05 - Attitude behaviour correlation

Attitude behaviour correlation

© SPMM Course assume that subjective attitudes can be quantified meaningfully. An alternative method of measurement is to observe behaviours, but behaviours do not always reflect attitude.  Thurstone scale: While constructing a Thurstone scale, hundreds of statements are initially produced pertaining to a particular topic. These statements are presented to a sample (similar to a panel of judges) who is asked to score the statements on an 11 point scale. A set number of statements e.g. 10 each on both extremes (positive and negative attitude) are chosen based on the consistency of scores given by the judges. Each of these statements will carry a value, which is the average of 100 judgments on the 11 points scale. These 20 statements are clubbed together in producing an attitude scale, which is administered to the subject. The subject will then indicate what statements he agrees to. It is not often used because the method is too tedious. The 11 points (used to rate each statement) are assumed to be intervals and averages are used to obtain the value scores. This is not entirely accurate as the 11 points scale is, in fact, ordinal.  Likert scale includes graded ‘agree’ to ‘disagree’ measures. This is one of the most popular and statistically more reliable measures. It is easy to construct, and no assumptions are made about the equality of intervals.  Sociometry is used to measure interpersonal attitudes in a repertory grid-like fashion i.e. who like whom tables. These are called sociograms.  Guttman introduced scalograms that include cumulative statements where accepting a statement usually means accepting all that comes below a statement, in a step-wise fashion.  Osgood’s semantic differential scale is used to measure verbally expressed attitudes. It allows different attitudes about a particular topic to be measured on the same scale. It includes various factors constituting an attitude; e.g. while expressing one’s attitudes regarding a politician, one can rate him using an evaluative component (good ---- bad), activity component (active ----- inactive) and potency component (powerful ---- weak) etc. With these bipolar adjectives being the two extremes, a 7 points scale is designed, and the subject is asked to indicate a score for each factor. Osgood’s semantic differential assumes that every concept can be represented in a hypothetical semantic space with two extremes.

Attitude behaviour correlation Attitudes and behaviours are not correlated in simple linear fashion. Attitudes are only predispositions; actual behaviours depend on:

1. Perceived consequences.
2. Social desirability.

© SPMM Course 3. Habitual behaviours. 4. Situational factors

If attitudes are measured with specified assessment of target, action, context and time element, however, then measured attitudes will be closer to actual behaviour e.g. if one wants to measure public attitude on the issue of abortion, simply eliciting attitudes on abortion may not be appropriate. Instead if we measure attitudes on legal abortion in a married woman after 3 months of marriage, it may provide a more accurate measure of the actual behavior of the respondents when the issue arises in their personal or family life. Single instances of behaviours are unreliable indicators of attitudes. Various attitudes aggregate to result in behaviour; also the strength of an attitude is proportional to its influence on behaviour.