What Is Normative in<i>Health Communication</i>Research on Norms? A Review and Recommendations for Future Scholarship

Mollen, Saar; Rimal, Rajiv N.; Lapinski, Maria Knight

doi:10.1080/10410236.2010.496704

Cited by 53 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The variables that moderate the relationship between perceived descriptive norms and behaviors are perceptions of injunctive norms, outcome expectations, group identity, and ego involvement. In various tests and extensions of the theory, research has demonstrated that the theory of normative social behavior variables predict behaviors in the contexts of college student drinking behavior, beginning yoga, and water conservation (for a review see Mollen, Rimal, & Lapinski, 2010). The current study extends work with this theory by testing its predictions in the context of child care worker handwashing behavior; it also examines whether the perceived public scrutiny of a behavior makes it more susceptible to normative influence (Lapinski & Rimal, 2005).…”

Section: Theory Of Normative Social Behaviormentioning

confidence: 79%

Social Influence in Child Care Centers: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Lapinski

Anderson

Shugart

et al. 2013

Health Communication

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Child care centers are a unique context for studying communication about the social and personal expectations about health behaviors. The theory of normative social behavior (TNSB; Rimal & Real, 2005) provides a framework for testing the role of social and psychological influences on handwashing behaviors among child care workers. A cross-sectional survey of child care workers in 21 centers indicates that outcome expectations and group identity increase the strength of the relationship between descriptive norms and handwashing behavior. Injunctive norms also moderate the effect of descriptive norms on handwashing behavior such that when strong injunctive norms are reported, descriptive norms are positively related to handwashing, but when weak injunctive norms are reported, descriptive norms are negatively related to handwashing. The findings suggest that communication interventions in child care centers can focus on strengthening injunctive norms in order to increase handwashing behaviors in child care centers. The findings also suggest that the theory of normative social behavior can be useful in organizational contexts.

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Section: Theory Of Normative Social Behaviormentioning

confidence: 79%

Social Influence in Child Care Centers: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Lapinski

Anderson

Shugart

et al. 2013

Health Communication

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“…Moreover, the greater the salience of particular aspects of social norms, the stronger their influence is expected to be (Cialdini et al, 1990). The literature has identified the direct, moderated, and mediated effect of norms on a host of health behaviors, including alcohol consumption, exercise, organ donation, and environmental conservation (see Mollen et al, 2010, for a review; Rimal, 2008). Most studies of norms, however, focus on the effect of already-held normative beliefs rather than on the nature of communication that may give rise to and shape such beliefs (Mollen et al, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature has identified the direct, moderated, and mediated effect of norms on a host of health behaviors, including alcohol consumption, exercise, organ donation, and environmental conservation (see Mollen et al, 2010, for a review; Rimal, 2008). Most studies of norms, however, focus on the effect of already-held normative beliefs rather than on the nature of communication that may give rise to and shape such beliefs (Mollen et al, 2010). Furthermore, given that cultural dynamics should influence normative beliefs, studies of social norms can take into account the cultural context in which normative information is conveyed by using methods that allow for participants' conceptualization of key concepts.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Networks and the Communication of Norms About Prenatal Care in Rural Mexico

Lapinski

Anderson

Cruz

et al. 2014

Journal of Health Communication

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“…Longitudinal studies of social norms are rare, as are studies of the role cultural context plays in the influence of descriptive and injunctive norms on behavior, despite calls for more such work to better understand the boundary conditions of normative influences [64]. Moreover, despite clear evidence that social and psycho-social factors can work in concert with economic incentives to influence action, few studies have explored the role of monetary incentives in normative influence.…”

Section: Social Norms and Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effects of Payments for Environmental Services: Combining Insights from Communication and Economics

et al. 2017

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Abstract:Interdisciplinary analytical perspectives can bring important insights to address complex sustainability problems. In this paper we present and apply a model that integrates perspectives from economics and communication sciences to address the question of what happens to pro-environmental behavior after the introduction and then the withdrawal of payment for environmental services (PES). In particular, we discuss the effects of financial incentives on social norms and the effects of norms on subsequent behavior after incentives have ended. This is important because the dominant literature on PES lacks a sophisticated understanding of social norms and fails to address what will happen to behavior once payments end. That literature addresses the potential problem that payments can crowd out or possibly crowd in intrinsic sources of motivation for pro-social behavior, but it lacks the sophisticated understanding of social norms that has the potential to help explain and address this phenomenon. We summarize experimental evidence based on our model showing that introducing a financial incentive for behavior change can change social norms around that behavior. These norms, in turn, can continue to influence behavior even after incentives have ended. PES programs can address this situation by actively evoking existing social norms in favor of conservation.

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What Is Normative inHealth CommunicationResearch on Norms? A Review and Recommendations for Future Scholarship

Cited by 53 publications

References 21 publications

Social Influence in Child Care Centers: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Social Influence in Child Care Centers: A Test of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Social Networks and the Communication of Norms About Prenatal Care in Rural Mexico

Long-Term Effects of Payments for Environmental Services: Combining Insights from Communication and Economics

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