title: Construal level as a moderator of the role of affective and cognitive attitudes in the prediction of health-risk behavioural intentions.
abstract: In two preliminary control checks it was shown that affective attitudes presented greater abstraction than cognitive attitudes. Three further studies explored how construal level moderated the role of affective and cognitive attitudes in predicting one health-promoting behaviour (exercising) and two risk behaviours (sleep debt and binge drinking). There was a stronger influence of affective attitudes both when participants were in abstract (vs. concrete) mindsets induced by a priming task in Studies 1a and 1b, and when behavioural intentions were formed for the distant (vs. near) future in Study 2. In the case of concrete mindsets, the results were inconclusive; the interaction between construal level and cognitive attitudes was only marginally significant in Study 1b. The present research supports the assertion that in abstract mindsets (vs. concrete mindsets) people use more affective attitudes to construe their behavioural intentions. Practical implications for health promotion are discussed in the framework of construal-level theory.
authors.affiliation: Social and Methodology Department, Faculty of Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carrera
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Iraizoz
authors.forename: Itziar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003071:Cognition; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: affective attitudes; cognitive attitudes; construal level; health-risk behavioural intentions