Social Construction of the Value-Behavior Relation

As recent studies point out, considerable variation exists in value-attitude and value-behavior links across cultures and contexts. Variance in values and attitudes, relevance of the value and of the attitude have been proposed as moderators. These moderators can account for difference in strength of the relationship, but not the difference in direction. This study looks at subjective construal of the value relevance of certain behaviors as a proximal moderator of value-attitude and value-behavior relations. We argue that construing behavior as a valid instantiation of a value is a prerequisite for the relationship between said value and the behavior (e.g., a person can only be motivated to vaccinate by the value of personal security if they believe that vaccination does in fact make them more safe). We also argue that such construals play a role in determining the direction of the relationship (e.g., among people who believe vaccinations are unsafe, those with higher value of personal security will be less likely to vaccinate). In a series of web-based experiments we manipulated the subjective construal of social objects by describing them either neutrally, as reinforcing the value, or as thwarting the value. We then measured the construal of the respective behavior in relation to the value (is it a safe or unsafe behavior), attitudes towards the behavior, and the behavioral intention. We show that manipulation of construal of behavior leads to directional changes in the relationship between the value and the attitude.