129:. This is not true in many cases. The fact that people often express attitudes that are inconsistent with how they act may surprise those unfamiliar with social and behavioral science. However, it is important to understand that facts are often reported as if they are about people's actions when they may only be known to be true about their words. This is because it is often much easier to conduct interviews or surveys than to obtain records of how people behave in real-world situations. Sometimes attitudes, such as voting, are measurably consistent with behavior. In such cases it may be possible to obtain accurate estimates of behavior. However, there is no general method for correcting for attitude-behavior inconsistency.
227:
Social desirability bias results from inconsistency between attitudes and behaviors. This is because although people may have positive attitudes toward behaviors they see as desirable, they do not actually perform the behaviors as often as they say they do. Studies making claims about behaviors based on reports when behaviors may be seen as desirable may be particularly sensitive to the attitudinal fallacy. Although indirect questioning has been a common practice among survey researchers, it is not generally effective at mitigating social desirability bias.
22:
170:
and sensors that record behavior like from location tracking may make it possible to measure more kinds of behavior that avoids the attitudinal fallacy. Still, some kinds of behavior are difficult to study other than through interviews or surveys, and the knowledge produced in such cases may be still
239:
A person's attitude and behavior both vary from situation to situation. Behaviors may vary as when a person who rarely edits
Knowledge does so for a class assignment. Attitudes also vary from situation to situation. A college freshman may disapprove of binge drinking, only to subsequently become
226:
Reports of attitudes and behaviors may be subject to social desirability bias. Even in cases where respondents are anonymous, people may be less likely to acknowledge behaviors that they see as undesirable. Conversely they may be more likely to report behaviors that are seen as more desirable.
157:
can make rich observations and descriptions of behavior and allow for comparison between behavior and attitude. Unfortunately, in general ethnographic data cannot be used to draw statistically generalizable conclusions about behavior in a population. Moreover, ethnographers can still commit the
230:
People do not necessarily agree on which attitudes are socially desirable. Moreover, these attitudes may be situational (see below) and vary from setting to setting. Therefore, the ways in which attitudes are biased by social desirability may be interesting in its own right. Therefore, social
174:
Methods that are limited by their inability to measure behavior can still contribute to important understandings. These include how meaning is created, the significance of events to individuals, emotion, semiotics, representation and opinions.
198:
Although most employers in an audit study reported that they were willing to give job interviews to young male black ex-offenders, they were unlikely to provide interviews when presented with opportunities to interview men appearing to be
205:
Observing bystander effect in a naturalistic setting results in behavior that is consistent as per the classic bystander effect. However, if the same effect were to be done with surveys, one will get a very different
152:
Research methods that directly observe behaviors avoid the attitudinal fallacy as a matter of course. However many kinds of behavior are not easily observed, especially not in ways amenable to statistical reporting.
464:
Hebert, James R.; Clemow, Lynn; Pbert, Lori; Ockene, Ira S.; Ockene, Judith K. (1995-04-01). "Social
Desirability Bias in Dietary Self-Report May Compromise the Validity of Dietary Intake Measures".
141:. The attitudinal fallacy is committed when verbal data are used to support claims not about what people believe or say, but what they do. Data collection methods based on self-report like
137:
Attitude-behavior consistency is an important concept for social science research because claims are often made about behavior based on evidence which is really about
578:
Ones, Deniz S.; Viswesvaran, Chockalingam; Reiss, Angelika D. (1996). "Role of social desirability in personality testing for personnel selection: The red herring".
162:
in laboratories make it possible to observe behavior, although people's behavior in laboratory conditions may not reflect their behavior in real-world situations.
39:
149:
are vulnerable to the attitudinal fallacy if they attempt to measure behavior and if reported attitudes are inconsistent with the behavior.
86:
58:
640:
231:
desirability may not invalidate measures of internal factors such as personality in the same way as it invalidates studies of behavior.
195:
Americans on average report going to church twice as much as they actually do. But
Europeans accurately self-report church attendance.
65:
105:
260:
can be changed. So called "below conscious awareness" is much more likely to influence an initial impression than effect change.
429:
Brenner, Philip S. (2011-03-20). "Exceptional
Behavior or Exceptional Identity? Overreporting of Church Attendance in the U.S".
202:
People in health studies where they are asked to report how much food they eat tend to report eating less than they actually do.
630:
625:
72:
645:
43:
635:
54:
650:
192:
However, when he followed around a young
Chinese couple that visited the hotels they were only denied service once.
221:
171:
useful. The possibility of inconsistency between behavior and reported attitudes is always a concern.
32:
79:
509:"Why can't we just ask? The influence of research methods on results. The case of the "bystander effect""
138:
122:
296:
Jerolmack, Colin; Khan, Shamus (2014-05-01). "Talk Is Cheap
Ethnography and the Attitudinal Fallacy".
543:
Fisher, Robert J. (1993-09-01). "Social
Desirability Bias and the Validity of Indirect Questioning".
245:
146:
411:
403:
368:
321:
167:
142:
620:
560:
489:
481:
446:
360:
313:
163:
166:
makes it possible to study a wide array of behaviors that leave traces online. Data from the
587:
552:
520:
473:
438:
395:
352:
305:
269:
257:
185:
614:
325:
415:
372:
154:
21:
591:
188:
asked 251 hotel proprietors if they would serve
Chinese guests and only 1 said
356:
241:
159:
564:
485:
450:
364:
317:
309:
256:
An initial impression can be formed much more easily than attitudes about an
340:
477:
341:"Methodological Pluralism and the Possibilities and Limits of Interviewing"
525:
508:
493:
158:
attitudinal fallacy if they rely on quotations as evidence for behaviors.
442:
126:
407:
399:
556:
240:
socialized to practice and celebrate doing so in the course of
15:
244:. Sometimes attitudes and behavior may be linked to reduce
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
386:Lapiere, Richard (1934). "Attitudes vs. Actions".
211:Ways attitudes and behaviors can be different
8:
339:Lamont, Michèle; Swidler, Ann (2014-04-08).
524:
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
281:
235:Attitudes and behaviors are situational
466:International Journal of Epidemiology
7:
538:
536:
291:
289:
287:
285:
133:Applications to research methodology
44:adding citations to reliable sources
298:Sociological Methods & Research
14:
248:. But this need not be the case.
20:
55:"Attitude-behavior consistency"
31:needs additional citations for
1:
580:Journal of Applied Psychology
513:Polish Psychological Bulletin
119:Attitude-behavior consistency
545:Journal of Consumer Research
667:
641:Social science methodology
604:Crano & Prislin (2006)
592:10.1037/0021-9010.81.6.660
219:
357:10.1007/s11133-014-9274-z
125:is consistent with their
431:Public Opinion Quarterly
310:10.1177/0049124114523396
222:Social desirability bias
631:Psychological theories
626:Psychological attitude
507:Grzyb, Tomasz (2016).
646:Sociological theories
526:10.1515/ppb-2016-0027
345:Qualitative Sociology
636:Qualitative research
478:10.1093/ije/24.2.389
246:cognitive dissonance
40:improve this article
216:Social desirability
121:is when a person's
651:Survey methodology
443:10.1093/poq/nfq068
168:Internet of things
164:Internet research
116:
115:
108:
90:
658:
605:
602:
596:
595:
575:
569:
568:
540:
531:
530:
528:
504:
498:
497:
461:
455:
454:
426:
420:
419:
383:
377:
376:
336:
330:
329:
293:
270:Value-action gap
111:
104:
100:
97:
91:
89:
48:
24:
16:
666:
665:
661:
660:
659:
657:
656:
655:
611:
610:
609:
608:
603:
599:
577:
576:
572:
542:
541:
534:
506:
505:
501:
463:
462:
458:
428:
427:
423:
400:10.2307/2570339
385:
384:
380:
338:
337:
333:
295:
294:
283:
278:
266:
258:attitude object
254:
237:
224:
218:
213:
186:Richard LaPiere
181:
135:
112:
101:
95:
92:
49:
47:
37:
25:
12:
11:
5:
664:
662:
654:
653:
648:
643:
638:
633:
628:
623:
613:
612:
607:
606:
597:
586:(6): 660β679.
570:
557:10.1086/209351
551:(2): 303β315.
532:
519:(2): 233β235.
499:
472:(2): 389β398.
456:
421:
378:
351:(2): 153β171.
331:
304:(2): 178β209.
280:
279:
277:
274:
273:
272:
265:
262:
253:
250:
236:
233:
220:Main article:
217:
214:
212:
209:
208:
207:
203:
200:
196:
193:
180:
177:
134:
131:
114:
113:
28:
26:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
663:
652:
649:
647:
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
632:
629:
627:
624:
622:
619:
618:
616:
601:
598:
593:
589:
585:
581:
574:
571:
566:
562:
558:
554:
550:
546:
539:
537:
533:
527:
522:
518:
514:
510:
503:
500:
495:
491:
487:
483:
479:
475:
471:
467:
460:
457:
452:
448:
444:
440:
436:
432:
425:
422:
417:
413:
409:
405:
401:
397:
394:(2): 230β37.
393:
389:
388:Social Forces
382:
379:
374:
370:
366:
362:
358:
354:
350:
346:
342:
335:
332:
327:
323:
319:
315:
311:
307:
303:
299:
292:
290:
288:
286:
282:
275:
271:
268:
267:
263:
261:
259:
252:Consciousness
251:
249:
247:
243:
234:
232:
228:
223:
215:
210:
204:
201:
197:
194:
191:
187:
184:In the 1930s
183:
182:
178:
176:
172:
169:
165:
161:
156:
150:
148:
144:
140:
132:
130:
128:
124:
120:
110:
107:
99:
96:November 2021
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71:
67:
64:
60:
57: β
56:
52:
51:Find sources:
45:
41:
35:
34:
29:This article
27:
23:
18:
17:
600:
583:
579:
573:
548:
544:
516:
512:
502:
469:
465:
459:
437:(1): 19β41.
434:
430:
424:
391:
387:
381:
348:
344:
334:
301:
297:
255:
238:
229:
225:
189:
173:
151:
136:
118:
117:
102:
93:
83:
76:
69:
62:
50:
38:Please help
33:verification
30:
160:Experiments
155:Ethnography
615:Categories
276:References
242:tailgating
147:interviews
66:newspapers
565:0093-5301
486:0300-5771
451:0033-362X
365:0162-0436
326:144002148
318:0049-1241
139:attitudes
621:Behavior
416:35196521
373:18699120
264:See also
206:results.
179:Examples
127:behavior
123:attitude
494:7635601
408:2570339
143:surveys
80:scholar
563:
492:
484:
449:
414:
406:
371:
363:
324:
316:
145:, and
82:
75:
68:
61:
53:
412:S2CID
404:JSTOR
369:S2CID
322:S2CID
87:JSTOR
73:books
561:ISSN
490:PMID
482:ISSN
447:ISSN
361:ISSN
314:ISSN
190:yes.
59:news
588:doi
553:doi
521:doi
474:doi
439:doi
396:doi
353:doi
306:doi
199:so.
42:by
617::
584:81
582:.
559:.
549:20
547:.
535:^
517:47
515:.
511:.
488:.
480:.
470:24
468:.
445:.
435:75
433:.
410:.
402:.
392:13
390:.
367:.
359:.
349:37
347:.
343:.
320:.
312:.
302:43
300:.
284:^
594:.
590::
567:.
555::
529:.
523::
496:.
476::
453:.
441::
418:.
398::
375:.
355::
328:.
308::
109:)
103:(
98:)
94:(
84:Β·
77:Β·
70:Β·
63:Β·
36:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.