An empirical examination of an integrative theory of social behavior: Some structural equation modeling tests

An integration of Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) Theory of Reasoned Action, Triandis' (1977) Theory of Interpersonal Behavior, Ajzen's (1985) Theory of Planned Behavior, and Bandura's (1991) Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation was proposed in this study. Structural models of social behavior which posited specific relations between important constructs from each of these theories were examined. Using class attendance and condom use as target behaviors, multiple items were developed to measure each of the constructs. Over 400 students participated in the study. Validity of the measures was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis, and a nested model approach in structural equation modeling was used to compare the proposed model with two alternative models, the Interactive-Self (IS) model and the Self-as-An-Active-Agent (SAAA) model. Results show that: (a) satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity was obtained for the measures, (b) although the proposed model and the SAAA model both provided a moderately good fit to the data, the IS model was the best in terms of parsimony and explanatory power, (c) the predictive validity of the models was adequate, and (d) the models were generalizable across behaviors. Both conceptual and applied implications of the findings were discussed. Future research should focus more on the dynamic role of the self-concept in predicting social behavior.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio