Theorists: DeFleur

Like Fishbein, DeFleur has reached for a better understanding of attitude-behavior relationships. In his research, DeFleur shares with Fishbein the following qualities:

• Movement past the study of "bivariate" relationships, realizing the atttitude-behavior relationship is more complex
• Recognition of the importance of attitude in the attitude-behavior relationship
• Realization that behavior is the result of numerous determinants, with a major determinant being attitude (2).

The "contingent consistency" approach that DeFleur takes suggests that several social constraints (i.e. group norms, behavior visibility) pose contingent conditions that may modify the strength of the attitude-behavior relationship (25).

attitude + individual and social constraint variables = behavior

One must combine attitude with individual and social constraint variables in order to predict outcomes of behavior (2).

Attitude is therefore a component of a complex equation of determining an individual's action (2).

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