Final answer:
A more specific attitude is indeed more predictive of behavior because it directly correlates to detailed feelings, behaviors, and knowledge regarding a situation. Research supports that detailed attitudes linked to personal beliefs and values offer more accurate predictions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The direct answer to whether a more specific attitude is more predictive of behavior is A. True. Attitudes are evaluations of various subjects, such as people, ideas, or objects, and they are composed of three components: affective, behavioral, and cognitive. A more specific attitude aligns closely with the action that it predicts because it incorporates detailed feelings, behaviors, and knowledge about a particular situation. For example, if someone has a strongly negative attitude towards smoking due to health concerns, this specific attitude can reliably predict that the person will avoid smoking and even support anti-smoking policies. This specificity in attitude encompasses the nuances of their beliefs and emotions towards the subject, leading to consistent behavior in line with those attitudes.
This relationship has been supported by psychological research which suggests that specificity in attitude allows for a clearer connection between attitude and subsequent behavior. Reflecting on personal life experiences and values influences the formation of these specific attitudes, and in turn, they closely forecast how the individual will act in related situations. A person's history, such as experiencing discrimination, can lead to a well-defined skepticism towards authority, which can predict their reactions to power structures more accurately than a vague dislike of authority figures.
Understanding the role of specific attitudes in predicting behavior is crucial not only in our everyday interactions but also in fields like marketing, where predicting consumer behavior based on attitudes towards a product is invaluable.