Psychologist Icek Ajzen, awarded with the 17th BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences, explains in this interview how his Theory of Planned Behavior shifted the study of attitudes from broad concepts—such as liberalism, conservatism, or views about different social groups—toward attitudes toward specific actions. By incorporating the influence of social norms and people’s perceived control over their behavior, his model identifies the key factors shaping intentions and actual conduct, with applications ranging from vaccination uptake to public transportation use and voting decisions.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences has gone in this seventeenth edition to social psychologists Icek Ajzen, Dolores Albarracín, Mahzarin Banaji, Anthony Greenwald and Richard Petty for “revolutionizing the way we understand and measure attitud
Psychologist Icek Ajzen, awarded with the 17th BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences, explains in this interview how his Theory of Planned Behavior shifted the study of attitudes from broad concepts—such as liberalism, conservatism, or views about different social groups—toward attitudes toward specific actions. By incorporating the influence of social norms and people’s perceived control over their behavior, his model identifies the key factors shaping intentions and actual conduct, with applications ranging from vaccination uptake to public transportation use and voting decisions.
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences has gone in this seventeenth edition to social psychologists Icek Ajzen, Dolores Albarracín, Mahzarin Banaji, Anthony Greenwald and Richard Petty for “revolutionizing the way we understand and measure attitudes” with an influence that extends to “psychology, sociology, political science, education, health, economics and other areas.”
00:00 Introduction
00:04 Professor Ajzen, could you explain the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which the committee has highlighted as your main contribution, and in what ways it has helped us to understand the relation between attitudes and human behaviour?
01:07 How has your research been applied to understanding as well as modifying attitudes and behaviour in fields such as health, for instance with regard to vaccination and aids prevention?
02:01 What has your research shown about how to understand and improve attitudes and behaviour with regard to the environment, for instance in the use of public transportation?
02:51 What can your work illuminate about people’s political attitudes and their voting behaviour in today’s increasingly polarized societies?
