The Theory of Planned Behavior
1991 · paper · Psychology
Reviews research on the theory of planned behavior and discusses unresolved issues. It concludes the theory is well supported: attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control predict intentions, and intentions with perceived control account for considerable variance in actual behavior.
Checked: PDF from people.umass.edu, fetched 5 Oct 2026. Page numbers are those of that PDF.
5 findings
Substance Text says "The multiple correlations ranged from .20 to .78, with an average of .51", but Table 1's R column runs from .23 (losing weight, Netemeyer et al.) to .84 (voting choice, Watters).
- p. 9 Text below Table 1
The multiple cor-relations ranged from .20 to .78, with an average of .51.
- p. 9 Table 1, R column
.84
- p. 9 Table 1, R column
Voting choice
- p. 9 Table 1, column R
.84 (Voting choice); .23 (Losing weight)
Judge's note: I read the R column of Table 1 on the p. 9 image: .42 .51 .53 .64 .78 .66 .49 .84 .43 .23 .44 .42 .37 .26 .45 .53 .53. No R equals .20, and the maximum is .84, a value the text itself quotes a few lines later (r = .84). The mean, about .50, roughly matches the stated .51. No exclusion rule is stated.
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Substance Page 26: "The multiple correlation increased from .74 to .79 in the case of cheating, producing a 5% boost in explained variance". The R² difference .79² − .74² is about 7.7 percentage points, not 5%.
- p. 26 Past behavior discussion
increased from .74 to .79 in the case of cheating, producing a 5% boost in explained variance
- p. 26 Past behavior paragraph
increased from .74 to .79 in the case of cheating, producing a 5% boost in
- p. 26 Past behavior paragraph
producing a 5% boost in explained variance
- p. 27 Table 7, Cheating
Cheating
Judge's note: The page 26 text and Table 7 (page 27, upright) both give R .74 without B0 and .79 with B0 for cheating. The other increases in the same paragraph match R² differences: leisure .78→.86 = 13%, lying .35→.50 = 13%, job search .42→.71 ≈ 32–33%. Applying the same method to cheating gives about 8%. No statement in the paper defines the 5% any other way.
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Substance Table 7, Lying row (".35 .29 .47 .26 .19 .46 .35 .50b"): the printed correlations and regression coefficients give R² = Σβ·r ≈ .36 (R ≈ .60), not the printed R with B0 of .50. The Shoplifting row is similarly inconsistent (Σβ·r ≈ .34, R ≈ .59 against .49 printed).
- p. 27 Table 7, Lying row
.35 .29 .47 .26 .19 .46 .35 .50b
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Checked against the Table 7 image on page 27. For standardized coefficients from the full model, R² = Σβ_j·r_jy holds exactly. This identity reproduces the printed R for leisure (.857 vs .86), cheating (.787 vs .79) and job search (.711 vs .71). It does not reproduce lying (.602 vs .50) or shoplifting (.587 vs .49), and rounding of two-decimal entries cannot close gaps that large. The table cannot show which entries (r, β or R) are in error. The text's lying figures (.35 to .50, 13%) follow the printed R, so only the authors can settle this.
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Reference or label Beck & Ajzen is cited as "Beck & Ajzen, 1990" on p. 188, but as 'in press' elsewhere and in the reference list.
- p. 10 Interaction paragraph
Beck & Ajzen, 1990
- p. 10 Interaction paragraph
1986; Beck & Ajzen, 1990)
- p. 10 Intention x control interaction paragraph
Beck & Ajzen, 1990)
- p. 30 reference list
Beck, L., & Ajzen, I. (in press)
Judge's note: The reference list contains only 'Beck, L., & Ajzen, I. (in press)'; there is no 1990 entry.
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Reference or label Page 24 says "In Table 3 we saw that the within-subjects prediction of intentions ... resulted in a multiple correlation of .85", but that R = .85 is in Table 2 (Ajzen & Driver, in press, a; five leisure intentions, mean within-subjects).
- p. 24 Top paragraph
In Table 3 we saw that the within-subjects prediction of intentions from subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and the total semantic differential measure of attitudes resulted in a multiple correlation of .85.
- p. 24 First paragraph
In Table 3 we saw that the within-subjects prediction of intentions
- p. 12 Table 2, Ajzen & Driver five leisure intentions
.85
- p. 24 The Role of Past Behavior section, first paragraph
In Table 3 we saw that the within-subjects prediction
Judge's note: Table 2 (page 12, upright image) has the Ajzen & Driver (in press, a) row 'Five leisure intentions / Mean within-subjects' with R = .85. Table 3 (text layer around line 944) covers the effect of optimal rescaling on belief–attitude correlations, plus rescaling constants B and E. It has no multiple correlation for intentions. The pointer should be to Table 2.
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29 minor (typos and the like; most checked by the judge only)
Reference or label Footnote 1 cites "Bagozzi and Warshaw (1990, in press)", and p. 204 cites "Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1990"; the reference list has 1990a (unpublished manuscript) and 1990b (J. Consumer Research), with no 'in press' entry. 'Jackson, D. N., & Paunonen, S. V. (1985)' is listed but never cited.
- p. 4 Footnote 1
Bagozzi and Warshaw (1990, in press)
- p. 4 Footnote 1
and Warshaw (1990, in press)
- p. 31 References
Jackson, D. N., & Paunonen, S. V. (1985)
Judge's note: I viewed the footnote on p. 4 and the reference list on p. 31. A text search finds Jackson & Paunonen only in the reference list. The in-text Bagozzi & Warshaw citations lack the a/b suffixes, and neither listed entry is 'in press'.
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Reference or label Table 1 footnotes "a Not a direct test of the theory of planned behavior" and "b Secondary analysis" appear reversed. The van Ryn & Vinokur and Netemeyer data carry 'a' in Table 1 but are marked 'Secondary analysis' in Tables 2 and 7.
- p. 9 Table 1 footnotes
a Not a direct test of the theory of planned behavior.
- p. 27 Table 7, van Ryn row and footnote
a Secondary analysis.
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Compared the footnotes of Tables 1, 2 and 7. The author also thanks these data providers for data sets 'for reanalysis'. Locke et al. carries both marks, so only the authors can confirm whether the labels were swapped.
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Reference or label The reference "Jackson, D. N., & Paunonen, S. V. (1985). Construct validity and the predictability of behavior" is listed but never cited in the text.
- p. 31 Reference list
Jackson, D. N., & Paunonen, S. V. (1985)
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: I searched the full article text and found no in-text citation of Jackson or Paunonen. Only the author can say whether a citation was dropped or the entry should be removed.
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Wording Table 1: the Netemeyer et al. election-participation row (r .41/.15, β .52/.18*, R .43) and the Doll & Ajzen row (r .49/.48, β .14/.12, R .51) do not reproduce R via R² = Σβr, unlike the other rows.
- p. 9 Table 1, Doll & Ajzen row
.49 .48 .14 .12 .51
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Read on the p. 9 image. In standardized OLS, R² = Σβ·r. Ajzen & Driver (.78) and Ajzen & Madden (.42) reproduce; these two rows do not. Doll & Ajzen is a 'mean within-subjects' row, where averaged coefficients need not satisfy the identity. That is a partial innocent explanation, but the Netemeyer row is a single regression. For the Netemeyer row the printed betas also cannot be reconciled with the printed r values for any predictor intercorrelation. Only the authors can say which value is right.
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Wording Table 2: the R values for Netemeyer et al. 'Lose weigh' (r .33/.14/.31, β .24/−.02/.47, R .56) and Schifter & Ajzen 'Lose weight' (r .62/.44/.36, β .79/.17/.30, R .74) are not reproduced by R² = Σβr.
- p. 12 Table 2, Netemeyer, Burton & Johnston, Lose weight
.33 .14 .31 .24 – .02 .47 .56
- p. 12 Table 2, Schifter & Ajzen, Lose weight
.62 .44 .36 .79 .17 .30 .74
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Values read from the upright p. 12 image. Other rows reproduce closely: van Ryn gives about .71 against .71 printed, Doll gives about .94 against .94. These two rows give R of about .47 and .82. Only the authors can say which entries are right.
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Wording "The expectancy model was, at best, able to explain between 10 and 36% of the variance in the standard attitude measures" does not follow from Table 3's rescaled correlations (.57, .41, .51, .45, .37), which square to about 14% to 32%.
- p. 17 First paragraph
explain between 10 and 36% of the variance
- p. 16 Table 3, After optimal rescaling column
.57
- p. 17 First paragraph
explain between 10 and 36% of the variance in the standard attitude
- p. 16 Table 3, After optimal rescaling column
After
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Table 3 read on the p. 16 image and the sentence on p. 17. The sentence directly follows the Table 3 illustration. No column of Table 3 gives 10% or 36%: the bipolar column gives about 12% to 29%. The source of the stated range is unclear.
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Wording Text says optimal rescaling "rarely raised the correlations above the level obtained with bipolar scoring", yet Table 3 shows a higher rescaled value in 4 of 5 activities (.54→.57, .35→.41, .44→.45, .35→.37; .51 equal).
- p. 17 First paragraph
but rarely raised the correlations above the level obtained with bipolar scoring of beliefs
- p. 17 First paragraph
but rarely raised the correlations above the level obtained with bipolar
Judge's note: I compared the bipolar and rescaled columns of Table 3. Most of the gains are small, but the jogging gain is .06. The word "rarely" misdescribes how often the correlations rose.
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Wording Text says moral obligation "further increased the explained variance by 3 to 6%"; Table 5's R values (.82→.84, .83→.87, .79→.83) give about 3.3, 6.8 and 6.5 points.
- p. 22 Text below Table 5
further increased the explained variance by 3 to 6%
- p. 22 Table 5, Shoplifting R
.87
- p. 22 Text below Table 5
variance by 3 to 6%
- p. 22 Table 5, R values for Step 1 and Step 2
Step 2
Judge's note: R values read on the p. 22 image. The upper end computed from the printed two-decimal R values is about 7%. Because R is rounded to two decimals, the unrounded values could bring it to 6%, so this is a minor consistency point.
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Typo Typos: "across occasions, situaions," (p. 180) should read "situations"; "perception of behavioral control and is impact on intentions" (p. 183) should read "its impact".
- p. 2 Aggregation paragraph
situaions
- p. 5 Perceived behavioral control paragraph
is impact on intentions and actions
- p. 2 aggregation paragraph
situaions, and forms of action
Judge's note: Both misspellings are visible on the page images. Neither falls at a line break, so hyphenation does not explain them. The 'is impact' item overlaps C015; it is kept here.
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Typo "any single ample of behavior" (p. 180) should read "any single sample of behavior".
- p. 2 aggregation paragraph
any single ample of behavior
Judge's note: The truncated word 'ample' is visible at the start of the line in the page image.
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Typo Typos in the text: "scoring b from ito 7" (p. 194, for 'from 1 to 7'), "situaions" and "ample" (p. 2 of the PDF), and "and is impact on intentions" (p. 183, for 'its impact').
- p. 16 Paragraph on Table 3
scoring b from ito 7
- p. 2 Aggregation paragraph
situaions
- p. 5 Perceived behavioral control
and is impact on intentions
- p. 5 Perceived behavioral control paragraph
perception of behavioral control and is impact on intentions and actions
Judge's note: Each is visible on the page images (p. 16, the p. 2 crop, p. 5).
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Typo Misspelled cited names in the text: "Pleishman, 1958" and "KuhI" (p. 183), "Milier, 1956" (p. 11 of the PDF) and "Schiegel, d'Avernas" (p. 28 of the PDF). The reference list has Fleishman, Kuhl, Miller and Schlegel, d'Averna.
- p. 5 First paragraph
Pleishman
- p. 11 Role of beliefs paragraph
Milier, 1956
- p. 28 Conclusions
Schiegel
- p. 28 Conclusions
(Schiegel,
Judge's note: All four misspellings are visible on the page images (p. 5, the p. 11 crop, the p. 28 crop), so they are not extraction artefacts. The reference-list spellings were checked on pp. 31 and 33. Whether d'Avernas or d'Averna is correct cannot be settled here; the text and the list simply disagree.
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Typo Table 1 row labels print "CCheating, shoplifting, lying—mean" and "GGiving a gift — mean" with the first letter doubled.
- p. 9 Table 1, last rows
CCheating, shoplifting, lying—mean
- p. 9 Table 1, last rows
GGiving a gift — mean
- p. 9 Table 1, Beck & Ajzen / Netemeyer rows
CCheating, shoplifting, lying
Judge's note: The doubled capitals are visible in the Table 1 image on p. 9.
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Typo The reference list prints "Netemeyer, R. G., Andrews, J. C., & Durvasala, S. (1990)", while Tables 1 and 2 print "Durvasula (1990)".
- p. 32 Reference list
Durvasala, S. (1990)
- p. 32 reference list
Netemeyer, R. G., Andrews, J. C., & Durvasala, S. (1990)
- p. 9 Table 1
Durvasula (1990)
Judge's note: The page 32 crop shows "Durvasala" and the Table 1 crop on page 9 shows "Durvasula". The spelling is inconsistent within the article.
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Typo Table 2 prints "Godin et al. (3990)"; the reference list has Godin, Valois, Jobin, & Ross (1990).
- p. 12 Table 2, Study column
Godin et al. (3990)
Judge's note: '3990' is visible in the upright p. 12 image, and the reference entry (1990) is on p. 31.
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Typo Table 2 typos: the title has "(A5B)" for A_B; the rows read "Lose weigha", "Doil & Ajzen (1990)", "Schlegel eta). (1990)" and "Aizen & Driver"/"Aizen & Madden".
- p. 12 Table 2 title and rows
ATTITUDE TOWARD THE BEHAVIOR (A5B)
- p. 12 Table 2 rows
Lose weigha
- p. 12 Table 2
Doil & Ajzen (1990)
Judge's note: All of these are visible in the upright p. 12 image. 'weigh' carries the superscript footnote 'a', so the word itself is missing its final 't'.
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Typo "Fishbein, 1963, Fishbein & Ajzen, 1981;" uses a comma where the other citations in the list are separated by semicolons.
- p. 14 first paragraph
Fishbein, 1963, Fishbein & Ajzen, 1981;
Judge's note: The comma is visible on p. 192. This is a cosmetic punctuation point.
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Typo Motivation to comply symbol is printed "(in)"; Eq. (2) uses m.
- p. 17 Normative beliefs paragraph
motivation to comply (in)
Judge's note: The crop shows "(in)" in the printed page, while Eq. (2) reads n_i m_i.
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Typo "responding to the belief and valuation items" uses 'valuation' where the paper elsewhere says 'evaluation'.
- p. 19
responding to the belief and valuation items may require
Judge's note: Seen in the p. 19 crop. This is probably a dropped 'e', but 'valuation' is still a readable word.
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Typo In-text citation "(Ellen & Madden, 19%)"; the reference list gives Ellen & Madden (1990).
- p. 20 First line
(Ellen & Madden, 19%)
- p. 30 reference list
Ellen, P. 5., & Madden, T. J. (1990)
Judge's note: '19%' is visible on the p. 20 image, and the reference entry on p. 30 reads (1990).
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Typo Table 5 prints "78" (shoplifting, Step 1 attitude r) and "79" (lying, Step 1 R) without the leading decimal point.
- p. 22 Table 5, Shoplifting attitude r and Lying Step 1 R
78
- p. 22 Table 5, Step 1, Lying R
79
Judge's note: Visible in the Table 5 image on p. 22. Every other entry has its decimal point, and Step 2 gives the shoplifting attitude r as .78.
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Typo Table 6 note reads "belief-based mueasure of attitude"; this should be "measure".
- p. 23 Table 6 note
belief-based mueasure of
Judge's note: The misspelling is visible in the crop.
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Typo "searching for ajob" is missing a space; it should read "a job".
- p. 26 Past behavior paragraph
searching for ajob
Judge's note: The missing space is visible in the crop.
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Typo The Conclusions cite "Schiegel, d'Avernas", while the reference list and tables give "Schlegel" and "d'Averna".
- p. 28 Conclusions
Schiegel, d*Avernas, Zanna
- p. 33 reference list
Schlegel, R. P., d*Averna, I. R.
Judge's note: Both spellings are visible in the crops of pages 28 and 33.
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Typo Reference list: "Ajzen, I., & Driver, B. E. (in press, a)" against "Ajzen, I., & Driver, B. L. (in press, b.)". The co-author's initials differ between the two entries, and '(in press, b.)' has a misplaced period.
- p. 29 Reference list
Ajzen, I., & Driver, B. E. (in press, a)
- p. 29 reference list
Ajzen, I., & Driver, B. L. (in press, b.)
Judge's note: Both entries are visible in the page 29 crops. They are by the same pair of authors on the same leisure-study project, but give different middle initials. Which initial is correct (B. L. is likely) rests on outside knowledge; the inconsistency itself is visible on the page.
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Typo Reference list: Ajzen & Madden (1986) page range printed "22, 45374.", which is malformed. Separately, the Insko et al. (1970) entry is run into the Hull entry with a duplicated author name ("lnsko. C. A., Insko, C. A., Blake..."), and Jackson & Paunonen (1985) is listed but never cited in the text.
- p. 29 Reference list
22, 45374.
- p. 31 References
lnsko. C. A., Insko,
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Rests on outside knowledge: the correct range is presumably 453–474. The page 29 crop shows '22, 45374.' as printed, so this is not only an extraction artefact. The page 31 crop shows 'lnsko. C. A., Insko, C. A., Blake, R. R., ...' appended to the end of the Hull (1943) entry. A text search finds Jackson/Paunonen only in the reference list.
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Typo The Insko et al. (1970) reference is run onto the end of the Hull (1943) entry, and its first author is duplicated: "New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. lnsko. C. A., Insko, C. A., Blake, R. R., ..."
- p. 31 Reference list
lnsko. C. A., Insko,
- p. 31 reference list, Hull / Insko
lnsko. C. A., Insko, C. A., Blake
Judge's note: The crops and page 31 show the Insko entry starting on the Hull line with the first author printed twice ("lnsko. C. A., Insko, C. A."). Fix: start a separate entry reading "Insko, C. A., Blake, R. R., ...".
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Typo The Heider (1944) title is misspelled: "Social perception and phenomenal casuality" should read "causality".
- p. 31 reference list
phenomenal casuality
Judge's note: The crop of page 31 shows "casuality".
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Typo Misspellings in the reference list: "Misehel, W. (1968)" (Mischel), "MeGuire, W. J." (McGuire), "phenomenal casuality" (causality), "Unplublished manuscript" (Unpublished), "Dosseit, D. L." (Dossett).
- p. 32 Reference list
Misehel, W. (1968)
- p. 31 Reference list
phenomenal casuality
- p. 33 Reference list
Unplublished
- p. 33 reference list, Schlegel et al.
Unplublished manuscript
Judge's note: The page 32 crop shows 'Misehel' and 'MeGuire'; the page 31 crop shows 'casuality'; the page 33 crop shows 'Unplublished'. 'Dosseit' appears in the reference text layer (line 1770). The in-text citations spell Mischel, McGuire and Dossett correctly, which supports the corrections.
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