Expectancy‐Based Job Cognitions and Job Affect as Predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors¹

This study investigated the importance of expectancy‐based job cognitions and job affect (the affective component of job satisfaction) in helping to account for “organizational citizenship behaviors” (OCBs; Organ, 1988). Data pertaining to the expectancy‐based job cognitions (i.e., expectancies, instrumentalities, valences), job affect, and OCB performance of 65 state finance agency employees were examined. We anticipated that the effect of expectancy‐based job cognitions on OCB would be partially mediated by affect‐based job satisfaction. This expectation was confirmed in that, after controlling for negative and positive affectivity, generalized instrumentality beliefs were found to affect OCB‐altruism directly, as well as indirectly through the influence of affect‐based job satisfaction.