Attitude Consistency

Henk Dekker & Jolanda van der Noll

Three types of attitude consistency can be distinguished: (1) consistency among the various components of an attitude, (2) consistency between different attitudes, and (3) consistency between attitudes and behavior. This entry addresses the relevant conceptualizations, measurements, and explanations. An attitude is said to be consistent when all elements elicit similar evaluative judgments. Intra-attitudinal inconsistency arises when some of these elements are positive in nature, while others are negative. Within the cognitive component, accessible beliefs may conflict, cognitions and affects may also conflict, and the various affects may differ, simultaneously. Intra-attitude consistency can be examined by comparing how respondents feel, how they think, and what their summary evaluation is. The many studies that showed low correlations and consistency between the cognitive, affective, and conative (behavioral) components have raised doubts about the early theorists' multicomponent view of attitudes. Martin Fishbein and Icek Ajzen restricted the term attitude to a person's evaluation Attitudes ...

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