6 - social influences on health and environmental behaviours

Question 1

what are pro-health and pro-environmental behaviours?

Answer 1

purposeful action or behaviour can reduce a negative impact on health or the environment

Question 1

what are social influences on behaviour?

Answer 1

change in thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or behaviours that result from interaction with another individual or group

Question 2

how did modelling alcohol intake influence behaviour?

Answer 2

when confederate drank more heavily, participants consumed significantly more alcohol than other conditions (Larsen et al)

Question 3

how were eating behaviours influenced by modelling?

Answer 3

review found most studies reported social modelling influenced food choice or food intake

Question 4

what other behaviours are influenced by modelling?

Answer 4

sun protective behaviours
cigarette smoking

Question 5

what are the moderators of social modelling?

Answer 5

1. high need for social acceptance (low self-esteem associated with more modelling)
2. body weight (more modelling if other is same weight)

Question 6

what are explanations for social modelling?

Answer 6

• social approval
• informational influence, accurate decision making (others are point of reference for appropriate behaviours)
• automatic mimicry, mimic those whom with we identify

Question 7

what are social norms?

Answer 7

unwritten rules about how to behave

Question 8

what are different types of social norms?

Answer 8

descriptive: perceptions about what other people tend to do

injuctive: perceptions of what others approve of

prescriptive: focus on what others do or approve of doing

proscriptive: prohibitive - focus on what others do not do or approve of

Question 9

how can social norms be delivered?

Answer 9

social norms marketing

personalised normative feedback (PNF) - obtain information of what someone is doing and give feedback compared to others

Question 10

how can descriptive norms influence hotel towel use?

Answer 10

(Goldstein et al)
a descriptive social norm message increased towel reuse compared to a control message

Question 11

what are inaccurate perceptions of drinking among students?

Answer 11

students overestimate how much peers drink and peer support for drinking

drive problematic behaviour

Question 12

how did descriptive norms influence student’s drinking behaviour?

Answer 12

a sensible drinking campaign with a descriptive norm message reduced students’ intentions to down drinks
(Smith et al)

Question 13

what are criticisms of Smith et al?

Answer 13

measured intentions not behaviour

no data collected on participants’ individual alcohol intake

Question 14

what is personalised normative feedback (PNF)?

Answer 14

compares individual perceived norms to true norms

Question 15

what is the influence of injunctive norm information on sun protection?

Answer 15

immediately post-test - participants reported greater intentions to engage in sun protective behaviour

4 weeks follow up - still had stronger intentions and self-reported more use of sun hats

Question 16

how are descriptive and injunctive norms effective for different reasons?

Answer 16

descriptive - informational influence, guide on appropriate way to act

injunctive - social approval, enable affiliation with social group

Question 17

what is the boomerang effect?

Answer 17

unintended negative consequences of social norm messages

engagement in targeted desired behaviours reduces for some after social norm message