Improving Predictions in Expectancy Theory Research: Effects of Personality, Expectancies, and Norms

Abstract

This study tested Fishbein and Ajzen's hypothesis that the behavior of some individuals will be rationally determined by personal expectancies and that the behavior of other individuals will be environmentally determined by social norms. As predicted, strong expectancy-behavior correspondence was obtained for individuals who were dispositionally aware of personal expectancies but unattuned to social norms. In contrast, we predicted and obtained strong norm-behavior correspondence for individuals who were dispositionally attuned to social norms but unaware of personal expectancies. Several methodological refinements in expectancy measures produced equivalent results.