This book describes the reasoned action approach, an integrative framework for the prediction and change of human social behavior. It provides an up-to-date review of relevant research, discusses critical issues related to the reasoned action framework, and provides methodological and conceptual tools for the prediction and explanation of social behavior and for designing behavior change interventions.

"It is not thought as such that can move anything, but thought which is for the sake of something and is practical." This discerning insight, which dates back more than 2000years to Aristotle, seems to have been ignored by most psycholo gists. For more than 40years theories of human action have assumed that cogni tion and action are merely two sides of the same coin. Approaches as different as S-O-R behaviorism,social learning theory, consistency theories,and expectancy value theories of motivation and decision making have one thing in common: they all assume that "thought (or any other type of cognition) can move any thing," that there is a direct path from cognition to behavior. In recent years, we have become more and more aware of the complexities in volved in the relationship between cognition and behavior. People do not always do what they intend to do. Aside from several nonpsychological factors capable of reducing cognition-behavior consistency, there seems to be a set of complex psychological mechanisms which intervene between action-related cognitions, such as beliefs, expectancies, values, and intentions,and the enactment of the be havior suggested by those cognitions. In our recent research we have focused on volitional mechanismus which presumably enhance cognition-behavior consistency by supporting the main tenance of activated intentions and prevent them from being pushed aside by competing action tendencies.

Prediction and Change of Health Behavior honors the work of Martin Fishbein by illustrating the breadth and depth of the reasoned action approach. Focused on attitudes and their effects on health-related behavior, the book demonstrates the profound impact of Fishbein and Ajzen's theories of reasoned action on attitude research and on the solu

Why do people say one thing and do another? Why do people behave inconsistently from one situation to another? How do people translate their beliefs and feelings into actions? This thoroughly revised and updated edition describes why and how beliefs, attitudes and personality traits influence human behaviour. Building on the strengths of the previous edition, it covers recent developments in existing theories and details new theoretical approaches to the attitude-behaviour relationships. These novel developments provide insight into the predictability – and unpredictability – of human behaviour. The book examines: Recent innovations in the assessment of attitudes and personality The implications for prediction of behaviour of these innovations Differences between spontaneous and reasoned processes The most recent research on the relations between intentions and behaviour While the book is written primarily for students and researchers in social, personality, and organizational psychology, it also has wide-reaching appeal to students, researchers and professionals in the fields of health and social welfare, marketing and consumer behaviour.

Attitudes - cognitive representations of our evaluation of ourselves, other people, things, actions, events, ideas - and attitude change have been a central concern in social psychology since the discipline began. People can - and do - have attitudes on an infinite range of things but what are attitudes, how do we form them and how can they be modified? This book provides the student with a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the basic issues in the psychological study of attitudes. Drawing on research from Europe and the USA it presents up-to-date coverage of the key issues that will be encountered in this area, including attitude formation and change, functions of attitudes, attitude measurement, attitudes as temporary constructs, persuasion processes and prediction of behaviour from attitudes.

This new handbook presents, synthesizes, and integrates the existing knowledge of methods, theories, and data in attitudes. The editors' goal is to promote an understanding of the broader principles underlying attitudes across several disciplines. Divided into three parts: one on definitions and methods; another on the relations of attitudes with beliefs, behavior, and affect; and a final one that integrates these relations into the broader areas of cognitive processes, communication and persuasion, social influence, and applications, the handbook also features an innovative chapter on implicit versus explicit attitudes. With contributions from the top specialists, this handbook features unique collaborations between researchers, some who have never before worked together. Every writer was encouraged to work from as unbiased a perspective as possible. A "must have" for researchers in the areas of social, political, health, clinical, counseling, and consumer psychology, marketing, and communication, the handbook will also serve as an excellent reference for advanced courses on attitudes in a variety of departments.

The volume addresses major features in empirical social research from methodological and theoretical perspectives. Prominent researchers discuss central problems in empirical social research in a theory-driven way from political science, sociological or social-psychological points of view. These contributions focus on a renewed discussion of foundations together with innovative and open research questions or interdisciplinary research perspectives.