The relationship between affective-cognitive consistency and predictive power of the attitudinal components measured by semantic differential scales

• Published in: The Japanese Journal of Psychology Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 174 - 181
• Main Author: Matsuura, Tsuneo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: The Japanese Psychological Association 01.01.1983
• Subjects: affective component of attitude; affective-cognitive consistency; attitude-behavior consistency; cognitive component of attitude; evaluative factor; semantic differential scales
• ISSN: 0021-5236; 1884-1082
• DOI: 10.4992/jjpsy.54.174

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between affective-cognitive consistency and attiude-behavior closeness. Attitudes toward driving at high speed were assessed by semantic differential scales. “Concepts” or stimulus situations were ill-mannered behavior, related to high speed driving, while the subjects were violators and non-violators of traffic rules. The semantic differential scales were factor analyzed, yielding two factors of affective and cognitive components. Subjects were divided into four groups according to the degree of affective-cognitive consistency which was based on the difference between the deviations of scores on the two scales from their neutral point. The results were as follows. (1) Subjects with the lowest affective-cognitive consistency were likely to act in accord with affective component, while (2) Subjects in the other three groups were likely to act in accord with both components of attitude. These results suggest that affective-cognitive discrepancy is not necessarily associated with predictive power of attitude, if the subject has definite attitude toward the attitude object.