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The dominance of introspective measures and what this implies: The example of environmental attitude

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  • Otto, Siegmar
  • Kröhne, Ulf
  • Richter, David

Abstract

The behavioral sciences, including most of psychology, seek to explain and predict behavior with the help of theories and models that involve concepts (e.g., attitudes) that are subsequently translated into measures. Currently, some subdisciplines such as social psychology focus almost exclusively on measures that demand reflection or even introspection when administered to persons. We argue that such a focus hinders progress in explaining behavior. One major reason is that such an exclusive focus on reflections results in common method bias, which then produces spurious relations, or in other words, low discriminant validity. Without the valid measurement of theoretical concepts, theoretical assumptions cannot be tested, and hence, theory development will be hampered. We argue that the use of a greater variety of methods would reduce these problems and would in turn foster theory building. Using a representative sample of N = 472 participants (age: M = 51.0, SD = 17.7; 54% female), we compared the validity of a classical introspective attitude measure (i.e., the New Ecological Paradigm) with that of an alternative attitude measure (i.e., the General Ecological Behavior scale). The latter measure, which was based on self-reported behavior, showed substantially better validity that we argue could aid theory development.

Suggested Citation

  • Otto, Siegmar & Kröhne, Ulf & Richter, David, 2018. "The dominance of introspective measures and what this implies: The example of environmental attitude," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 13(2), pages 1-13.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:200252
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192907
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Neaman & Pamela Pensini & Sarah Zabel & Siegmar Otto & Dmitry S. Ermakov & Elvira A. Dovletyarova & Elliot Burnham & Mónica Castro & Claudia Navarro-Villarroel, 2022. "The Prosocial Driver of Ecological Behavior: The Need for an Integrated Approach to Prosocial and Environmental Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Jean-Baptiste Gaborieau & Cristina Pronello, 2021. "Validation of a unidimensional and probabilistic measurement scale for pro-environmental behaviour by travellers," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 555-593, April.
    3. Sang Putu Kaler Surata & Dewa Ayu Puspawati & Putu Eka Pasmidi Ariati & I. Gusti Agung Paramitha Eka Putri, 2022. "The ecological views of the Balinese toward their subak cultural landscape heritage," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12994-13010, November.
    4. Laura Omarova & Sung-Jun Jo, 2022. "Employee Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Impact of Environmental Transformational Leadership and GHRM," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Alexander Neaman & Siegmar Otto & Eli Vinokur, 2018. "Toward an Integrated Approach to Environmental and Prosocial Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-11, February.
    6. Berre Deltomme & Karen Gorissen & Bert Weijters, 2023. "Measuring Pro-Environmental Behavior: Convergent Validity, Internal Consistency, and Respondent Experience of Existing Instruments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-26, October.
    7. Salman, M.M. & Kharroubi, S. & Itani, M. & Talhouk, S.N., 2020. "Using IUCN protected areas management categories as a tool to assess youth preferences for local management of an Important Plant Area (IPA) in Lebanon," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

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