Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence.
Numerous theories in social and health psychology assume that intentions cause behaviors. However, most tests of the intention- behavior relation involve correlational studies that preclude causal inferences. In order to determine whether changes in behavioral intention engender behavior change, participants should be assigned randomly to a treatment that significantly increases the strength of respective intentions relative to a control condition, and differences in subsequent behavior should be compared. The present research obtained 47 experimental tests of intention-behavior relations that satisfied these criteria. Meta-analysis showed that a medium-to-large change in intention (d = 0.66) leads to a small-to-medium change in behavior (d = 0.36). The review also identified several conceptual factors, methodological features, and intervention characteristics that moderate intention-behavior consistency.
Webb
Thomas L
TL
School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. thomas.webb@manchester.ac.uk
Sheeran
Paschal
P
D001290:Attitude; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior