Perceived Behavioral Control Moderating Effects in the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Meta-Analysis

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Hagger, Martin S
Cheung, Mike W-L
Ajzen, Icek
Hamilton, Kyra
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2022
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Abstract

Objective: According to the theory of planned behavior, individuals are more likely to act on their behavioral intentions, and report intentions aligned with their attitudes and subjective norm, when their perceived behavioral control (PBC) is high. We tested these predictions meta-analytically by estimating the moderating effect of PBC on the attitude-intention, subjective norm-intention, and the intention-behavior relations in studies applying the theory in the health behavior domain. Method: We conducted a preregistered secondary analysis of studies (k = 39, total N = 13,121) from two programs of research. Each study measured participants’ attitude, subjective norms, PBC, and intentions in relation to health behaviors, and most (k = 36) measured health behavior at follow-up. Data were analyzed using meta-analytic structural equation modeling. Behavior type, scale score coverage, sample age, and publication states were included as moderators of model effects. Results: PBC moderated the intention-behavior relation but not the attitude- intention and subjective norm-intention relations. All moderation effects exhibited significant heterogeneity. Analysis of moderators indicated that the PBC moderation effects on intention varied according to scale score coverage but not by the other moderator variables tested. Conclusions: Results support moderation of the intention-behavior relation by PBC in health behaviors. However, substantial unresolved heterogeneity in the effect across studies remained. Further, these effects may not generalize to other populations and moderator analyses were confined to broad categories. More research that tests these moderation effects in health behavior contexts and reports sufficient data necessary for conducting a meta-analysis is needed to enable moderator analyses with greater fidelity.

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Health Psychology

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41

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2

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© 2022 American Psycological Association. This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record. Reproduced here in accordance with publisher policy. Please refer to the journal link for access to the definitive, published version.

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Biomedical and clinical sciences

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Psychology

Social Sciences

Psychology, Clinical

health behavior

social cognition

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Hagger, MS; Cheung, MW-L; Ajzen, I; Hamilton, K, Perceived Behavioral Control Moderating Effects in the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Meta-Analysis, Health Psychology, 2022, 41 (2), pp. 155-167

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