Modeling Interaction and Nonlinear Effects: A Step-by-Step LISREL Example

Abstract

An example of a theory involving interactions among theoretical constructs is the theory of reasoned action or expectancy-value attitude theory in social psychology (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). See Bagozzi (1986) for further explanation of this theory and Bagozzi, Baumgartner, and Yi (1992) and references therein for its interpretation and application in consumer research. In essence, this theory states that beliefs about consequences of an act and evaluations of consequences of the same act interact in determining a person's overall attitude or intention to perform the act. This theory can be and has been applied to many different acts, such as using public transportation rather than a private car to commute to work, or donating or not donating blood or an organ. There are various extensions of this theory, but for the present illustration, only the basic theory referred to here is used.