The Construct Validity Of The Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Components Of Attitude By Analysis Of Covariance...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Attitude Research

Background:

• The tripartite model of attitudes posits cognitive, affective, and behavioral components.
• Investigating the construct validity of this model is crucial for understanding attitude structure.
• Previous research has yielded varied support for the model's components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the construct validity of the tripartite attitude classification using covariance structures.
• To reanalyze existing datasets (Ostrom, 1969; Kothandapani, 1971) to assess convergent and discriminant validity.
• To explore factors contributing to differences in validity findings across studies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of covariance structures methodology was employed.
• Reanalysis of Ostrom's (1969) data on attitudes toward the church.
• Reanalysis of Kothandapani's (1971) data on attitudes toward birth control.

Main Results:

• Convergent and discriminant validity were supported for attitudes toward the church.
• Convergent validity was achieved for attitudes toward birth control, but discriminant validity was not.
• Differences in findings were attributed to measurement error, methods variance, and trait variance.

Conclusions:

• The tripartite model's validity may vary depending on the attitude object and measurement properties.
• Understanding sources of variance is key to interpreting attitude structure research.
• Findings align with cognitive consistency and learning theory perspectives on attitudes.