Contract Cheating: The Influence of Attitudes and Emotions

In the early twentieth century, psychologists were unconvinced that attitudes predicted behaviour. A classic study that informed this perspective found that students’ attitudes towards cheating did not predict their engagement in cheating. However, considerable research has broadened and deepened our understanding of how attitudes and behaviours can align. A particular contributor to this understanding is the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), which states that attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioural control, together, predict intentions, and intentions predict behaviour. The TPB provides a useful framework for understanding contract cheating. In this chapter we argue that adding felt emotions and anticipated emotions to the TPB adds to the explanation of contract cheating. Ultimately, helping students to manage and understand their emotions may help to reduce contract cheating.