Modal salient belief and social cognitive variables of anti-doping behaviors in sport: Examining an extended model of the theory of planned behavior

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.03.002Get rights and content

Highlights

  • This study applied the theory of planned behavior in an anti-doping context.

  • Attitude did not significantly predict intention of doping avoidance.

  • Subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were positive correlates of intention.

  • The results also supported the expectancy-value model.

  • Belief expectancies estimated the social cognitive factors of anti-doping.

Abstract

Objectives

This study examined the modal salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs within the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in the context of anti-doping in sport. We tested the efficacy of four hypothesized expectancy-value models as predictors of the directly-measured social-cognitive components of the TPB toward doping avoidance: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intention.

Methods

After developing the belief-expectancy and belief-value of modal salient beliefs items based on a pilot belief-elicitation study of young elite athletes (N = 57, mean age = 18.02), 410 young athletes (mean age = 17.70) completed questionnaire items of the modal salient beliefs and direct measures of the social-cognitive components of doping avoidance. Variance-based structural equation modeling was used to examine the four proposed expectancy-value models.

Results

Belief-expectancies, belief-values, and the expectancy-belief multiplicative composites formed positive associations with their corresponding social cognitive variables. The model in which belief-expectancies were the sole predictors of the social cognitive provided the most parsimonious and reliable model to explain the relationship between modal salient beliefs and directly-measured social-cognitive variables for doping avoidance in sport.

Conclusion

Belief-expectancies including behavioral belief strength (e.g., “doping avoidance is likely to ease the worry of being caught doping”), normative belief strength (“my coach thinks that I should avoid doping”) and control belief strength (“I expect I have power to ‘say no’ to doping”) are the belief-based components that underpin direct measures of the social-cognitive variables from the TPB with respect to doping avoidance.

Section snippets

The present study

In the present study, we aim to test the four models proposed by French and Hankins (2003) to examine the effects of modal salient beliefs within the theory in the context of doping avoidance. In particular, the primary purpose of the present study was to identify the model that is most effective in interpreting the role of key modal salient beliefs.

Our research will extend previous applications of TPB in the explanation of doping intention (Goulet et al., 2010, Lucidi et al., 2008, Wiefferink

Participants

After the Research Ethics Committee of the first author's institution approved the study protocol, we recruited 410 young athletes (mean age = 17.70, SD = 3.92; male = 55.4%) to participate in the study. Participants comprised elite (35.7% of the sample were national level, 10.3% international level, 1.8% world-class) and sub-elite (22.9% regional level, 29.4% state level) and were involved in a number of different sports including six individual sports (i.e., athletics track, athletics field,

Measurement model

Results of the measurement level of VB-SEM fully supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the latent variables representing the indirect measures of the TPB social cognitive constructs, namely, the modal salient beliefs, and the direct measures across all four hypothesized models. The Cronbach's alpha (range = .70 to .96), composite score reliability (range = .73 to .97), AVE (range = .53 to .82), and factor loadings (range = .63 to .90) met the criteria put forth by the literature

Discussion

Based on the theory of planned behavior, the present study explored the relationships between the indirect belief-based measures derived from modal salient beliefs and the directly-measured of the social cognitive variables from the theory in the context of doping avoidance in sport. Based on data from the pilot belief-elicitation study and the input of experts, we developed a set of items that measure the belief-expectancies (behavioral, normative, and control belief-strength) and

Conclusions

The present study extended the application of the TPB to important aspect of anti-doping behaviors, namely, the avoidance of doping. Findings offered support for the effectiveness of subjective norm and PBC in predicting intentions toward doping avoidance. Moreover, this preliminary investigation of the expectancy-value model of the TPB revealed that the directly-measured social cognitive components are closely associated with the belief-expectancy, belief-values, and the expectancy-values

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