Date of Award

9-27-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Psychology

First Advisor

Eric D. Wesselmann

Second Advisor

Matthew Hesson-McInnis

Abstract

Environmental commitment is a concept based on the investment model and interdependence theory literature. Interdependence theory and the investment model were originally geared towards the study of relationship commitment as function of relationship satisfaction and alternatives to being in that relationship. It has since been applied to areas outside of relationship commitment such as environmental commitment. Previous research has demonstrated that environmental commitment can be predictive of environmental behavior, above and beyond several different control variables that captured different aspects of the person-environment relationship (Davis, Le, & Coy, 2011; Davis, Green, & Reed, 2009). This project will strengthen the existing model by adding two new control variables: a new measure of environmental attitudes and measures of three HEXACO personality factors. My general hypothesis was that environmental commitment predicted self-reported environmental behavior, above and beyond both the new control variables and the existing control variables that were used in this model. I ran both a regression analysis and a path analysis, both incorporating the control variables to test this hypothesis. Overall, environmental commitment did display incremental validity above and beyond the other variables used in the analysis. Also, an alternative model of environmental commitment was developed that displayed excellent global fit. This study further strengthened the utility of Davis's (2011) model for understanding environmental commitment. This study also advanced research in determinants of environmental behavior.

Comments

Imported from ProQuest Boyd_ilstu_0092N_10065.pdf

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2013.Boyd.S

Page Count

73

Download

Share

COinS