Psychology of Ego-Involvements: Social Attitudes and Identifications. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Siegel, J. Y., Navarro, M. A., Tan, C. N., & Hyde, M. K. (2014). Attitude–behavior consistency, the principle of compatibility, and organ donation: A classic innovation. Health Psychology, 33, 10841091. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000062Google Scholar
Spinks, T., & Hamilton, K. (2015). Investigating key beliefs guiding mothers’ dietary decisions for their 2–3 year old. Appetite, 89, 167174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.02.004.Google Scholar
Steadman, L., Rutter, D. R., & Field, S. (2002). Individually elicited versus modal normative beliefs in predicting attendance at breast screening: Examining the role of belief salience in the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 317330. https://doi.org/10.1348/135910702760213706Google Scholar
Steinmetz, H., Knappstein, M., Ajzen, I., Schmidt, P., & Kabst, R. (2016). How effective are behavior change interventions based on the Theory of Planned Behavior? A three-level meta-analysis. Zeitschrift Fur Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 224, 216233.Google Scholar
Stice, E., Shaw, H., Becker, C. B., & Rohde, P. (2008). Dissonance-based interventions for the prevention of eating disorders: Using persuasion principles to promote health. Prevention Science, 9, 114128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0093-x.Google Scholar
Stone, J., & Focella, E. (2011). Hypocrisy, dissonance and the self-regulation processes that improve health. Self and Identity, 10, 295303. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2010.538550Google Scholar
Van Kleef, G. A., van den Berg, H., & Heerdink, M. W. (2015). The persuasive power of emotions: Effects of emotional expressions on attitude formation and change. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 11241142. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000003Google Scholar
White, K. M., Zhao, X., Starfelt, L. C. et al. (2019). Effectiveness of a theory-based sun-safe behavioural change intervention among adolescents. Psychology-Oncology, 28, 505510. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4967.Google Scholar
Wilson, E. J., & Sherrell, D. L. (1993). Source effects in communication and persuasion research: A meta-analysis of effect size. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 21, 101111. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02894421Google Scholar
Wyer, R. S., Jr., & Albarracín, D. (2005). Belief formation, organization, and change: Cognitive and motivational influences. In Albarracín, D., Johnson, B. T., & Zanna, M. P. (Eds.), Handbook of Attitudes (pp. 273322). New York: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Zajonc, R. B. (1965). Social facilitation. Science, 149, 269274. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.149.3681.269Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×