Expanding the reach of vested interest in predicting attitude-consistent behavior

Abstract

Traditionally, vested interest theory categorized individuals as highly vested if the attitude object affected the attitude holder directly. The predictive reach of the theory might be increased by explicitly expanding the definition of vested interest to include circumstances in which individuals indirectly affected by the issue under consideration are defined as vested. This expansion was prompted by research on interpersonal relationships indicating that as interpersonal closeness increases, so too does inclusion-of-the-other-in-the-self. Two experiments focusing on different issues using different modes of data collection and disparate participant samples supported the proposed theoretical expansion. Study 1 showed the range of the construct could be amplified by expanding the definition of vested interest to encompass individuals who were indirectly affected by the attitude object. Study 2 replicated this result and showed that interpersonal closeness moderated the attitude–behavior relationship, consistent with expectations based on the vested interest model.