Willpower and perceived behavioral control: Influences on the intention-behavior relationship and postbehavior attributions

Individual differences in willpower (a subdimension of conscientiousness) and perceived behavioral control (PBC: cognition regarding extent of control over an action; Ajzen, 1985) in the intention-behavior relationship were explored to better understand when intention win be completed to action. The impact of these constructs in postbehavior attributions also was explored. Subjects were traditional and nontraditional students (N=325) preparing for examinations at two time periods. Rather than confirming main effects proposed by prior research (e.g., Ajzen), moderation effects characterized these data. At Time 1, individuals higher in willpower behaved more consistently with their intentions. At Time 2, individuals higher in PBC showed a similar effect. Lower willpower also led subjects to make less attribution to effort when expectations were exceeded.