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Normative Social Influence is Underdetected
Open accessAbstract
The present research investigated the persuasive impact and detectability of normative social influence. The first study surveyed 810 Californians about energy conservation and found that descriptive normative beliefs were more predictive of behavior than were other relevant beliefs, even though respondents rated such norms as least important in their conservation decisions. Study 2, a field experiment, showed that normative social influence produced the greatest change in behavior compared to information highlighting other reasons to conserve, even though respondents rated the normative information as least motivating. Results show that normative messages can be a powerful lever of persuasion but that their influence is underdetected.
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“normative social influence has been shown to be significantly more motivating in stimulating energy conservation behavior than environmental, financial or societal benefits [10].”
From Electricity and Water Conservation on College and University Campuses in Response to National Competitions among Dormitories: Quantifying Relationships between Behavior, Conservation Strategies and Psychological Metrics (2015) · cites this paper as [10]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“we found that normative variables were significantly more motivational than financial considerations.”
From Electricity and Water Conservation on College and University Campuses in Response to National Competitions among Dormitories: Quantifying Relationships between Behavior, Conservation Strategies and Psychological Metrics (2015) · cites this paper as [10]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Another reason that a charge may be more effective than a discount is that the former communicates that bringing a reusable cup is the norm.”
From Promoting the Use of Reusable Coffee Cups through Environmental Messaging, the Provision of Alternatives and Financial Incentives (2018) · cites this paper as [32]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The independent and interactive effects of these norms has been demonstrated in the environmental domain including in relation to littering (Cialdini et al., 1990), towel reuse in hotels (Goldstein et al., 2008), energy conservation behavior (Nolan et al., 2008; Dwyer et al., 2015), recycling behavior (Fornara et al., 2011; Long et al., 2014; Schwab et al., 2014), eco-friendly consumer behavior (K”
From A Social Identity Analysis of Climate Change and Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors: Insights and Opportunities (2016) · cites this paper as Nolan et al., 2008
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Metadata
- Authors
- Nolan, J. M., Schultz, P. W., Cialdini, R. B., Goldstein, N. J., & Griskevicius, V.
- Affiliations
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
- California State University, San Marcos (US)
- Arizona State University (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Nolan, Jessica M.
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-05-09
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 913-923
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W2077676995
- Cited by
- 1,772
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 61 · 2025: 110 · 2024: 106 · 2023: 129 · 2022: 119 · 2021: 121 · 2020: 108 · 2019: 136 · 2018: 115 · 2017: 119 · 2016: 127 · 2015: 130 · 2014: 115 · 2013: 84 · 2012: 70
- FWCI
- 192.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- John Spoor Broome Library Institutional Repository (California State University) (submittedVersion)
- CSUN ScholarWorks (California State University, Northridge) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Pro-Environmental Behavior and Attitudes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychology of Social Influence
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Keywords
- normative influence, descriptive norms, persuasiveness, energy conservation, normative beliefs, persuasion, behavior change
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention, California, Conservation of Natural Resources, Culture, Data Collection, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Persuasive Communication, Social Conformity, Social Identification
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