Perceived behavioral control moderating effects in the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Health Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• The Theory of Planned Behavior posits that perceived behavioral control (PBC) influences behavioral intentions and subsequent actions.
• High PBC is theorized to strengthen the attitude-intention and subjective norm-intention links, and the intention-behavior link.

Purpose of the Study:

• To meta-analytically test the moderating effect of PBC on attitude-intention, subjective norm-intention, and intention-behavior relations within health behaviors.
• To investigate potential moderators of these PBC effects, including behavior type, scale score coverage, sample age, and publication status.

Main Methods:

• A preregistered secondary analysis of 39 studies (N=13,121) measuring attitude, subjective norms, PBC, and intentions related to health behaviors.
• Meta-analytic structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data.
• Behavior type, scale score coverage, sample age, and publication status were examined as moderators.

Main Results:

• Perceived behavioral control (PBC) significantly moderated the intention-behavior relationship.
• PBC did not moderate the attitude-intention or subjective norm-intention relationships.
• Significant heterogeneity was observed across all moderation effects, with scale score coverage identified as a key moderator of PBC's effect on intention.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the moderating role of PBC in the intention-behavior link for health behaviors.
• Substantial unexplained heterogeneity persists, indicating that factors beyond those tested influence these relationships.
• Further research with sufficient data is required to conduct more precise moderator analyses and enhance generalizability across diverse populations and health contexts.