In this article, we attempt to distinguish between the properties of moderator and mediator variables at a number of levels. First, we seek to make theorists and researchers aware of the importance of not using the terms moderator and mediator interchangeably by carefully elaborating, both conceptually and strategically, the many ways in which moderators and mediators differ. We then go beyond this largely pedagogical function and delineate the conceptual and strategic implications of making use of such distinctions with regard to a wide range of phenomena, including control and stress, attitudes, and personality traits. We also provide a specific compendium of analytic procedures appropriate for making the most effective use of the moderator and mediator distinction, both separately and in terms of a broader causal system that includes both moderators and mediators.

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The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.

https://www.hse.ru/data/816/479/1225/Oct%2019%20Cited%20%231%20Manage%20THE%20THEORY%20OF%20PLANNED%20BEHAVIOR.pdf

The theory of planned behavior

Interest in the problem of method biases has a long history in the behavioral sciences. Despite this, a comprehensive summary of the potential sources of method biases and how to control for them does not exist. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which method biases influence behavioral research results, identify potential sources of method biases, discuss the cognitive processes through which method biases influence responses to measures, evaluate the many different procedural and statistical techniques that can be used to control method biases, and provide recommendations for how to select appropriate procedural and statistical remedies for different types of research settings.

/pdf/common-method-biases-in-behavioral-research-a-critical-53ocysaemj.pdf

Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.

Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User

Valid measurement scales for predicting user acceptance of computers are in short supply. Most subjective measures used in practice are unvalidated, and their relationship to system usage is unknown. The present research develops and validates new scales for two specific variables, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which are hypothesized to be fundamental determinants of user acceptance. Definitions of these two variables were used to develop scale items that were pretested for content validity and then tested for reliability and construct validity in two studies involving a total of 152 users and four application programs. The measures were refined and streamlined, resulting in two six-item scales with reliabilities of .98 for usefulness and .94 for ease of use. The scales exhibited hgih convergent, discriminant, and factorial validity. Perceived usefulness was significnatly correlated with both self-reported current usage r = .63, Study 1) and self-predicted future usage r = .85, Study 2). Perceived ease of use was also significantly correlated with current usage r = .45, Study 1) and future usage r = .59, Study 2). In both studies, usefulness had a signficnatly greater correaltion with usage behavior than did ease of use. Regression analyses suggest that perceived ease of use may actually be a causal antecdent to perceived usefulness, as opposed to a parallel, direct determinant of system usage. Implications are drawn for future research on user acceptance.

Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology

https://philpapers.org/archive/FISBAI.pdf

Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research

Core text in attitude courses. Explains "theory and reasoned action" model and then applies the model to various cases.

Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior

Research on the relation between attitude and behavior is examined in light of the correspondence between attitudinal and behavioral entities. Such entities are defined by their target, action, context, and time elements. A review of available empirical research supports the contention that strong attitude-behavior relations dre obtained only under high correspondence between at least the target and action elements of the attitudinal and behavioral entities. This conclusion is compared with the rather pessimistic assessment of the utility of the attitude concept found in much contemporary social psychological literature.

/pdf/attitude-behavior-relations-a-theoretical-analysis-and-2wr3erzb6j.pdf

Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research.

This book describes the reasoned action approach, an integrative framework for the prediction and change of human social behavior. It provides an up-to-date review of relevant research, discusses critical issues related to the reasoned action framework, and provides methodological and conceptual tools for the prediction and explanation of social behavior and for designing behavior change interventions.

Predicting and Changing Behavior: The Reasoned Action Approach

Work on general attitudes has drawn attention to the roles of attitude accessibility, controlled versus automatic information processing, and biases in information processing produced by automatically activated general attitudes towards objects. However, early failures to demonstrate strong attitude-behavior relations were shown to be attributable to incompatibility in the level of generality at which these variables were assessed. General attitudes toward policies, people, institutions, and events correlate well with general behavioral patterns but not with specific behaviors. Predicting specific actions requires a measure of attitude toward the behavior itself, as in the reasoned action approach, which takes specific behavior as its starting point and identifies intentions, attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control as important determinants. In addition to discussing those topics, this chapter reviews major meta-analyses of the attitude-behavior relation.

Martin Fishbein

Papers

Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research

Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior

Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research.

Predicting and Changing Behavior: The Reasoned Action Approach

The Influence of Attitudes on Behavior