Descriptive Norms and Prototypes Predict COVID-19 Prevention Cognitions and Behaviors in the United States: Applying the Prototype Willingness Model to Pandemic Mitigation

Abstract

Background Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, prevention behavior adoption occurred in a rapidly changing context. In contrast to expectancy-value theories, the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) is well-suited for investigating novel and socially informed behaviors. Purpose We explored whether PWM social cognitions predicted coronavirus prevention behaviors. Method A representative sample of United States adults (N = 738; Mage = 46.8; 51.8% women; 78% white; April 2020) who had not had COVID-19 reported PWM predictor variables (perceived vulnerability, prevention descriptive norms, prototypes engaging in prevention behavior, and prevention behavioral intentions). Two weeks later, participants reported their prevention behaviors (handwashing, mask-wearing, social distancing, etc.) and future public health behavioral willingness (contact tracing, temperature checks, etc.). Results Controlling for putative demographic, past behavior, and coronavirus-contextual (e.g., local infection rates) covariates, mediation models indicated that higher norms and favorable prototypes were associated with greater prevention behavioral intentions, which in turn predicted increased prevention behavior, F(18, 705) = 92.20, p < .001, R2 = .70. Higher norms and favorable prototypes associated both directly and indirectly (through greater prevention behavioral intention) with greater willingness to engage in emerging public health behaviors, F(15, 715) = 21.49, p < .001, R2 = .31. Conclusions Greater descriptive norms and favorable prototypes for prevention behavior predicted: (a) future prevention behaviors through increases in behavioral intentions and (b) willingness to participate in emerging public health behaviors. These results held across demographic groups, political affiliation, and severity of regional outbreaks. Public health efforts to curb pandemics should highlight normative prevention participation and enhance positive prototypes.

Social–contextual factors interact with masculinity to influence college men’s HPV vaccination intentions: The role of descriptive norms, prototypes, and physician gender

“…College men may engage in a social comparison process by using perceptions of a confident and exciting male vaccinator prototype to inform a goal-state, thus integrating these characteristics into sense of self (van Lettow et al, 2016 ). Past research demonstrates stronger relations between health-promotive prototypes and behavioral intention (versus willingness; van Lettow et al, 2016 ), but the present findings mirror recent research on infectious disease, which demonstrates that prototypes contribute to both intention and willingness for COVID-19 prevention behaviors (Peterson et al, 2021 ). In sum, the influence of descriptive norms and prototypes suggest that the Prototype Willingness Model is a useful framework for exploring social influence on vaccination decision cognitions.…”

“…and predict both health-risk and health-promotive behavior (Gibbons et al, 2015). Favorable health-promotive prototypes (e.g., exercisers, healthy eaters, safe sun/tanning engagers) predict behavior predominantly through increases in behavioral intentions (e.g., COVID-19 prevention behavior; Peterson et al, 2021), but no research has explored the relationship between vaccinator prototypes and vaccination decisions (see van Lettow et al, 2016 for a prototype review). Research on separate variables from the present dataset showed that U.S. college men with more favorable prototypes of men who used male hormonal birth control were more willing to use male hormonal contraception (Peterson et al, 2019).…”

Social cognition theories and behavior change in COVID-19: A conceptual review

“…The demonstrated efficacy of social cognition theories in accounting for behavior provides impetus for their application to predict COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Specifically, leading social cognition theories have been adopted to predict intention toward, and actual participation in, general COVID-19 preventive behaviors (e.g., Clark, Davila, Regis, & Kraus, 2020 ; Norman et al, 2020 ; Peterson, Helweg-Larsen, & DiMuccio, 2021 ; Rabin & Dutra, 2021 ), or specific preventive behaviors such as social or physical distancing ( Adiyoso & Wilopo, 2021 ; Das, Abdul Kader Jilani, Uddin, Uddin, & Ghosh, 2021 ; Gibson, Magnan, Kramer, & Bryan, 2021 ; Yu, Lau, & Lau, 2021 ), wearing face coverings (e.g., Barile et al, 2020 ; Irfan et al, 2021 ), hand hygiene (e.g., Derksen, Keller, & Lippke, 2020 ; Luszczynska et al, 2021 ), and COVID-19 testing adherence (e.g., McElfish, Purvis, James, Willis, & Andersen, 2021 ; Vandrevala, Montague, Terry, & Fielder, 2022 ). General trends from this research suggest that beliefs about utility such as attitudes and response efficacy (e.g., Clark et al, 2020 ; Rabin & Dutra, 2021 ; Yu et al, 2021 ), normative beliefs such as subjective and descriptive norms (e.g., Das et al, 2021 ; Gibson et al, 2021 ; Peterson et al, 2021 ), and beliefs about capacity such as self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control (e.g., Adiyoso & Wilopo, 2021 ; Das et al, 2021 ; Norman et al, 2020 ) account for unique variance in intentions or behavior in these behavioral contexts.…”

“…Specifically, leading social cognition theories have been adopted to predict intention toward, and actual participation in, general COVID-19 preventive behaviors (e.g., Clark, Davila, Regis, & Kraus, 2020 ; Norman et al, 2020 ; Peterson, Helweg-Larsen, & DiMuccio, 2021 ; Rabin & Dutra, 2021 ), or specific preventive behaviors such as social or physical distancing ( Adiyoso & Wilopo, 2021 ; Das, Abdul Kader Jilani, Uddin, Uddin, & Ghosh, 2021 ; Gibson, Magnan, Kramer, & Bryan, 2021 ; Yu, Lau, & Lau, 2021 ), wearing face coverings (e.g., Barile et al, 2020 ; Irfan et al, 2021 ), hand hygiene (e.g., Derksen, Keller, & Lippke, 2020 ; Luszczynska et al, 2021 ), and COVID-19 testing adherence (e.g., McElfish, Purvis, James, Willis, & Andersen, 2021 ; Vandrevala, Montague, Terry, & Fielder, 2022 ). General trends from this research suggest that beliefs about utility such as attitudes and response efficacy (e.g., Clark et al, 2020 ; Rabin & Dutra, 2021 ; Yu et al, 2021 ), normative beliefs such as subjective and descriptive norms (e.g., Das et al, 2021 ; Gibson et al, 2021 ; Peterson et al, 2021 ), and beliefs about capacity such as self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control (e.g., Adiyoso & Wilopo, 2021 ; Das et al, 2021 ; Norman et al, 2020 ) account for unique variance in intentions or behavior in these behavioral contexts. Beliefs about threat or risk from COVID-19, such as risk perceptions or perceived severity and susceptibility, have also been shown to have unique effects on intentions and behavior for these behaviors (e.g., Betsch et al, 2021 ; Vandrevala et al, 2022 ), but effect sizes tend to be modest by comparison, or even non-significant, when included as predictors in parallel other theory constructs ( Adiyoso & Wilopo, 2021 ; Derksen et al, 2020 ; Hamilton, Smith, et al, 2020 ; Rabin & Dutra, 2021 ).…”

Follow or not? Descriptive norms and public health compliance: Mediating role of risk perception and moderating effect of behavioral visibility

“…With the development of behavioral public policy research, the analysis of behavioral characteristics based on the "behavioral man" cognitive model has gradually emerged, focusing on how individual bounded rationality and cognitive biases affect compliance behaviors (Belle and Cantarelli, 2021). Social attributes are one of the individual behavioral characteristics and individuals' decisions and implementation of behaviors are influenced by behavioral information from social group members (Li et al, 2021); some previous studies have analyzed the association between social norms and individual compliance and confirmed that others' typical behaviors could influence individual compliance behaviors (Peterson et al, 2021;Rudert and Janke, 2021;Ryoo and Kim, 2021). In this study, we define public health compliance behaviors as the individual's proactive adoption of disease prevention and control behaviors in a manner expected by public policy goals, focusing primarily on the effect of social norms on public health compliance behaviors and further discussing their mechanism and applicable conditions.…”