THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDES IN THE PREDICTION OF COLLEGE-STUDENTS INTENTIONS TO DRINK

Fishbein's (1967, 1980) theory of reasoned action was used to test the relative importance of attitudes and subjective norms in predicting u ndergraduate students' intentions to perform 3 different types of soci al drinking actions: avoiding drinking, drinking enough to get a sligh t buzz, and drinking enough to get drunk. A multiple regression paradi gm was used to determine the relative effectiveness of attitudes and s ubjective norms in predicting intentions to perform each of the 3 drin king behaviors. Although attitudes were consistently found to be bette r predictors of intentions than were subjective norms, the strength of the attitude-intention relation varied widely across the 3 actions. I n particular, the attitude-intention correlation was strongest for ''d rinking enough to get drunk.'' Findings also suggest that subjective n orms, previous behavior, and perceived behavioral control are nor impo rtant variables for predicting this behavior.