The Campbell paradigm as a conceptual alternative to the expectation of hypocrisy in contemporary attitude research

J Soc Psychol. 2015 Jan-Feb;155(1):12-29. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2014.959884. Epub 2014 Nov 4.

Abstract

Hypocrisy-professing a general attitude without implementing corresponding attitude-relevant behavior-is, according to Ajzen and Fishbein (2005), commonly found in attitude research that aims to explain individual behavior. We conducted two studies that adopted the Campbell paradigm, an alternative to the traditional understanding of attitudes. In a laboratory experiment, we found that specific attitude-relevant cooperation in a social dilemma was a function of people's pre-existing general environmental attitude. In a quasi-experiment, we corroborated the reverse as well; engagement in attitude-relevant dietary practices was indicative of environmental attitude. When using Campbellian attitude measures, there is no room for hypocrisy: People put their general attitudes into specific attitude-relevant practices, and differences in people's general attitudes can be derived from their attitude-relevant behavior.

Keywords: attitude-behavior consistency; attitudes; conservation (ecological behavior); environmental attitudes; social dilemmas.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude*
  • Behavioral Research / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychological Theory*
  • Social Behavior*