THE EFFECT OF THE EXPERIENCE WITH ATTITUDE OBJECT ON THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS

The present study examined the effect of experience with the attitude object on the relationship between the cognitive (Ac) and affective (Aa) components of attitude, and their differential ability to predict behavioral intentions (BI). It was hypothesized that experience may lead to a greater accessibility of Ac and thus to its better ability to predict BI if the latter is of a cognitive nature. Participants in the study were 250 nursing department students, with various levels of experience with nursing research activities. Their Aa, Ac, and BI were assessed by a questionnaire. The results of a regression analysis confirmed the hypothesis: The weight of Aa in predicting BI decreased as the academic level of the subjects increased, and it became insignificant in the most experienced group. In contrast, the weight of Ac was insignificant in the least experienced group, and it increased as the academic level increased. The importance of the correspondence between the nature of experience and the nature of the tested behavior for predicting the relationship between each of the attitude's components and behavior is discussed.