consistent with the individual' attitude (Fazio & Williams). The key component to the

model is the accessibility of the attitude from memory. When activated from memory, the

attitude is believed to affect both perception and behavior (Fazio & Williams).

 Research on the spontaneous process has focused on the accessibility of attitude

from memory, the strength of association, speed of access, and the factors that influence

each of these. Fazio and Zanna (1981) suggest that the manner in which attitudes are

formed plays a large role in the extent to which attitudes influence behavior. If an attitude

is formed through direct contact with the attitude object, that attitude will have a stronger

influence on behavior than if the attitude was formed without a behavioral experience

(Devine, 1989). It is noteworthy that criticism emerged on the selective processing effects

of attitudes because research has failed to provide clear support for the theory with results

being inconsistent or weak (Ajzen, 2001).Fazio et al. (1982) maintained that an attitude

must first be accessed from memory for it to have any influence over behavior. Further,

the accessibility of an attitude from memory is directly related to the strength of

association. This led to an exploration of the factors that contributed to the strength of

association. Measures of attitude strength used in research studies consist of resistance to

counter-persuasion, the clarity and definition of the attitude, and reported confidence in

the attitude (Schuman & Johnson, 1979). Fazio and Zanna (1981) reported evidence that

of the three strength-indicators mentioned, an individual's reported confidence in an

attitude and the clarity and definition of the attitude have a positive correlation with the

number of direct behavioral experiences with the attitude object. Fazio et al. reported that

repeated attitudinal expression also functions to strengthen the association between the

attitude and object as evidenced by increased accessibility and behavior consistent with