Informational bases of responses to intention and expectation questions: A comparison between volitional behavior and behavioral goals

A content analysis was conducted among American undergraduates to examine the informational bases of responses to intention and expectation (self-prediction) questions for primarily volitional behavior (e.g., writing a letter) and for behavioral goals (e.g., weight loss). The results replicated previous findings that revealed significant differences between the informational bases of responses to intention versus expectation items. They also demonstrated that both intention and expectation subjects were more likely to base their responses to such items on the categories of attitudes, normative beliefs, and past behavior when attempting to predict volitional behavior. When attempting to predict goal attainment, intention and expectation subjects reported relying more on behavioral belief and personal disposition information. The manner in which information may impact the predictive validity of responses to intention and expectation items is discussed.