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Empirical validation of affect, behavior, and cognition as distinct components of attitude

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

December 1984
47(6):1191-1205

DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.47.6.1191

Authors:

Evaluated the validity of a prevalent model of attitude structure that specifies 3 components: affect, behavior, and cognition. Five conditions needed for properly testing the 3-component distinction were identified. Consideration of the tripartite model's theoretical basis indicated that the most important validating conditions are (a) the use of nonverbal, in addition to verbal, measures of affect and behavior; and (b) the physical presence of the attitude object. Study 1--in which 138 undergraduates attitudes toward snakes were examined, through the use of measures such as the Mood Adjective Check List, semantic differential, and distance of approach--indicated very strong support for this tripartite model. The model was statistically acceptable, its relative fit was very good, and the intercomponent correlations were moderate. Study 2, with 105 Ss, was a verbal report analog of Study 1. Results from Study 2 indicate that higher intercomponent correlations occurred when attitude measures derived solely from verbal reports and when the attitude object was not physically present. (74 ref) ((c) 1997 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved).

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American Psychological Association. Inc

Empirical Validation of Affect, Behavior, and Cognition as

Distinct Components of Attitude

Steven J. Breckler

Johns Hopkins University

A prevalent model of attitude structure specifies three components: affect,

behavior, and cognition. The validity of this tripartite model was evaluated. Five

conditions needed for properly testing the three-component distinction were

identified. Two new studies were then designed to validate the tripartite model.

A consideration of the tripartite model's theoretical basis indicated that the most

important validating conditions are (a) the use of nonverbal, in addition to verbal,

measures of affect and behavior, and (b) the physical presence of the attitude

object Study 1, in which subjects' attitudes toward snakes were examined,

indicated very strong support for this tripartite model: The model was statistically

acceptable, its relative fit was very good, and the intercomponenl correlations

were moderate (.38 < r < .71). Study 2 was a verbal report analogue of Study 1.

Results from Study 2 indicated that higher intercomponent correlations occurred

when attitude measures derived solely from verbal reports and when the attitude

object was not physically present.

In discussions of the attitude concept, it is

very common to identify three attitude com-

ponents: affect, behavior, and cognition. The

present concern is with the validity of this

tripartite model of attitude structure.

Figure 1 suggests a useful way for concep-

tualizing the tripartite model. Attitude is

denned as a response to an antecedent stim-

ulus or attitude object. The stimulus may or

may not be observable, and can best be

thought of as an independent or exogenous

variable. Affect, behavior, and cognition are

This research was supported by a Graduate Alumni

Research Award and a Herbert Toops Research Award

(both to S. J. Breckler), and by NSF Grant BNS

82-17006 (to A. G. Greenwald). It is partly based on a

doctoral dissertation completed in the social psychology

program at Ohio State University. The article was written,

in part, while the author was a National Institute of

Mental Health Post-Doctoral Trainee in the Department

of Psychology at Northwestern University. Dissertation

committee members Thomas M. Ostrom and Robert C.

MacCallum provided helpful feedback during all phases

of the research. I am especially grateful to my advisor,

Anthony G. Greenwald, and to Anthony R. Pratkams,

both of whom contributed in every way possible to this

work. I also thank Thomas D. Cook, Harry C. Tnandis,

and three anonymous reviewers for commenting on an

earlier draft of the manuscript

Requests for reprints should be sent to Steven J.

Breckler, Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins Uni-

versity, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

three hypothetical, unobservable classes of

response to that stimulus.

In the present view, affect refers to an

emotional response, a gut reaction, or sym-

pathetic nervous activity. One can measure

it by monitoring physiological responses (e.g.,

heart rate, galvanic skin response) or by

collecting verbal reports of feelings or mood.

Behavior includes overt actions, behavioral

intentions, and verbal statements regarding

behavior. Beliefs, knowledge structures, per-

ceptual responses, and thoughts constitute

the cognitive component.

A core assumption underlying the attitude

concept is that the three attitude components

vary on a common evaluative continuum (cf.

Allport, 1935). Affect can vary from pleasur-

able (feeling good, happy) to unpleasurable

(feeling bad, unhappy). Behavior can range

from favorable and supportive (e.g., keeping,

protecting) to unfavorable and hostile (e.g.,

discarding, destroying). Likewise, cognitions

or thoughts may vary from favorable to un-

favorable (e.g., supporting versus derogating

arguments).

History of the Tripartite Model

The affect-behavior-cognition distinction

is an old one. The trichotomy of feeling,

acting, and knowing as three facets of human

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