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Social Psychological Factors in Lifestyle Change and Their Relevance to Policy
Abstract
Crises in obesity and changes in the environment illustrate the need to change problematic behaviors and lifestyles in large segments of the population. This article uses social psychological theory and research to understand methods for facilitating lifestyle change. A basic assumption in the social psychological perspective is that the environment and the person interact to determine behavior. Both factors are important for understanding “upstream” and “downstream” approaches to lifestyle change (McKinlay, 1993; Verplanken & Wood, 2006) and consideration of one factor without the other may be disastrous. We review evidence from within and outside of the health context to illustrate the upstream and downstream approaches and then describe implications for public policy and intervention. The evidence and recommendations encompass a wide range of behaviors, ranging from speeding and intoxicated driving to eating an unhealthy diet and energy conservation. When armed with the relevant social psychological theory and evidence, lifestyle change campaigns are likely to be successful.
... Similar to work in sanitation, improved cooking requires a significant two-step change in user behavior [89]; first, a new hardware or technology is acquired, followed by new behaviors supplanting the old [157,158]. Behavior Change, as it has manifested in the cookstove domain, stems from the field of health communication and provides frameworks for addressing the complex human behaviors that must be changed to support personal, community, and/or global health [65,156,159]. Historically, behavior change theory was based on rational cognitive models of behavior which assume that an individual attends to new information, adjusts attitudes, and then changes behavior accordingly [65,159]. More recently, social and health psychologists recognize the highly influential role that non-cognitive factors, such as emotions, and social and environmental interactions, have on behavior [160][161][162][163][164][165]. ...
... Behavior Change, as it has manifested in the cookstove domain, stems from the field of health communication and provides frameworks for addressing the complex human behaviors that must be changed to support personal, community, and/or global health [65,156,159]. Historically, behavior change theory was based on rational cognitive models of behavior which assume that an individual attends to new information, adjusts attitudes, and then changes behavior accordingly [65,159]. More recently, social and health psychologists recognize the highly influential role that non-cognitive factors, such as emotions, and social and environmental interactions, have on behavior [160][161][162][163][164][165]. ...
... In order to change a behavior, both the context and the individual's role in producing the behavior must be modified [159]. To do so, interventions must simultaneously provide information, shift attitudes and motivations, and provide the skills necessary to maintain the new behaviors long-term [159,180]. ...
This review offers a state of the field examination of cookstove implementation efforts with a focus on stakeholder engagement and persistently low rates of adoption. Literature from related fields, such as sanitation and public health, indicate that perspectives in sustainable energy are narrow, and point to a new approach for sustainable energy and development engagement, one that does not solely rely on overcoming habitualized behaviors of adult women. Should stakeholder perspectives be expanded, and coupled with partnerships that include local, youth-oriented educational institutions, better uptake of efficient cooking technologies may be realized. This paper argues that youth, current and future users of cookstoves, are systematically overlooked at all points along the cookstove value chain, and that their continued exclusion from implementation efforts is to the detriment of cookstove research and practice. This paper calls for their purposeful inclusion in development efforts through collaborations with Education for Sustainable Development providers whose work is complementary to the cookstove and sustainable development communities’ aims and aspirations. This represents a new line of research in sustainable household energy, one that includes a diversity of perspectives and the inclusion of all stakeholders.
... Resultando, por ello, necesario investigar la efectividad del desmarketing para influir los comportamientos de los ciudadanos (Grinstein & Nisan 2009;Ramirez et al., 2017). Se apunta al desarrollo de campañas con el objetivo de cambiar el comportamiento ambientalmente relevante a partir de la modificación de los hábitos (Maio et al., 2007;Shin & Kim, 2018;Verplanken & Wood, 2006). Mientras que alejar a las personas de hábitos insostenibles puede considerarse una intervención descendente, las intervenciones ascendentes lo abordan a través de la legislación, infraestructuras o innovaciones tecnológicas (Maio et al., 2007;Kurz et al., 2015;Verplanken, et al., 2008;Verplanken & Wood, 2006). ...
... Se apunta al desarrollo de campañas con el objetivo de cambiar el comportamiento ambientalmente relevante a partir de la modificación de los hábitos (Maio et al., 2007;Shin & Kim, 2018;Verplanken & Wood, 2006). Mientras que alejar a las personas de hábitos insostenibles puede considerarse una intervención descendente, las intervenciones ascendentes lo abordan a través de la legislación, infraestructuras o innovaciones tecnológicas (Maio et al., 2007;Kurz et al., 2015;Verplanken, et al., 2008;Verplanken & Wood, 2006). Es dentro de estas últimas intervenciones ascendentes, que el presente trabajo, con un carácter exploratorio, analiza los hábitos vinculados con el consumo eficiente de agua por parte de la ciudadanía, así como valorar la posibilidad de adoptar una plataforma como herramienta de apoyo a la misma. ...
... Muchos patrones de comportamiento ambientalmente relevantes son persistentes, y una vez que son habituales, se vuelven «automáticos» y difíciles de cambiar (Ang, 2017;Kurz et al., 2015). Se apunta al desarrollo de campañas con el objetivo de cambiar el comportamiento ambientalmente relevante a partir de la modificación de los hábitos (Maio et al., 2007;Shin & Kim, 2018;Verplanken & Wood, 2006). Resulta más probable que las personas presenten comportamientos y hábitos respetuosos con el medio ambiente cuando las experiencias sean gratificantes y satisfactorias (Kurz et al., 2015;Shin & Kim, 2018). ...
Las sociedades se enfrentan a retos en la gestión de sus
recursos escasos. Muchas de las políticas que se dirigen
a hacer frente a este reto lo hacen desde el punto de
vista de la demanda, centrándose en modificaciones del
comportamiento y hábito de los ciudadanos, así como
en la aplicación de plataformas. Estas actuaciones se ven
reforzadas por la apuesta sobre la aplicación del enfoque
conductual en la administración pública. En base a los
resultados, podemos establecer que los ciudadanos
emplean determinados dispositivos vinculados al
consumo eficiente del agua y al tiempo que desarrollan
algunos hábitos vinculados al mismo. El elemento
para el que la ciudadanía presente un menor nivel de
preparación para su adopción es la aplicación de las
plataformas como fórmula para participar en la solución
de problemas sociales/medioambientales.
... Las personas con fuertes hábitos esperan que se repitan las expectativas previas y no detectan fácilmente cambios menores en el entorno. Se señalan dos elementos clave en el vínculo entre hábito y comportamiento que llevan a que los ciudadanos empleen menos información y su comportamiento esté menos guiado por las actitudes e intenciones (Maio et al., 2007;Verplanken y Wood, 2006): (1) realizan búsquedas menos extensas acerca de las alternativas existentes que tienden a sesgarse hacia la confirmación de lo habitual, ya que las personas con fuertes hábitos poseen sesgos que reducen la posibilidad de que reciban y evalúen favorablemente información en sentido opuesto; y, (2) los hábitos fuertes se asocian con reglas de decisión simples y limitadas, de forma que el comportamiento basado en el hábito está menos guiado por las actitudes e intenciones que aquel conducido de una forma más pensada y deliberada. ...
... Las intervenciones ascendentes tratan de adaptar las condiciones que pueden promover y sostener el hábito deseado pudiendo ser difíciles de llevar a cabo, involucrando recursos sustanciales a lo largo de prolongados periodos de tiempo, así como apoyo político. Para resultar exitosas debe darse una combinación de legislación, refuerzo, educación y cambio estructural (Maio et al., 2007). ...
... Si el hábito presenta barreras al cambio, se podrían buscar aquellas situaciones donde los hábitos pueden ser modificados temporalmente. Verplanken y Wood (2006) las denominan intervenciones descendentes con cambios en el entorno, y su supuesto de partida es que los individuos se encuentren en una posición que requiera encontrar nuevas formas para comportarse, resultando más susceptibles a aquello que guía nuevos comportamientos (Maio et al., 2007). Estas intervenciones se vinculan a comportamientos no deseados con un fuerte componente habitual, a cambios en los estilos de vida. ...
p>El e-gobierno se presenta como una herramienta al servicio de la mejora de la eficacia y eficiencia en la prestación de los servicios públicos. Pero, pese a los esfuerzos por lograr una adopción generalizada del e-gobierno, éste presenta unas tasas de uso inferiores a las anheladas. Si bien dicho fenómeno ha sido estudiado desde diferentes perspectivas, en el presente trabajo se presenta la perspectiva conductual como enfoque que responda a tal reto. Para ello, se analiza la relación entre diferentes sesgos cognitivos vinculados a la tendencia del statu quo (hábito, inercia y resistencia) con la intención (de uso para los usuarios y de continuación para los usuarios). Los datos fueron captados tras un trabajo cualitativo (dos sesiones de grupo) y un trabajo cuantitativo (923 cuestionarios), dirigido a dos muestras diferentes de ciudadanos (no-usuarios y usuarios del e-gobierno). Los resultados constatan la presencia de la tendencia al statu quo en el uso del e-gobierno. Mientras en el caso de los no-usuarios del e-gobierno se encuentran presentes los sesgos cognitivos analizados, llevando a dilatar su uso, entre los usuarios del e-gobierno carece de relevancia el hábito, por lo que se mantienen en su uso como canal de acceso a los servicios públicos.</p
... As a consequence, they may decide not to act at all 11 . Further, people may not believe their actions can make a difference 3,59 , or may find that the required actions and changes are too difficult 59,77,78 . Thus, if people have insufficient confidence in the effectiveness of possible responses or their personal ability to act, behaviour change is unlikely 11,12,79,80 . ...
... Moreover, and maybe even more importantly, changing the practices and habits that cause greenhouse gas emissions is also difficult 59 (see also ref. 77 ), and something that people feel is beyond their individual capacity 3 . Thus, sticking to one's routines and habits is more appealing than taking on difficult and inconvenient lifestyle changes and less problematic for the self than acknowledging the harmful consequences of one's actions 89,90 . ...
... However, various preconditions need to be met for these corrective responses to kick in (e.g., people need to assume responsibility 90,98,99 , be aware of response options 75,76 and believe in their efficacy 3,11,59 ). Moreover, the difficulties and inconveniences associated with the steps required to tackle climate change 3,59,77 suggest that embracing steps to deal with it will not necessarily be the preferred reaction of most people who receive proximised climate change messages. In essence, this means that the threats proximising poses to psychological resources 69 may also trigger defensive strategies such as avoiding information about climate change or denying its relevance 87 . ...
A frequent suggestion to increase individuals' willingness to take action on climate change and to support relevant policies is to highlight its proximal consequences, that is, those that are close in space and time. But previous studies that have tested this proximizing approach have not revealed the expected positive effects on individual action and support for addressing climate change. We present three lines of psychological reasoning that provide compelling arguments as to why highlighting proximal impacts of climate change might not be as effective a way to increase individual mitigation and adaptation efforts as is often assumed. Our contextualization of the proximizing approach within established psychological research suggests that, depending on the particular theoretical perspective one takes on this issue, and on specific individual characteristics suggested by these perspectives, proximizing can bring about the intended positive effects, can have no (visible) effect or can even backfire. Thus, the effects of proximizing are much more complex than is commonly assumed. Revealing this complexity contributes to a refined theoretical understanding of the role that psychological distance plays in the context of climate change and opens up further avenues for future research and for interventions.
... These changes have to not merely be initiated but maintained. As described by Maio et al. (2007), research distinguishes between downstream and upstream interventions. Downstream interventions include, e.g., information campaigns. ...
... Downstream interventions include, e.g., information campaigns. Upstream interventions focus on the environment and longterm change of social norms in order for desired habits to flourish, shaping conditions that "promote and sustain desired habits" (Maio et al. 2007;Verplanken and Wood 2006). ...
... These changes have to not merely be initiated but maintained. As described by Maio et al. (2007), research distinguishes between downstream and upstream interventions. Downstream interventions include, e.g., information campaigns. ...
... Downstream interventions include, e.g., information campaigns. Upstream interventions focus on the environment and longterm change of social norms in order for desired habits to flourish, shaping conditions that "promote and sustain desired habits" (Maio et al. 2007;Verplanken and Wood 2006). ...
... These changes have to be not merely initiated but also maintained. As described by Maio et al. [25], research distinguishes between downstream and upstream interventions. Downstream interventions include, for example, information campaigns. ...
... Downstream interventions include, for example, information campaigns. upstream interventions focus on the environment and long-term change of social norms in order for desired habits to flourish, shaping conditions that 'promote and sustain desired habits' [25,26]. ...
Aim
Not only is the coronavirus pandemic about science and facts, it also raises a number of ethical questions. Some of the most important questions in this context are related to responsibility. First, what is a government’s primary responsibility? Second, how should both the government and individuals consider personal moral responsibility in this context?
Method
This paper uses conceptual and normative analysis to address responsibility in the context of the pandemic. The paper also refers to reports published by the German Ethics Council, the Malaysian Bioethics Community and the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics.
Results
The primary responsibility of governments is to create a balance between individual values and rights, one hand, and the health of the population, on the other. There are good reasons to conceive of individual responsibility as a virtue, having to do with the development of crucial character traits and habits. The responsibility of governments is connected to individual responsibility through the values of trust and solidarity.
Conclusions
Governments need to communicate clearly (a) how they balance conflicts between collective health and individual rights and values and (b) what the chosen strategy entails in terms of collective and individual responsibility. Success requires attention to ethical values from all involved. Individuals will need to develop new character traits to help manage this pandemic and to prevent new ones. Governments must facilitate the development of such character traits by building trust and solidarity with and among citizens.
... As psychologists acknowledge that behavioral dispositions belong to the individual and human mind alone, adaptation in psychology is solely conceptualized at the individual level (van der Linden 2014). However, psychology does not ignore the impact of contextual influences, as psychological theories often relate the roots of psychological constructs that drive human behavior to sociocultural origins (Maio et al. 2007) and structural factors (e.g., access to resources) that are often highlighted as the drivers of human behavior in many social science disciplines. Thus, psychological constructs can also be considered as actors that mediate the relationship between demographic, sociocultural, economic, and other contextual factors and adaptation responses. ...
... Habit is defined as frequency of past behavior in psychology(Maio et al. 2007). However, not all frequent behavior is habitual. ...
The limited agricultural land resource in Sri Lanka is being exploited to achieve food security in the country and generate foreign exchange. After the “green revolution”, this has often been done by adding only synthetic N, P, and K fertilizers into soil, using improved crop varieties that require large quantities of plant nutrients, while neglecting other important aspects of soil fertility. As a result, more than 50% of the agricultural lands in Sri Lanka have already been degraded as evidenced by very low organic carbon reserves, nutrient depletion or accumulation, and increasing soil acidity. Man-made heterogeneity in soil fertility appears to be surpassing the inherent variability in intensively cultivating agricultural lands in Sri Lanka. Hence, the requirement of a paradigm shift in soil fertility management from managing external inputs to renewable soil fertility replenishment for environmentally conscious sustainable production is required. For this, the development of effective site-specific soil fertility management technologies and strategies to encourage farmers to practice those is essential. This chapter is aimed to review the history of soil fertility management in Sri Lanka along with new directions for integrated soil fertility management to increase productivity while minimizing environmental issues related to plant nutrient management.
... They guide our behaviour more than conscious choices [49], because they are often automatic functions [50]. Even if behavioural routines are relatively hard to modify, they can be changed [51]. ...
... Human behaviour is guided more by habits and routines than conscious choices [49]. Even if behavioural routines are relatively hard to modify, they can be changed [51]. According to our results, emotions that could help with behavioural change were the interest and curiosity towards driverless shuttle buses. ...
Autonomous vehicles, electrification, and ride-sharing appear to be the next big change in the field of mobility. It can lead to safer roads, less congestion, and reduced parking. In this research, we focus on real-life user experiences of a driverless shuttle bus. We are interested to know what kind of perceptions and feelings people have when they travel in an autonomous shuttle bus. Therefore, we apply Harry Triandis´ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (TIB), which recognizes that human behavior is not always rational. Human behaviour, and its change, is linked to the intention, the habitual responses, and the situational constraints and conditions. The qualitative data (n = 44) were collected in 2017 by semi-structured interviews in Espoo, Finland. The interviewees were passengers who travelled a predefined route in a driverless shuttle bus. We applied inductive content analysis. The findings were compared in the theoretical framework of TIB. According to the results, a lack of human driver was not a problem for the passengers. They were surprised how safe and secure they felt in the autonomous vehicle. More specifically, passengers´ perceptions were similar to when travelling by a metro or a tram, where a passenger rarely interacts with the driver, or even witnesses the existence of the driver. However, the results suggest that people are much more intolerant of accidents caused by autonomous vehicles than by humans. On a general level, positive attitudes towards autonomous vehicles can be supported by giving people possibilities to try autonomous vehicles in a safe, real-life environment. The decision whether to use a driverless shuttle bus or not correlates highly with the contextual factors. Route and flexibility surface the most important reasons for behavioral changes.
... The energy cultures framework has previously been used to demonstrate that intentional changes via an external factor can motivate technology adoption or changes in household behaviors (King et al., 2014;Scott et al., 2016). Evidence from related sustainable development fields such as sanitation, sustainable agriculture, and family planning indicate that household attitudes and behaviors shift as a result of youth-oriented education around these topics across global contexts (Bresee et al., 2016;Kepha et al., 2016;Mahanta et al., 2016;Maio et al., 2007;Okyere et al., 2017;Puffer et al., 2016). While energy and sustainability education programming for youth is increasingly popular for focusing conservation efforts in the United States and other Western settings, and there is some evidence of parent behavior shifts as a result (Boudet et al., 2016;Damerell et al., 2013;Kandpal and Broman, 2014;Lane et al., 2014;Ntona et al., 2015), there is limited evidence of the efficacy of this approach in resource-limited settings for residential cooking energy transitions (Lindgren, 2020). ...
... Research has also shown that habits and routines play a key role in people's daily choices and contribute to the maintenance of consumption patterns over time, being identified as one of the most important obstacles to mitigating climate change. For example, eating habits are extremely resistant to permanent change, since they are a central aspect of people's lifestyle, which may imply the confrontation with very internalized values and routines (Maio et al., 2007). If the cost of adopting a new behaviour is higher than the benefits, there will be resistance to change, due to modifying habits and routines always involves a series of costs. ...
The economic system of humanity is characterized by being unilateral,
that is, in one direction or sense, which in this case and obviously
is that of the sole and exclusive benefit of humans. Instead, we can
go towards a two-way economic system, taking into account the other
parties and also their benefit. In addition, this approach is based on
something as simple and original as exchange, the potlach that nature
has taught us but that we have forgotten because of the chrematistic
interests that dominate in this omnipresent and transcendental activity
of our existence.
Planning a new economic system may seem utopian, impossible, a chimera
or entelechy, even something crazy. But less is nothing, even if it is
only an idea, and especially if it is necessary, as the events and the
situation are developing towards where our current way of living and
producing is leading us. Although from its base or principle, the urgent
and peremptory cannot lead us to make the same mistakes or others that
may arise from wrong approaches, as often happens when we only think
of our own benefit. For all these reasons, this proposal for a new or
another economic model already starts from a different basis and can
be summarized in a single point, idea or approach for its development:
the multilateral nature of our activities and, specifically, of the
productive one. That is to say, having the planet from which we obtain
the resources, compared to the one-sidedness of the current system, in
which we only look for ourselves. By simply assuming this principle and
starting point, we would already be changing, improving and taking a
great step in the right existential direction
... In fact, there are still major gaps in terms of understanding how to really engage young people in climate change issues. Although there is a large amount of general literature and social-psychological models and theories on variables influencing human behaviour and behavioural change (Jackson 2005;Maio et al. 2007;Darnton 2011), there are many aspects of this body of knowledge where no direct evidence is yet available regarding young people. The overall question in implementing educational interventions at school is therefore: which communication strategy is to be used in order to achieve the best and most sustainable results? ...
... This specificity can enhance the effectiveness of efforts to alter human drivers (Dietz et al., 2009;McKenzie-Mohr, 2000). Initiating conditions are nested within social contexts, such as when attitudes and behaviors are influenced by friends, family, and one's culture (Bergquist et al., 2019) and social and physical environments that influence behavioral options (Maio et al., 2007). ...
Achieving global health requires attention to the interdependency of the health and well-being of nature and its inhabitants. As outlined by the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts, and Response) model, achieving this goal will be aided by a better understanding of (a) human and natural drivers of geophysical pressures that alter environmental states, (b) the impacts of environmental conditions on human and nonhuman life, and (c) responses that can be made to alter drivers, pressures, states, and impacts. Yet, the model could be expanded to consider psychological perspectives and social contexts more explicitly. This introductory article integrates these perspectives into the DPSIR model. It then shows how each article in the current issue contributes to the expanded model, including helping incorporate social justice into the goal of achieving global health.
... Campaigns to promote public safety are typically hard to do well; but they are even more challenging when rhetoric on privacy is used to encourage popular resistance. Individuals do not like to modify their lifestyle behaviors in response to government mandates (Garrett 2020;Maio et al. 2007). Mixed feelings and beliefs make any public health or safety policy based on individual choice complex. ...
This study used an advertising campaign focused on the Real ID card to explore the relationship between privacy concerns and information sharing through adoption of the new form of identification. Online surveys were conducted to assess the impact of campaign ads promoting the Real ID, and to determine whether privacy concerns were a barrier to its adoption. At post-test, an ordinal regression analysis of data from registered voters in Montana (n = 302) showed a positive association between the time spent viewing the ads on social media and intent to obtain the Real ID, but no relationship between privacy concerns and Real ID intentions. To date, the states and territories have issued approximately 110 million Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards, representing 40 percent of all driver’s licenses and identification card holders. Montana, one of the states originally most resistant to the 2005 security act, lags only slightly behind with 20 percent of drivers and ID card-holders having Real IDs. This research shows that privacy concerns about a new technology or identification system, such as the Real ID, can erode over time. Whether these changes are due to mounting privacy apathy triggered by the public’s perceived lack of control, or a willingness to sacrifice some privacy for national security in the face of rising terrorist threats needs to be researched further.
... The literature on the influencing human behaviours factors is very broad; it has been defined as "enormous" [132] and "bordering on the unmanageable" [133]. The prior frameworks demonstrate that an individual's sustainable or environmental behaviours are influenced by environmental attitudes and government policies and subsidies. ...
This review of studies into Energy Efficiency Retrofitting (EER) has shown the practice of EER to be a key factor in sustainability regeneration. Thus, the retrofitting practice itself (the way it is organised) has received increasing attention from both practitioners and researchers, and studies are now addressing some issues that are affecting the retrofit level of achievement. Most of the risks which lead to low retrofit development are related to owners. This paper aims highlight the role of the occupants in achieving the goals of EER. It is found that: a) the early involvement of occupants in the design and construction stage, b) mutual engagement, and c) an integral approach that involves the occupants are the key to motivate EER decisions from these same occupants. It follows that this involvement, including the demographic characteristics of the occupants, such as their culture, habits, preferences, awareness towards energy saving and socio-economic factors, are indeed effective in influencing the energy-related behaviours of these occupants. Moreover, other factors, such as space-heating behaviour, presence/absence of the occupants, control level of the equipment and window, and lighting control behaviour, are all effective factors in the energy performance of the buildings. Hence, socio-technical advancements, co-design processes and effective energy efficiency policies are recommended strategies to: a) improve occupants’ behaviours; and b) increase their participation in EER projects.
... Situated in Social Cognitive Theory, which in part states that a person's behaviours are in uenced by observing their peers and the environment in which the action is performed 31 , the studies described herein are based on the premise that learning in a household is bi-directional, that is, parents and children learn from one another. Evidence from related elds such as sanitation, sustainable agriculture, and sexual health indicate that household attitudes and behaviours shift as a result of youth-oriented education around these topics across global contexts [32][33][34][35][36][37] . While youth energy education is becoming an increasingly popular way of focusing conservation efforts in the United States, and there is some evidence of parent behaviour shifts as a result 26,38-41 , there is limited evidence of the e cacy of this approach in resource-limited settings, or as a communication tool for residential cooking energy transitions 25 . ...
Efficient cookstoves are popular solutions in international energy development for their presence in multiple Sustainable Development Goals. However, adoption of these devices remains a challenge. Among the barriers known to limit adoption is effective household communication, yet rarely are all stakeholders purposefully engaged in activities that support uptake and sustained use. The findings of two studies conducted in rural Namibia indicate that youth-oriented sustainability education is an effective communication tool in cooking energy development, and has the potential to shift attitudes and behaviours, within households and across communities. Households with children who participated in sustainability education programming were significantly more likely to prefer efficient fuels and be less committed to biomass cookstoves than similar families without such children. Further, a longitudinal study of children who attended the programming indicates that their preferences about common cooking fuels shifted toward sustainable ones, and that these changes persist over time.
... Habitual behaviours are extremely resistant to permanent change (e.g. eating habits), and others are only changed slowly, over decades (Maio et al. 2007), making them resistant even to priming and attitude change (Verplanken and Aarts 1999). It would thus be expected that individuals with strong purchasing and driving habits would be the first to deny the importance of changing such habits, and even deny the threat. ...
Even if there is an increasing public awareness of biodiversity loss, there still is the need to improve individuals’ behaviours in favour of biodiversity conservation, such as composting or buying pollinator-friendly plants. Why do individuals who know about the risks of biodiversity loss, not change their lifestyles to promote biodiversity? The main aim of this paper is to empirically identify the psychological barriers to biodiversity conservation behaviours, with a specific attention to individuals’ perception of the psychological distance of biodiversity loss. To this purpose, 270 individuals were asked to complete a questionnaire. Data demonstrated that six main psychological barriers prevent behavioural change, depending on individuals’ perceived psychological distance as well as on the specific features of the behaviour considered. Our findings constitute a significant theoretical complement to previous research on behavioural change to respond to environmental threats, as it specifically investigates the psychological barriers resulting in citizens’ inaction with regard to biodiversity loss. Furthermore, our paper offers advice for policy-makers, deciding bodies, and associations involved in biodiversity conservation on the cognitive barriers that they might be confronted to when addressing citizens and promoting their engagement in individual and collective actions in favour of the environment.
... Dan dapat didefinisikan sebagai pola khas atau karakteristik perilaku pribadi dan sosial seorang individu atau kelompok (Veal, 1993). Berdasarkan teori perilaku, perilaku manusia dibimbing oleh tiga jenis pertimbangan: (a) keyakinan tentang kemungkinan konsekuensi dari perilaku dan evaluasi konsekuensi ini (keyakinan perilaku), (b) keyakinan tentang harapan orang lain dan motivasi untuk mematuhinya harapan (kepercayaan normatif) dan (c) keyakinan tentang faktor yang diharapkan untuk membantu atau menghambat kinerja perilaku dan pentingnya persepsi ini sebagau faktor kontrol atas keyakinan tersebut (Maio et al., 2007a). ...
ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendapatkan informasi mengenai hubungan antara gaya hidup generasi muda terkait konsumsi makanan dan minuman produk dalam negeri khususnya warteg. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif dengan sampel berjumlah 100 orang. Data dianalisis secara tabulasi kemudian akan dilakukan analisis mutlivarians melalui pemodelan persamaan struktural. Model yang dikembangkan 70,7 persen terwakili oleh variabel eksogen. Motif konsumsi berupa motif ekonomi dan sosial yang berkembang di generasi, pengalaman yang menyenangkan atas konsumsi produk makanan dalam negeri yang dirasakan generasi muda, persepsi konsumen mengenai nilai cinta bangsa dan negara yang berbentuk tindakan konsumsi produk dalam negeri dan sikap konsumen yang menghargai produk dalam negeri berpengaruh terhadap pengembangan gaya hidup cinta produk dalam negeri. ABSTRACT The research objection are to obtain information about the relationship between the young generation lifestyle that related to the domestic food and beverage products consumption (case of warteg). The research methods was descriptive method with 100 samples. The data analyzed by mutlivariance analysis with structural equation modeling. The developed research model 70.7 percent is represented by exogenous variables. Consumption motives in the form of economic and social motives that developed in the young generation, the pleasant experiences of domestic food products consumption, the consumers' perceptions about ethnocentrism and consumer attitudes that appreciate the domestic product are influencing factors for "love domestic product " lifestyle among the young generation.
... Ces modèles exposent surtout les processus psychologiques impliqués dans la réception publicitaire, mais également les variables susceptibles d'influencer la modification des attitudes et des comportements des individus. L'expansion continue des recherches dans ce domaine est décrite par certains comme « énorme » (Jackson, 2005), « complexe » (French et Gordon, 2015) et « à la limite de l'ingérable » (Maio et al., 2007). (Strong, 1925), la théorie de l'adoption de l'innovation (Rogers, 1962), la grille de Foote, Cone et Belding (FCB) (Vaughn, 1980(Vaughn, , 1986, ainsi que son dérivé, la grille de Rossiter et Percy (Rossiter et al., 1991). ...
La publicité sociale, que plusieurs inscrivent dans le domaine plus large du marketing social, occupe une part importante de l’industrie de la communication marketing au Québec : des dizaines de millions de dollars sont investis chaque année dans des campagnes publicitaires promouvant des causes sociales et environnementales multiples. Si les annonceurs sociaux choisissent cette forme de communication persuasive, c’est parce qu’ils sont animés de la conviction qu’elle est efficace pour susciter l’adoption de « bons » comportements ou l’abandon de « mauvais » comportements chez le public visé. Or, cette assertion soulève inévitablement des questions : l’efficacité des campagnes de publicité sociale est-elle évaluée? Le cas échéant, sur quels indicateurs et méthodes s’appuient ces évaluations? Sont-ils arrimés aux plus récentes connaissances issues de la recherche scientifique? Dans les écrits scientifiques, deux constats émergent : l’absence de consensus sur ce qui constitue une campagne efficace et sur la manière d’évaluer cette efficacité, ainsi que le manque de données empiriques sur les pratiques d’évaluation des professionnels. De tels constats conduisent naturellement à s’interroger sur la dynamique d’échange entre la recherche scientifique et les professionnels de la publicité sociale. Les données scientifiques sont-elles transférées aux professionnels? Dans l’affirmative, les intègrent-ils à leurs pratiques? Encore une fois, la revue de la littérature permet de constater que ces enjeux ont été peu documentés empiriquement jusqu’à présent. Dans ce contexte, l’étude s’est penchée sur l’enjeu général de l’arrimage entre les connaissances issues de la recherche scientifique (CIR) et les pratiques d’évaluation des campagnes de publicité sociale au Québec. S’appuyant sur un devis méthodologique mixte, un questionnaire a d’abord été soumis à soixante-deux professionnels de la publicité sociale oeuvrant au Québec, afin d’établir un portrait chiffré de leurs pratiques à l’égard de l’évaluation des campagnes ainsi que du transfert et de l’utilisation des connaissances scientifiques. Puis, vingt-trois professionnels ont participé à des entretiens individuels pour explorer plus en profondeur les raisons qui sous-tendent ces pratiques.
... The existence of significant individual differences in the initial levels and rates of change of climate change risk perception and climate policy support indicate the need for interventions that are tailored to the motivations and barriers faced by different population segments (Maio et al. 2007;Mckenzie-Mohr 2009;Reynolds 2010;Schultz 2014). For example, the present findings suggest that the climate change risk perceptions of individuals with weaker perceptions of scientific agreement on climate change are less likely to be influenced by indirect exposure to forest fires. ...
Using a naturalistic quasi-experimental design and growth curve modeling techniques, a recently proposed climate change risk perception model was replicated and extended to investigate changes in climate change risk perception and climate policy support in relation to exposure to forest fires. At the start of the study, above-average indirect exposure to forest fires (e.g., through media and conversations) was associated with stronger climate change risk perception, but direct exposure to forest fires (e.g., seeing smoke) and other types of extreme weather events was not. Over time, changes in climate change risk perception were positively associated with changes in climate policy support. However, individual differences in growth trajectories occurred. For example, in this naturalistic setting without any intervention, the climate change risk perceptions of individuals with weaker perceptions of scientific agreement on climate change were less likely to be positively influenced by fire exposure than those of individuals with stronger perceptions of scientific agreement. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring climate change communication.
... The theory of planned behaviour proposed by Icek Ajzen in 1985 is found to be well supported by empirical evidence (Maio et al., 2007). The theory was developed from the ...
The use of ICTs has now become the springboard for agricultural development in many countries, meanwhile Ghana’s agricultural sector has not been able to fully utilize this potential. Current ratio of agricultural extension agents (AEAs) to small scale farmers stands at an average of 1:3000 (Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana and SEND-Ghana, 2016). This make extension services delivery very critical. However, MoFA in their current effort to help mitigate the problem, established the E-extension unit under the extension directorate to use innovative ICT based approaches which provide advice to farmers on-line, and the promotion of mobile phones and community radio stations. An interview was conducted to seek the views of farmers in the Tolon, Kumbungu and Sagnarigu districts of the northern region, on the effectiveness of mobile-phone technology use in agricultural extension services delivery. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, SERVQUAL analytical tool, correlations, regression, and chi square. The research measured the effectiveness of three extension delivery approaches, namely mobile-phone technology, participatory video and direct contacts with extension agents. The research outcome shows that farmers were not satisfied with extension provision in all the extension approaches measured. However mobile phone extension is the most effective in addressing extension quality gaps followed by participatory video, then direct contacts with agriculture extension agents. The number of people who use mobile-phone technology to access agricultural extension information among the farmers in the area was small representing 35.8% of respondents. 50.9% of the sample population received agricultural extension information through direct contact with agricultural extension agents. Only 13.3% of farmers received agricultural extension information through participatory video. Icek Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior was used to assess the intentions of farmers to use of mobile-phone technology. The outcome revealed that three predictor variables (Subjective Norms, Attitude toward the act, and control factors) were statistically significant at varying degrees in predicting farmers’ intent to use mobile-phone technology for accessing agricultural extension information. Of the three, attitude was found to be the strongest predictor of Intention to use mobile-phone technology, meaning farmers are willing to use mobile phone for accessing agricultural extension information. Subjective norm was significant in predicting farmers’ intention to use mobile-phone, meaning opinion leaders, agricultural extension agents, NGOs and religious leaders have strong influence on farmers’ choice of mobile-phone technology for accessing
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agricultural extension information. Perceived behavioural control factors showed negative influence towards mobile-phone technology because farmers revealed reasons that will stop them or decrease their intention towards the use of mobile-phone extension provision. The reasons are: If farmers find it difficult to interpret and understand extension messages; if farmers do not receive extension messages on time; and if extension messages are not about farmers’ cultivating crops, they will not use mobile phone extension provision. The study also revealed that readiness to use mobile-phone technology was dependent on gender, age and educational level of farmers. Male farmers have strong intention towards the use of mobile phone extension provision than female farmers. Young and the adult farmers have strong intentions towards mobile-phone extension provision than the aged. Also educated farmers have greater intention towards mobile phone than farmers with no education. From the findings of the research, mobile phone has enormous potential for addressing agricultural extension provision gaps. Since mobile phone can be used to access store and disseminate knowledge and information to farmers without barriers such as distance and time, there is the need for MoFA and relevant agricultural extension stakeholders to harness these advantages to the benefit of farmers. With farmers expressing strong intention to use mobile phone for receiving agricultural extension information, government and development partners should use extension agents and community opinion leaders to lead an advocacy to smart phone use by farmers because of its enhanced features such as video and voice recording, train farmers on how to use smart phones and encourage them to patronize mobile phone extension services. DAES E-extension Unit should be focused on creating voice extension messages that carries agricultural knowledge and information in local dialects, and advice every extension agent to create a social group over mobile-phone for farmers under their operational areas/zones. Extension agents should use this social group platform to disseminate knowledge and information to their farmers. The unemployed graduate youth who will be recruited as extension agents by government under the planting for food and Jobs programme should be trained by MoFA and provided with mobile phones or tablet computers loaded with extension information. These extension agents must be allowed to operate on door-to-door basis providing extension services such as advisory support on general farm knowledge and practice using video demonstrations recorded on tablets, providing market-specific information on cost of agricultural commodities and transport services, and providing information on weekly weather forecast
... The personal experiences of individuals, rather than disembodied health science concepts, featured in I'd Rather Stay were at the foreground of most focus group participants' comments and desire to share information and/or take action. This extends previous research that suggests that emotional engagement is an important element of effective behavior change interventions (Maio et al., 2007). ...
RÉSUMÉ
Une vaste majorité des Canadiens âgés ne pratiquent pas suffisamment d’activité physique. Le développement de stratégies originales et innovantes encourageant et appuyant les modes de vie actifs est donc urgent. La vidéo est un outil prometteur pour l’application de connaissances (AC) visant l’engagement de divers publics dans la discussion et l’adoption de comportements favorisant la santé. L’Approche systématique pour les vidéos fondées sur des données probantes ( Systematic Approach to Evidence-informed Video , SAEV), qui fournit un cadre pour guider et structurer le développement de vidéos ayant pour objectif l’AC, a été utilisée pour la création et la diffusion d’un documentaire de 19 minutes, I’d Rather Stay ( https://vimeo.com/80503957 ). Quarante-huit participants âgés de 60 ans et plus ont visionné la vidéo, participé à des groupes de discussion et rempli des questionnaires concernant cette vidéo. Les données ont été recueillies après le visionnement et lors d’un suivi organisé six mois plus tard. La vidéo a éduqué, encouragé et mobilisé les personnes âgées sur les questions liées à l’autonomie, à l’activité physique et aux liens sociaux. Nous encourageons les chercheurs à adopter des stratégies d’AC auxquelles les personnes âgées peuvent s’identifier, qui sont accessibles et par lesquelles elles peuvent s’engager à un niveau critique, autant sur le plan émotionnel qu’intellectuel, comme les vidéos basées sur des preuves scientifiques.
... A general health seminar, which had been delivered in the control group might have influenced their awareness of nutrient intake and be more accountable for the health behaviour [18]. This is consistent with behavioural theory whereby people who have formed actions plans were more likely to be successful compared to those merely considering a goal [19]. It has to be noted that one of the components of the dietary package received by both the study groups included self-monitoring of their dietary intake. ...
Background: Diet compositions are likely to be one of the influential factors for body fat deposition. The aim of this paper was to determine the nutrient changes and its association to body fat loss among the overweight and obese housewives in the MyBFF@home study.
... For intenders, the intention and its determinants are not the issue; they already have the intention to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Their failure to put this intention into action can be the result of (1) a failure to get started and (2) getting derailed (see Maio et al. 2007). In order to get started, an effective strategy is the formation of implementation intentions. ...
The argument from example is frequently used in health communication interventions. Some of these arguments are narrative in nature, in the sense that they relate a series of logically related events containing an experiencing agonist. In this article, research on narrative persuasion is discussed in order to show how such narrative arguments from examples can influence the target audience’s beliefs about the possibility that a certain action will lead to certain consequences, the desirability of such consequences, as well as provide the target audience with ways by which to circumvent obstacles that prevent them from putting their intentions into actions. As such, narrative arguments from example can serve the needs of both people who still need to be motivated to change their behavior as those of people who already intend to adapt their behavior but fail to put this intention into action.
... A general health seminar, which had been delivered in the control group might have influenced their awareness of nutrient intake and be more accountable for the health behaviour [18]. This is consistent with behavioural theory whereby people who have formed actions plans were more likely to be successful compared to those merely considering a goal [19]. It has to be noted that one of the components of the dietary package received by both the study groups included self-monitoring of their dietary intake. ...
Abstract Background Diet compositions are likely to be one of the influential factors for body fat deposition. The aim of this paper was to determine the nutrient changes and its association to body fat loss among the overweight and obese housewives in the MyBFF@home study. Methods Data of participants in the MyBFF@home study (intervention and control groups) were analysed. Participants in the intervention group received personalised dietary counselling consisted of reduced calorie diet 1200–1500 kcal/day, while the control group was assigned to receive women’s health seminars. The dietary assessment was done during the intervention phase at baseline, 1 month (m), 2 m, 3 m and 6 m using a 3-day food diary. Body fat was measured using a bioelectrical impedance analyser (In-body 720) at baseline and at the end of the intervention phase. The mean differences of nutrient intake and body compositions during the intervention phase were measured with paired t-test. The changes in body fat and nutrients intake were calculated by subtracting baseline measurements from those taken at 6 months. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which the changes in each gram of nutrients per 1000 kcal were predictive of changes in body fat mass. Results There were significant reductions in energy, all macronutrients, dietary fibre, calcium and iron intake in both study groups after the intervention phase (p
... Deze discrepantie tussen intentie en gedrag wordt de intentie-gedragskloof genoemd. Maio, Verplanken, Manstead et al. (2007) noemen twee oorzaken voor het bestaan van deze kloof: mensen komen er niet aan toe om aan het gedag te beginnen (failing to get started) of mensen worden geconfronteerd met barrières die ze niet kunnen overwinnen (getting derailed). Een voorbeeld van het eerste geval is iemand die wil stoppen met alcohol drinken maar dat steeds uitstelt ('morgen stop ik'); van het tweede geval is sprake als deze persoon het moeilijk vindt om 'nee' te zeggen als vrienden hem of haar een pilsje opdringen. ...
On the road to a healthier lifestyle: Developing narrative health interventions for truck drivers
Compared to other professional groups, truck drivers are a low SES group with a relatively unhealthy lifestyle and relatively poor health outcomes. From an analysis of current health interventions aimed at truck drivers, it appears that designers assume that their unhealthy behavior is caused by a lack of motivation to change their unhealthy lifestyle, and that the most effective strategy is to underscore the undesirable consequences of the current behavior as well as the desirable ones of the recommended behavior. This leads to persuasive messages that pose relatively high demands on the target group’s cognitive capabilities: hidden premises must be inferred, and the applied argumentation scheme must be identified in order to estimate the arguments’ strength. For members of the target group, such argumentative interventions may be too complex. Moreover, many of the target group are already motivated. Many truck drivers wish to live a healthier life, but do not know how to overcome obstacles in their work and private contexts, thus lacking a bridge between intending and acting. We conducted an experiment to investigate the possibilities of narrative health interventions for this target group. The results of this experiment suggest that narrative health interventions may be an effective communication strategy for lower SES target groups.
... Human behaviour and behaviour change literature is very vast and extensive( Maio et al., 2007). The paper limits its focus on behaviour change relevant to the built environment. ...
Humans are always driven by their sensation for adequate comfort. Occupants’ behaviour is important in the built environment as it affects the building performance and the indoor comfort requirements. The built environment industry is moving towards high-performance buildings. However, high-performance buildings often fail to achieve ‘as designed performance’. It is due to occupant behaviour. The purpose of the paper was to investigate the theoretical background of behavioural economics and its relevance to developing sustainable human behaviour in a building’s lifecycle. Behaviour Economics uses the combined knowledge of psychology and economics to analyse and understand human behaviour. It has been successfully used to influence human behaviour in consumer markets, healthcare and insurance policies. The study reviewed literature from the 1950s to 2015 and from 53 journals on behaviour economics and human energy behaviour. This study explains six behavioural anomalies along with their applications in different industries. Behavioural anomalies such as Status Quo Bias, Incentives and Social Norms have been applied in consumer industry to create a positive impact on human behaviour. It concludes by highlighting the potential of applying behaviour economics in built environment and influencing occupant behaviour towards eco-friendly behaviour. This research study is a part of a research endeavour to develop strategies for office buildings’ operation to change human behaviour towards more eco-friendly behaviour. It will be useful for built environment professionals to use these literature findings in design and operation strategies of an office building. It also provides a good initial research note for researchers working in the field of sustainable human behaviour.
... Individual variation in GP volume might partly determine susceptibility to hedonic deficits associated with addiction or mood disorders. More broadly, it is also possible that this variation might contribute to our understanding of the role of impulsive, hedonistic inclinations in a number of difficult societal behavior change issues (see Maio et al. (2008) for a review), such as attempts to attenuate increasing levels of obesity, damage to the environment, and antisocial behavior. ...
Human values are abstract ideals that motivate behavior. The motivational nature of human values raises the possibility that they might be underpinned by brain structures that are particularly involved in motivated behavior and reward processing. We hypothesized that variation in subcortical hubs of the reward system and their main connecting pathway, the superolateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB) is associated with individual value orientation. We conducted Pearson's correlation between the scores of 10 human values and the volumes of 14 subcortical structures and microstructural properties of the medial forebrain bundle in a sample of 87 participants, correcting for multiple comparisons (i.e.,190). We found a positive association between the value that people attach to hedonism and the volume of the left globus pallidus (GP).We then tested whether microstructural parameters (i.e., fractional anisotropy and myelin volume fraction) of the slMFB, which connects with the GP, are also associated to hedonism and found a significant, albeit in an uncorrected level, positive association between the myelin volume fraction within the left slMFB and hedonism scores. This is the first study to elucidate the relationship between the importance people attach to the human value of hedonism and structural variation in reward-related subcortical brain regions.
... In theory, preventing this weight gain should be relatively easy to achieve since the average weight gain observed requires only an extra 50-100 kcal/day above estimated energy requirements. In reality, factors affecting human behavior and weight equilibrium can vary extensively (8,9), and relapse into previous behaviors has been the rule (10). The use of behavioral models for the prevention of weight gain is under-researched. ...
Objective:
Preventing obesity among young adults should be a preferred public health approach given the limited efficacy of treatment interventions. This study examined whether weight gain can be prevented by online approaches using two different behavioral models, one overtly directed at obesity and the other covertly.
Methods:
A three-group parallel randomized controlled intervention was conducted in 2012-2013; 20,975 young adults were allocated a priori to one control and two "treatment" groups. Two treatment groups were offered online courses over 19 weeks on (1) personal weight control ("Not the Ice Cream Van," NTICV) and, (2) political, environmental, and social issues around food ("Goddess Demetra," "GD"). Control group received no contact. The primary outcome was weight change over 40 weeks.
Results:
Within-group 40-week weight changes were different between groups (P < 0.001): Control (n = 2,134): +2.0 kg (95% CI = 1.5, 2.3 kg); NTICV (n = 1,810): -1.0 kg (95% CI = -1.3, -0.5); and GD (n = 2,057): -1.35 kg (95% CI = -1.4 to -0.7). Relative risks for weight gain vs.
Control:
NTICV = 0.13 kg (95% CI = 0.10, 0.15), P < 0.0001; GD = 0.07 kg (95% CI = 0.05, 0.10), P < 0.0001.
Conclusions:
Both interventions were associated with prevention of the weight gain observed among control subjects. This low-cost intervention could be widely transferable as one tool against the obesity epidemic. Outside the randomized controlled trial setting, it could be enhanced using supporting advertising and social media.
... The traditional marketing management paradigm adopted by social marketing translated into a 'downstream' approach (Andreasen 1995;Kotler and Lee, 2008), focused on changing the behaviour of people who are at risk through decisions at the individual level (Gordon and Gurrieri, 2014;Maio et al., 2007). It was associated with a neo-liberal approach that attributes responsibility for managing personal and social well-being to individuals (Crawshaw, 2012;Crawshaw and Newlove, 2011;Gould and Semaan, 2014;Gurrieri et al., 2013;Jones et al., 2011). ...
Over the last decade, social marketing has moved away from traditional marketing management approaches towards service-oriented theory, integrating concepts from other disciplines, to account for the distinctive nature of social change and develop an ecological perspective. This article extends prior literature by interrogating the applicability of service-dominant logic (SDL) to social marketing, with a particular emphasis on how a systems perspective can offer new ways to address challenges of social change. In so doing, it examines how the social marketing benchmarks can be extended through applying (and adapting) the principles, concepts and theories of SDL. The article provides critical reflection on the challenges of transferring service-dominant theory to social change contexts highlighting implications for practice and a future research agenda.
... An alternative for interventions that target individuals' behaviours are so-called 'upstream' approaches (e.g., Maio et al. 2007;McKinlay 1993;Verplanken 2011;Verplanken and Wood 2006). These involve large-scale macro-level policy changes, such as tax and other economic incentives (for example, road pricing, congestion tax), transformations of the infrastructure or physical environments (for example, closing city centres to private automobiles, building energy-efficient homes), restricting the availability of options (for example, abolishing traditional light bulbs or the use of certain chemicals in food production systems), or directly regulating behaviour (for example, enforcing speed reductions). ...
This study tested the habit discontinuity hypothesis, which states that behaviour change interventions are more effective when delivered in the context of life course changes. The assumption was that when habits are (temporarily) disturbed, people are more sensitive to new information and adopt a mind-set that is conducive to behaviour change. A field experiment was conducted among 800 participants, who received either an intervention promoting sustainable behaviours, or were in a no-intervention control condition. In both conditions half of the households had recently relocated, and were matched with households that had not relocated. Self-reported frequencies of twenty-five environment-related behaviours were assessed at baseline and eight weeks later. While controlling for past behaviour, habit strength, intentions, perceived control, biospheric values, personal norms, and personal involvement, the intervention was more effective among recently relocated participants. The results suggested that the duration of the 'window of opportunity' was three months after relocation.
The COVID-19 pandemic during 2020–2022 raised ethical questions concerning the balance between individual autonomy and the protection of the population, vulnerable individuals and the healthcare system. Pediatric COVID-19 vaccination differs from, for example, measles vaccination in that children were not as severely affected. The main question concerning pediatric vaccination has been whether the autonomy of parents outweighs the protection of the population. When children are seen as mature enough to be granted autonomy, questions arise about whether they have the right to decline vaccination and who should make the decision when parents disagree with each other and/or the child. In this paper, I argue that children should be encouraged to not only take responsibility for themselves, but for others. The discussion of pediatric vaccination in cases where this kind of risk–benefit ratio exists extends beyond the 2020–2022 pandemic. The pandemic entailed a question that is crucial for the future of public health as a global problem, that is, to what extent children should be seen as responsible decision-makers who are capable of contributing to its management and potential solution. I conclude that society should encourage children to cultivate such responsibility, conceived as a virtue, in the context of public health.
Résumé Débutant de façon saisissante par une description d’un phénomène de « dissonance cognitive », ce chapitre permet de prendre la pleine mesure des limites des arguments de persuasion basés sur la connaissance. Étayé par des travaux de psychologie sociale et des analyses sociologiques et médiatiques, il envisage en particulier les attitudes affectives que peuvent avoir des individus confrontés aux remises en cause profondes qu’impliquent les sciences du climat. Paradoxalement il conclut que, pour chacun, le climato-scepticisme pourrait être la tentation, et l’optimisme l’obstacle.
The interaction between humans and the environment, including social one, determines their behavior, particularly those associated with general forms of life. Among social forms of life, lifestyle occupies an important place in terms of possibility to influence social development as a whole. The way of life presupposes the stability and sustainability of human existence. At the same time, the nature of the formation of a way of life leads to the need to solve a number of social problems. They are associated with the nature and content of labor, a person's place in the social structure of society. The needs and interests of people play an important role here. Modern trends in the globalization of public relations, the environmental crisis and the struggle for resources predetermine the nature of social problems associated with lifestyle. In Azerbaijan, along with traditional features, the way of life reflects such realities as the Karabakh war, the impact of the market economy, information and communication technologies, and general trends in the globalization of social life. The issues of forced migration due to the Karabakh conflict, the standard of living, the level of development of education and culture, the need to improve the environment, upgrade the structure of needs, both material and spiritual, are among the social problems that need to be solved for improving the way of life and await their solution. These problems require a detailed sociological analysis. First, it is necessary to clarify the content of the main categories associated with these problems.
Conceptualizing farmers’ adaptation behavior with a limited focus on objective factors, such as demographics, access to technology, and institutional support, may not lay a sound foundation to formulate effective policies that can guide and help farmers to adopt effective adaptation strategies in the face of adverse environmental conditions. Most importantly, a lack of insight into the conscious and unconscious psychological processes, which are the most proximal determinants of human behavior, may undermine the effectiveness of such adaptation support policy interventions. In Sri Lanka, minimal research has been done to understand the underlying psychological processes that influence the adoption of agricultural adaptation actions among Sri Lankan farmers in the face of significant environmental stressors. With the aim of encouraging more local studies to fill this research gap, this chapter attempts to provide insight into the role of psychological drivers of human adaptation behavior in the context of environmental perturbation. First, with relevance to the context of environmental adaptation support policy in Sri Lanka, this chapter discusses the significance of a psychological lens for understanding how Sri Lankan farmers sense and respond to environmental stressors. Second, with reference to well-recognized behavioral theories and empirical studies in the psychological domain, this chapter discusses some of the most salient psychological constructs for assessing human adaptation responses to environmental stressors. Third, using three research search engines, this chapter reviews the contribution of local research to reveal the role of psychological processes in the variability of farmer adaptation behaviors in Sri Lanka. Finally, this chapter provides recommendations for future research.
Achieving the Scottish Government’s carbon reduction targets requires not only the decarbonisation of industry and electricity generation, which is now largely underway, but also significant changes in the actions and decisions of millions of individuals, whose carbon emissions fall outside the areas which Government can control. Transport, much of it undertaken by individuals, accounts for around 20% of Scotland’s carbon emissions. Policy aimed at changing individual travel behaviours will therefore become increasingly important. Commonly applied behaviour change strategies based on rational actor theory face conceptual problems and cannot overcome the lack of agency experienced by individuals buffeted by a range of influences in a complex world. Practice theory relocates the site of analysis from the individual to the social and helps to overcome these problems, but it is not clear how to deliberately change practices to achieve the carbon reductions required. Understanding practices as emergent properties of complex social systems suggests that working to alter the complex social system may lead to different emergent properties, i.e. more sustainable practices. My research explored this approach by conducting an experiment in Aberdeen that sought to influence the complex social system within which audiences travel to a large theatre in the city. Emergent properties of the system encouraged travel by private car: problems of (in)convenience and insecurity were shaping individuals’ travel practices. Collaboration between actors powerful enough to affect the system – a transport provider, a local authority and the theatre itself – was needed to influence it sufficiently to bring about a change in the main travel mode from private cars to public transport. Analysis of this case identifies the need to acknowledge the relevance of complexity theory when developing carbon reduction policy. Perverse incentives encouraging public organisations to focus on their own ‘direct’ carbon emissions need to be replaced with a duty to collaborate with others to reduce society’s overall carbon emissions. Those making policy and those implementing it will therefore need to understand and apply complexity theory, and will need highly developed skills in managing long-term collaborative projects rather than ‘delivering’ one-off changes. These attributes may be found in practitioners from diverse and less obvious fields, including the cultural sector.
Dieser Beitrag stellt Erkenntnisse zur Weiterbildungsmotivation, beruflichen Entwicklungsphasen und Struktur der Adressat/innen für Coachingweiterbildungen dar. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass das zentrale Motiv darin liegt, andere Menschen zu unterstützen. Ferner ist eine eindeutige Tendenz festzustellen, wonach instrumentelle Motive am deutlichsten ausgeprägt sind. Hinsichtlich der beruflichen Entwicklungsphase befanden sich die meisten Personen in einer Etablierungsphase. Für die Weiterbildung interessieren sich überwiegend hochqualifizierte, beruflich und finanziell höher positionierte Personen. Als Ergebnis der Typenbildung lässt sich festhalten, dass es vordergründig darum geht, aus einem stabilen Kontext heraus eine arbeitsbezogene Verbesserung zu erreichen.
How a nation finances its health care delivery system could be a clear parameter in assessing the premium placed on its people’s health. As a critical developmental component like food, shelter and clothing, the health sector requires adequate funding. However, the funding of health care system varies across different countries. In the case of Nigeria, the financing of the health care delivery system is majorly through tax revenue, out-of-pocket payment or user fees, donor funding and social health insurance. The federal government introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) because it considered funding health so demanding due to dwindling economy, perennial shortage of qualified and competent health personnel, shortage of drugs and other health infrastructures. More importantly, the introduction of the scheme was to guarantee good and qualitative access to efficient health care services such that it could reduce catastrophic household out-of-pocket health expenditure. Since its inception and resuscitation, several states across the country have keyed into it. However, actual implementation of the scheme by these states appeared not to have commenced fully. While this paper identified the various major sources of health care financing in Nigeria, its focal point was on the NHIS. Consequently, a framework for explaining the impact of the scheme within the context of Nigeria was designed through a triangulation of Structural Functionalist and Rational Choice Theories. The major findings about NHIS from the cross-sectionalized review of the empirical studies conducted across Nigeria revealed among others that the level of awareness of the scheme among the target population in some states was high while a couple of states recorded low-level knowledge of the scheme. In addition, the introduction of the scheme has tremendously scaled up the patronage and utilization of health facilities and reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure for health services rendered. This paper therefore recommended among others that the government in collaboration with relevant partners should intensify optimal awareness and education on the scheme to all Nigerians. It also suggested increased funding for the scheme through budgetary allocation to the health sector. Keywords: Health care financing, National Health Insurance Scheme; and Impact
Different parts of Europe and North American have placed a different emphasis on mandatory TDM measures and those taken up on a voluntary basis with government support. Whichever approach is being described, the general focus is on getting people individually or en masse to voluntarily reduce their automobile use, either in terms of the total vehicle mile travelled (VMT) or the number of overall motorised trips made. Reportedly, when applied in a consistent and coherent manner, such measures are able to achieve up to 11% reductions in VMT (Cairns et al., 2004). Dutch studies of the effectiveness of travel plans (Touwen, 1997; Ligtermoet, 1998) have suggested that the level of trip reduction varies between 5% and 12% depending on the nature of the Travel Plan and whether employee incentives and disincentives are introduced in tandem. However, Rye suggests that there is evidence of a relapse effect over time (2002). TDMs are most usually quite small scale and, thus, relatively cheap to deliver in comparison to the majority of transportation projects and their delivery is also largely devolved to the local level and thus predominantly out of the hands of central government in terms of performance accountability.
Prior to the election of New Labour in 1997, the previous Conservative administration began a series of policy initiatives that inadvertently contributed to major reductions in UK greenhouse gas emissions. The then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was persuaded in 1988 that climate change posed dangers to both national security and the economy, and delivered landmark speeches to the Royal Society and at the United Nations. She also encouraged the formation of the Hadley Centre in 1990 and a decade later the Tyndall Centre, two of the world’s premier climate research institutes. During the mid-1980s Thatcher also presided over a bitter dispute with the coal miners which culminated in the phasing out of much of Britain’s coal production, followed in 1990 by the Conservative privatization of the UK electricity industry. These essentially political events precipitated a major shift in UK energy production from coal to low-price gas, allowing subsequent governments to claim that the UK was on course to meet its Kyoto target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 12.5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. The demise of heavy engineering sectors in the early 1990s added to the UK’s beneficial but serendipitous emissions reductions, while the introduction of an ‘escalator’ on road-fuel taxes in 1994 (later dropped) further added to the Tory contribution.
Practitioners, researchers and policy-makers involved with cyber security often talk about “security hygiene:” ways to encourage users of computer technology to use safe and secure behavior online. But how do we persuade workers to follow simple, fundamental processes to protect themselves and others? These issues are raised by behavioral scientists, to encourage worker, passenger and patient compliance. In this paper, we explore and summarize findings in social psychology about moral values and habit formation, and then integrate them into suggestions for transforming staff security behavior online.
One of the most important topics in marketing science is the category of consumer behavior. Research in field of food consumer behavior is one of the study domains of consumer behavior. this article tries to study the consumption volume of local foods and connection between motivations and demographics factors and attitude toward local foods whit consumption of local food in Ilam City. The sample size, equal with 185 persons, is used from formula of unrestricted society and from random sampling method. In this study a questionnaire was used for data collection and its validity was confirmed by management and marketing experts and its reliability is used from Cronbach's alpha coefficient; that questions about consumption whit reliability of 0.72, Attitude toward local food whit reliability of 0.84, were made by the researcher and questions related to the motivation whit reliability 0.91, adjusted the questionnaire was Stpetoe et al, and Overall reliability of the questionnaire is 0.93.Also in this study library method and statistical data from field method is used to collect background data and theoretical principles. And spss software was used in order to analyze the data. The findings showed that gender differences and differences in educational level among consumers, no significant effect over local foods consumption; However, age differences, differences in income levels among consumers has a significant impact on the consumption of local food And consumption of local food is extremely low in Ilam. And the results showed that food choise motivations and attitudes towards local food Has a significant impact on local foods consumption. And finally suggested that local foods must be identified and support should be given in order to industrialize these foods which this would help the promotion of tourism industry and improvement of region economy.
Food consumption and production is estimated to contribute 20-30% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and to an estimated 20-30% of total household consumption impacts across the European Union. Although domestic food consumption has received considerable attention from both academic researchers and policy makers, there has been relatively little focus on the factors influencing diners' values and decisions on sustainable food choices when eating away from home. This paper seeks to address this gap with research that aimed to gain an understanding of the factors influencing people's values and decisions on sustainable food choices when eating out, and the associated barriers and drivers. The research revealed a lack of clarity among stakeholders over what constitutes sustainable food choices when eating out, a significant correlation between food choices at home and when eating out, and support for choice editing and restaurants taking the lead with guidance and star-style rating systems. The implications and opportunities for more sustainable food choices when eating out are discussed and recommendations are made on an agenda for future research priorities in this important but under-researched area.
Despite decades of effort, around 2.8 billion people still rely on solid fuels to meet domestic energy needs. There is robust evidence this causes premature death and chronic disease, as well as wider economic, social, and environmental problems. Behavior change interventions are effective to reduce exposure to harm such as household air pollution, including those using health communications approaches. This article reports the findings of a project that reviewed the effectiveness of behavior change approaches in cleaner cooking interventions in resource-poor settings. The authors synthesized evidence of the use of behavior change techniques, along the cleaner cooking value chain, to bring positive health, economic, and environmental impacts. Forty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria, which documented 55 interventions carried out in 20 countries. The groupings of behavior change techniques most frequently used were shaping knowledge (n = 47), rewards and threats (n = 35), social support (n = 35), and comparisons (n = 16). A scorecard of behavior change effectiveness was developed to analyze a selection of case study interventions. Behavior change techniques have been used effectively as part of multilevel programs. Cooking demonstrations, the right product, and understanding of the barriers and benefits along the value chain have all played a role. Often absent are theories and models of behavior change adapted to the target audience and local context. Robust research methods are needed to track and evaluate behavior change and impact, not just technology disseminated. Behavior change approaches could then play a more prominent role as the "special sauce" in cleaner cooking interventions in resource poor settings.
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and other developed nations. In the United States, 27% of adults are obese and an additional 34% are overweight. Research in the past decade has shown that genetic influences clearly predispose some individuals to obesity. The marked increase in prevalence, however, appears to be attributable to a toxic environment that implicitly discourages physical activity while explicitly encouraging the consumption of supersized portions of high-fat, high-sugar foods. Management of the obesity epidemic will require a two-pronged approach. First, better treatments, including behavioral, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions, are needed for individuals who are already obese. The second and potentially more promising approach is to prevent the development of obesity by tackling the toxic environment. This will require bold public policy initiatives such as regulating food advertising directed at children. The authors call not for the adoption of a specific policy initiative, but instead propose that policy research, based on viewing obesity as a public health problem, become a central focus of research.
To examine how well the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior predict condom use, the authors synthesized 96 data sets (N = 22,594) containing associations between the models' key variables. Consistent with the theory of reasoned action's predictions, (a) condom use was related to intentions (weighted mean r. = .45), (b) intentions were based on attitudes (r. = .58) and subjective norms (r. = .39), and (c) attitudes were associated with behavioral beliefs (r. = .56) and norms were associated with normative beliefs (r. = .46). Consistent with the theory of planned behavior's predictions, perceived behavioral control was related to condom use intentions (r. = .45) and condom use (r. = .25), but in contrast to the theory, it did not contribute significantly to condom use. The strength of these associations, however, was influenced by the consideration of past behavior. Implications of these results for HIV prevention efforts are discussed.
This study assessed the effects of 3 theoretically grounded, school-based HIV prevention interventions on inner-city minority high school students’ levels of HIV prevention information, motivation, behavioral skills, and behavior. It involved a quasi-experimental controlled trial comparing classroom-based, peer-based, and combined classroom- and peer-based HIV prevention interventions with a standard-of-care control condition in 4 urban high schools (N = 1,532, primarily 9th-grade students). At 12 months postintervention, the classroom-based intervention resulted in sustained changes in HIV prevention behavior. This article discusses why both of the interventions involving peers were less effective than the classroom-based intervention at the 12-month follow-up and, more generally, suggests a set of possible limiting conditions for the efficacy of peer-based interventions.
This article evaluates an intervention based on P. M. Gollwitzer's (1993) concept of implementation intentions. Women registered at a medical practice in rural England (N = 114) completed measures of the theory of planned behavior variables before a manipulation that induced one half of the sample to form implementation intentions specifying when, where, and how they would make the appointment. Subsequent attendance was determined from medical records. Findings show that the theory of planned behavior variables and previous delay behavior provided good prediction of attendance. However, despite equivalent motivation to attend, participants who formed implementation intentions were much more likely to attend for screening compared with controls (92% vs. 69%). Evidence also suggests that implementation intentions attenuated the relationship between previous delay behavior and subsequent attendance.
When an attitude changes from A1 to A2, what happens to A1? Most theories assume, at least implicitly, that the new attitude replaces the former one. The authors argue that a new attitude can override, but not replace, the old one, resulting in dual attitudes. Dual attitudes are defined as different evaluations of the same attitude object an automatic, implicit attitude and an explicit attitude. The attitude that people endorse depends on whether they have the cognitive capacity to retrieve the explicit attitude and whether this overrides their implicit attitude. A number of literatures consistent with these hypotheses are reviewed, and the implications of the dual-attitude model for attitude theory and measurement are discussed. For example, by including only explicit measures, previous studies may have exaggerated the ease with which people change their attitudes. Even if an explicit attitude changes, an implicit attitude can remain the same.
The content of spontaneously activated racial stereotypes among White Americans and the relation of this to more explicit measures of stereotyping and prejudice were investigated. Using a semantic priming paradigm, a prime was presented outside of conscious awareness (BLACK or WHITE), followed by a target stimulus requiring a word–nonword decision. The target stimuli included attributes that varied in valence and stereotypicality for Whites and African Americans. Results showed reliable stereotyping and prejudice effects: Black primes resulted in substantially stronger facilitation to negative than positive stereotypic attributes, whereas White primes facilitated positive more than negative stereotypic traits. The magnitude of this implicit prejudice effect correlated reliably with participants’ scores on explicit racial attitude measures, indicating that people's spontaneous stereotypic associations are consistent with their more controlled responses.
Three experiments show that information consistent with a preferred conclusion is examined less critically than information inconsistent with a preferred conclusion, and consequently, less information is required to reach the former than the latter. In Study 1, Ss judged which of 2 students was most intelligent, believing they would work closely with the 1 they chose. Ss required less information to decide that a dislikable student was less intelligent than that he was more intelligent. In Studies 2 and 3, Ss given an unfavorable medical test result took longer to decide their test result was complete, were more likely to retest the validity of their result, cited more life irregularities that might have affected test accuracy, and rated test accuracy as lower than did Ss receiving more favorable diagnoses. Results suggest that a core component of self-serving bias is the differential quantity of cognitive processing given to preference-consistent and preference-inconsistent information.
This chapter addresses two questions; how big is the "gap" between intentions and behavior, and what psychological variables might be able to "bridge" the intention-behavior gap? A meta-analysis of meta-analyses is used to quantify the gap and a conceptual analysis of intention-behavior discrepancies is presented. Research is described on the extent to which four groups of variables-behavior type, intention type, properties of intention, and cognitive and personality variables-moderate intention-behavior relations. Finally, the scope of the intention construct is discussed in the light of recent evidence concerning the role of habits and automaticity in human behavior.
Research dealing with various aspects of* the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985,
1987) is reviewed, and some unresolved issues are discussed. In broad terms, the theory is
found to be well supported by empirical evidence. Intentions to perform behaviors of different
kinds can be predicted with high accuracy from attitudes toward the behavior, subjective
norms, and perceived behavioral control; and these intentions, together with perceptions of
behavioral control, account for considerable variance in actual behavior. Attitudes, subjective
norms, and perceived behavioral control are shown to be related to appropriate sets of salient
behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about the behavior, but the exact nature of these
relations is still uncertain. Expectancy value formulations are found to be only partly
successful in dealing with these relations. Optimal rescaling of expectancy and value
measures is offered as a means of dealing with measurement limitations. Finally, inclusion of
past behavior in the prediction equation is shown to provide a means of testing the theory*s
sufficiency, another issue that remains unresolved. The limited available evidence concerning
this question shows that the theory is predicting behavior quite well in comparison to the
ceiling imposed by behavioral reliability.
This critical review assesses whether evaluation studies can answer three key questions about behaviour change interventions: 'Do they work? How well do they work? How do they work?' Reviews of intervention evaluations are examined, particularly those addressing decreasing unprotected sexual intercourse and smoking. Selection of outcome measures and calculation of effect sizes are discussed. The article also considers the extent to which evaluation reports specify (i) discrete intervention techniques and (ii) psychological mechanisms that account for observed behavioural change. It is concluded that intervention descriptions are often not specific about the techniques employed and that there is no clear correspondence between theoretical inspiration and adoption of particular change techniques. The review calls for experimental testing of specific theory-based techniques, separately and in combination.
Mechanisms for controlling inference processes are analyzed according to the models of intuitive scientist (who desires optimal, accurate conclusions) and intuitive lawyer (who desires predetermined, particular conclusions), using a step model of the inference process. The first step, gathering evidence, can be regulated by moving the termination point and by looking in particular places for evidence. The second step, drawing immediate implications from bits of evidence, is presumably automatic and hence relatively immune to regulation. The third step, assessing implications, can override or discredit implications of specific pieces of evidence, and it can be used to regulate inference through combating bias or through attacking and discrediting unwanted implications. The final step, involving integration of assorted evidence and implications, can be regulated by manipulating decision rules and criteria.
Three studies investigated implicit biases, and their modifiability, against overweight persons. In Study 1 (N = 144), the authors demonstrated strong implicit anti-fat attitudes and stereotypes using the Implicit Association Test, despite no explicit anti-fat bias. When participants were informed that obesity is caused predominantly by overeating and lack of exercise, higher implicit bias relative to controls was produced; informing participants that obesity is mainly due to genetic factors did not result in lower bias. In Studies 2A (N = 90) and 2B (N = 63), participants read stories of discrimination against obese persons to evoke empathy. This did not lead to lower bias compared with controls but did produce diminished implicit bias among overweight participants, suggesting an in-group bias.
The authors propose an Attribution-Value model of prejudice, which hypothesizes that people are prejudiced against groups that they feel have some negative attribute for which they are held responsible. The structure of prejudice against fat people was compared in six nations: Australia, India, Poland, Turkey, the United States of America, and Venezuela. Both a negative cultural value for fatness and a tendency to hold people responsible predicts anti-fat prejudice. Most important, a multiplicative hypothesis was supported—people with both a negative value for fatness and a tendency to hold people responsible were more anti-fat than could be predicted from cultural value and attributions alone. These effects were more pronounced in individualist cultures. The authors develop the Attribution-Value model of prejudice that can apply to prejudice of many sorts across many cultures.
The roles of attitude accessibility and motivation in the biased processing of information were examined as a test of the MODE model. Subjects evaluated two studies with conflicting conclusions regarding capital punishment's crime deterrence efficacy. Attitude accessibility was manipulated by having subjects express their death penalty attitudes either once (low accessibility) or repeatedly (high accessibility) during an initial phase of the experiment. Motivation was manipulated viafear of invalidity; half the subjects were told their evaluations of the capital punishment studies would be publicly compared to an expert panel's conclusions. The relation between attitude and judgment was found to depend on both attitude accessibility and motivation. Judgments were more attitudinally congruent in the low-fear-of-invalidity/repeated-expression condition than in the other conditions.
Despite renewed interest in the affective and cognitive properties of attitudes, assessment of these constructs is plagued by a number of problems. Some techniques for overcoming these problems are outlined, and scales for assessing the affective and cognitive properties of attitudes are reported. Two studies examine the reliability and validity of these scales. Study 1 assesses the internal consistency and the discriminant and convergent validity of these scales and indicates that the scales are useful for assessing the affective and cognitive properties of attitudes toward a wide range of objects. In Study 2, the ability of the scales to differentiate attitudes that are based primarily on affective versus cognitive information is examined by experimentally creating affective or cognitive attitudes in subjects. Analyses reveal that the scales can differentiate between people whose attitudes are based primarily on either affective or cognitive information.
I have been doing experiments in social psychology for about 30 years—basic research, mostly in the laboratory, trying to figure out how to influence people, what motivates people to change under controlled laboratory conditions. My early experience convinced me that, in doing laboratory experiments, the most important difference between a successful experiment and an unsuccessful experiment is the attention to detail. The details of the experiment are extremely important. The way one creates an independent variable, the way one measures the dependent variable, the construction of a sensible scenario that engages the subject—the details are extraordinarily important.
To illustrate the differing thoughts and emotion's involved in guiding habitual and nonhabitual behavior, 2,. diary studies were conducted in which participants provided hourly reports of their ongoing experiences. When participants were engaged in habitual behavior, defined as behavior that had been performed almost daily in stable contexts, they were likely to think about issues unrelated to their behavior, presumably because they did not have to consciously guide their actions. When engaged in nonhabitual behavior,or actions performed less often or :in shifting contexts; participants' thoughts tended to correspond to their behavior, suggesting that thought was necessary to guide action. Furthermore, the self-regulatory, benefits of habits were apparent in the lesser feelings of stress associated with habitual,. than nonhabitual behavior.
"With clarity and grace, Stephen Bocking tackles the complicated question of the role of scientific expertise in environmental policy making. Nature's Experts is a timely and important book."-David H. Guston, author of Between Politics and Science: Assuring the Integrity and Productivity of Research "This book by Stephen Bocking is as much about deliberative democracy as it is about science and the environment. Stephen Bocking's treatment is deep, perceptive, and profoundly wise. He has caught the heart of present and future environmental science, politics, and democratic governance."-C. S. Holling, The Resilience Alliance and emeritus professor, Arthur R. Marshall Jr. Chair in Ecological Sciences at the University of Florida "If knowledge is power, how should expert advice be deployed by a would-be democratic society? This perennial question is newly illuminated by this timely and wide-ranging review of the role played by science in the making of environmental policy."-William C. Clark, Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy, and Human Development, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government It seems self-evident that science plays a central role in environmental affairs. Regulatory agencies, businesses, and public interest groups all draw on scientific research to support their claims. Some critics, however, describe science not as the solution to environmental problems, but as their source. Moreover, the science itself is often controversial, as debates over global warming and environmental health risks have shown. Nature's Experts explores the contributions and challenges presented when scientific authority enters the realm of environmental affairs. Stephen Bocking focuses on four major areas of environmental politics: the formation of environmental values and attitudes, management of natural resources such as forests and fish, efforts to address international environmental issues such as climate change, and decisions relating to environmental and health risks. In each area, practical examples and case studies illustrate that science must fulfill two functions if it is to contribute to resolving environmental controversies. First, science must be relevant and credible, and second, it must be democratic, where everyone has access to the information they need to present and defend their views.
The present research, involving three experiments, examined the existence of implicit attitudes of Whites toward Blacks, investigated the relationship between explicit measures of racial prejudice and implicit measures of racial attitudes, and explored the relationship of explicit and implicit attitudes to race-related responses and behavior. Experiment 1, which used a priming technique, demonstrated implicit negative racial attitudes (i.e., evaluative associations) among Whites that were largely disassociated from explicit, self-reported racial prejudice. Experiment 2 replicated the priming results of Experiment 1 and demonstrated, as hypothesized, that explicit measures predicted deliberative race-related responses (juridic decisions), whereas the implicit measure predicted spontaneous responses (racially primed word completions). Experiment 3 extended these findings to interracial interactions. Self-reported (explicit) racial attitudes primarily predicted the relative evaluations of Black and White interaction partners, whereas the response latency measure of implicit attitude primarily predicted differences in nonverbal behaviors (blinking and visual contact). The relation between these findings and general frameworks of contemporary racial attitudes is considered.
In 2 national surveys, one with 280 and the other with 1,008 respondents, Ss ascribed personality traits to prominent national politicians and reported the feelings that the politicians elicited. It was found that summary scores of good feelings and bad feelings were nearly independent of each other, much more so than were good and bad trait judgments. Affective registrations, in short, were less semantically filtered and less subject to consistency pressures. Summary scores of affect strongly predicted political preference. This effect was independent of and more powerful than that for personality judgments. Thus, affective registrations were not at all redundant with semantic judgments. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
This chapter explores the concept of ambivalence and its relationship to attitudes. Definitions and different measures of ambivalence are reviewed. We present three dimensions on which measures of ambivalence can be classified. We then go on to examine some of the elicitors of ambivalence and present some preliminary findings on attitude objects that generate high levels of ambivalence. The major section of the chapter then reviews findings related to treating the ambivalence construct as an aspect of attitude strength. Research is presented in relation to four major predictions: (a) temporal stability of attitudes; (b) impact of attitudes on intentions and behavior, (c) pliability of attitudes; and (d) impacts on information processing. The final section offers suggestions for further research in this area.
A theoretical framework is outlined in which the key construct is the need for(nonspecific) cognitive closure. The need for closure is a desire for definite knowledge on some issue. It represents a dimension of stable individual differences as well as a situationally evocable state. The need for closure has widely ramifying consequences for social-cognitive phenomena at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and group levels of analysis. Those consequences derive from 2 general tendencies, those of urgency and permanence. The urgency tendency represents an individual's inclination to attain closure as soon as possible, and the permanence tendency represents an individual's inclination to maintain it for as long as possible. Empirical evidence for present theory attests to diverse need for closure effects on fundamental social psychological phenomena, including impression formation, stereotyping, attribution, persuasion, group decision making, and language use in intergroup contexts.
Interventions to change everyday behaviors often attempt to change people’s beliefs and intentions. As the authors explain, these interventions are unlikely to be an effective means to change behaviors that people have repeated into habits. Successful habit change interventions involve disrupting the environmental factors that automatically cue habit performance. The authors propose two potential habit change interventions. “Downstream-plus” interventions provide informational input at points when habits are vulnerable to change, such as when people are undergoing naturally occurring changes in performance environments for many everyday actions (e.g., moving households, changing jobs). “Upstream” interventions occur before habit performance and disrupt old environmental cues and establish new ones. Policy interventions can be oriented not only to the change of established habits but also to the acquisition and maintenance of new behaviors through the formation of new habits.
Based on Bem's self-perception theory, the ″foot-in-the-door″ technique was utilized to induce the pro-environmental behavior of recycling in a sample with no prior history of such behavior. The sample consisted of 291 citizens of a small city chosen at random from nonstudent neighborhoods. Experimental conditions consisted of all permutations of three types of prior requests. Compliance with the final request (recycling), as assessed one to two months later and in an 18-month follow-up, was significantly higher for conditions eliciting compliance with multiple prior request which required subject-originated actions, and particularly for compliance with a prior request high in task similarity with the final request. The results were discussed in terms of implications for induction of enduring subject-originated behavioral compliance.
We hypothesize that, when encountering a new or unfamiliar attitude object that has both positiveandnegative attributes, such evaluatively inconsistent information leads toattitudinal ambivalence,that is, a coexistence of positive and negative evaluation of the particular object. By drawing upon the heuristic-systematic model (Chaiken, Liberman, & Eagly, 1989), we predict that (a) ambivalence decreases the individual's confidence in his or her own attitude toward behaviors involving the object, (b) the decreased confidence evokes systematic processing of relevant information, and (c) systematic processing increases consistency between ambivalent attitudes and pertinent behavioral intentions. To test these hypotheses, ambivalence was manipulated in two experiments by providing participants with either evaluatively inconsistent or consistent information about fictional shampoos. As predicted, in both experiments more consistency between the attitude toward buying the shampoo and the behavioral intention was obtained in the ambivalent condition than in the nonambivalent condition. Experiment 2 also provided data confirming the postulated mediating processes.
Using data from four national surveys, we examined the role of affective-cognitive ambivalence in moderating the relative impact of affect and cognition on overall attitudes and behavior. Each survey assessed the affective and cognitive components of attitudes toward presidential candidates, as well as overall candidate attitudes and reported voting behavior. We found support for a primacy of affect (vs. cognition) effect among respondents withambivalentaffective-cognitive structures: For respondents with oppositely valenced affect and cognition, affect generally exerted a stronger influence on candidate attitudes and voting behavior than did cognition. However, for respondents withunivalentaffective-cognitive structures (i.e., similarly valenced affect and cognition), affect and cognition exerted a roughly equal influence on overall attitudes and voting behavior. Results are discussed in terms of the processes through which the ambivalence-moderated primacy of affect effect occurs, and its potential consequences.
Objectives
To test whether increased television viewing is associated with increased total energy intake and with increased consumption of foods commonly advertised on television, and to test whether increased consumption of these foods mediates the relationship between television viewing and total energy intake.
Design
Prospective observational study with baseline (fall 1995) and follow-up (spring 1997) measures of youth diet, physical activity, and television viewing. We used food advertising data to identify 6 food groups for study (sweet baked snacks, candy, fried potatoes, main courses commonly served as fast food, salty snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages).
Setting and Participants
Five public schools in 4 communities near Boston. The sample included 548 students (mean age at baseline, 11.70 years; 48.4% female; and 63.5% white).
Main Outcome Measures
Change in total energy intake and intake of foods commonly advertised on television from baseline to follow-up.
Results
After adjusting for baseline covariates, each hour increase in television viewing was associated with an additional 167 kcal/d (95% confidence interval, 136-198 kcal/d; P<.001) and with increases in the consumption of foods commonly advertised on television. Including changes in intakes of these foods in regression models provided evidence of their mediating role, diminishing or rendering nonsignificant the associations between change in television viewing and change in total energy intake.
Conclusions
Increases in television viewing are associated with increased calorie intake among youth. This association is mediated by increasing consumption of calorie-dense low-nutrient foods frequently advertised on television.