Theory of Planned Behaviour and Physical Activity

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Theory of Planned Behaviourand Physical Activity

• EPHE 348

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Origins

• Attitudes were a major focus in psychology during
  the 1930s
• Evidence was often not supportive of
  attitude-behaviour relations

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Problems with earlier research

• Aggregate assessment
• Specificity (action, context, time-frame, target)

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Theory of Reasoned Action

• Fishbein Ajzen (1975) postulated a theoretical
  model for understanding behaviour centered around
  the attitude construct
• Remains the most influential attitude model 30
  years later

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TRA

• Attitudes overall evaluation of a behaviour
• Subjective norm overall perceived expectation
  to perform the behaviour from others
• Intention summary motivation to enact the
  behavior

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TRA Principles

• Attitude and subjective norm influence behaviour
  through intention
• Importance of attitude and subjective norm can
  differ by behavior or target group

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But what makes up an attitude?

• Attitudes are a function of underlying beliefs
  about the behavior
• Weighted Expectancy x Value
• Norms are a function of normative beliefs (norm x
  value of referent)

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Theory of Planned Behaviour

• Due to the popularity and demonstrated importance
  of self-efficacy, the TRA was extended to include
  a control construct
• Perceived behavioural control ability of the
  individual to carry out the behaviour (skills,
  opportunity, resources)

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Perceived Behavioural Control

• Also an E x V construct
• Belief of capability to overcome an obstacle x
  the probability that the obstacle will occur
• Ajzen (1991) argues that PBC influences intention
  and, to the extent that it represents real
  control, behaviour directly

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Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985)
Attitude
Intention
Behavior
Subjective Norm
Perceived behavioral control
Figure 14.1
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What causes the beliefs?

• Ajzen and Fishbein leave this open but include
  personal and observational experience,
  personality, demographics, environment, culture
  among others

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TPB and PA

• Over 100 studies with various populations
• Intention related to PA large effect size
• Attitude and PBC are related to PA with a medium
  to large effect size and related to intention
  with a large effect size
• Subjective norm related to behaviour and
  intention with a small effect size

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PA Beliefs

• Most important behavioural beliefs
• Stress relief, takes too much time, fun thing to
  do
• Most important behavioural value
• Health, physical appearance/weight control
• Most important normative beliefs and values
• friends, family, spouse/romantic partner
• Most important control beliefs and values
• Time
• Fatigue

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Multi-Component TPB

• Attitude, subjective norm, and PBC are
  multi-faceted
• Attitude affect, instrumental
• Subjective norm injunctive, descriptive
• PBC skills, opportunity, resources
• Rhodes, R.E., Blanchard, C.M. Matheson, D.H.
  (2006). A multi-component model of the theory of
  planned behaviour. British Journal of Health
  Psychology, 11, 119-137.
• Rhodes, R.E. Courneya, K.S. (2003).
  Investigating multiple components of attitude,
  subjective norm, and perceived control An
  examination of the theory of planned behavior in
  the exercise domain. British Journal of Social
  Psychology, 42, 129-146.

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Intention behavior relations

• Intention-behavior asymmetry is from intenders
  not acting and not from nonintenders acting
• The more one intends to exercise, the more likely
  one is to fail at achieving ones intentions (gt3
  becomes very problematic)
• Rhodes, R.E., Courneya, K.S. Jones, L.W.
  (2003). Translating exercise intentions into
  behaviour Personality and social cognitive
  correlates. Journal of Health Psychology, 8,
  449-460.

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TPB in intervention

• Few studies have focused on TPB-based
  intervention
• Basic premise is that behaviour can be changed
  three ways
• Increase or decrease a belief
• Create a belief
• Increase or decrease a value

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Belief Tests

• Chatzisarantis Hagger (2005)
• Study of Adolescents and modal vs non beliefs
  showed differences in intention via attitude

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Properties of Physical Activity Attitude
Boring
Affective
Unpleasant
Physical Activity
Instrumental
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Attitude Tests

• Conner Rhodes (2008)
• Undergraduate samples given either completely
  affective message or completely instrumental
  message
• Examined effect on attitudes, intention, and
  behaviour (2 weeks later)

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Effect on Behaviour
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Attitude Tests

• Parrott et al. (2008)
• Persuasive Messages sent to Undergraduates (3
  week follow-up)
• Focused on Instrumental followed by Affective
  Attitude compared to no message
• RESULTS Dependent on baseline status.

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Making an Enemy an Ally

• Can the reinforcing and distracting properties of
  video games be used to facilitate exercise?

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UVIC/UBC Gamebike Study

• 27 sedentary young men randomly assigned to a
  stationary bike or video game bike
• Advised to attend 30 min sessions 3xweek
• 6 weeks
• Measured on fitness and psychological variables

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Physiological Effects (Warburton et al., 2007)
Fitness results were better in the video game
condition
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Why? Attendance
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Fitness
Attendance
Gamebike
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What is going on with Attendance?

• Participants report lower exertion in the
  videobike condition than controls despite higher
  power output (Sarkany et al., 2006)
• Participants report greater affective attitude
  (i.e., enjoyment) in the videobike condition
  (Rhodes et al., in press)

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Mechanism
AffectiveAttitude
Gamebike
Attendance
Fitness