Testing the effects of explicit and implicit bidimensional attitudes on objectively measured speeding behaviour.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Bidimensional attitudes predict behavior, with positive attitudes being stronger predictors than negative ones.
• This positivity bias is primarily observed with explicit attitude measures, which reflect deliberative processes.
• Automatic processes, influenced by implicit attitudes, are crucial for many behaviors, including driving.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if implicit bidimensional attitudes explain variance in speeding behavior beyond explicit attitudes.
• To determine if the positivity bias observed in explicit attitudes extends to implicit attitudes.
• To explore the attitudinal underpinnings of speeding behavior.

Main Methods:

• 131 drivers completed explicit attitude questionnaires towards speeding.
• Implicit bidimensional attitudes were measured using Implicit Association Tests (IATs).
• Speeding behavior was assessed using a driving simulator two weeks after attitude measurements.

Main Results:

• Explicit attitudes significantly predicted speeding behavior.
• Implicit attitudes provided a statistically significant additional explanation of speeding behavior variance.
• The positive dimension of both explicit and implicit attitudes predicted speeding, while negative dimensions did not.

Conclusions:

• Both explicit and implicit attitudes contribute to understanding speeding behavior.
• A positivity bias exists in both deliberative (explicit) and automatic (implicit) attitude processes influencing speeding.
• Findings have implications for behavior-change interventions targeting automatic processes.