PSYCHOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS

OFPROMOTING

ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIORS AND

POLICIES

PROFESSOR HER

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Outcomes

• By the end of the session, I hope you can---– Understand the psychological principles related to

behavior change• Provide of Usable Information• Cash/Tangible Rewards• Verbal or Written Feedback to Promote Efficacy• Social Norms

– Explain why a research perspective is important when creating behavioral change initiatives, campaigns, or strategies

Which disciplines study behavioral change?• Behaviorism (Learning Psychology)

– The scientific study of how experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in behavior

• Social Psychology– The scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings,

and behaviors are influenced by other people• Environmental Psychology

– The scientific study of how people influence the environment and how the environment influences people

• Behavioral Economics—Environmental– “the hybrid offspring of psychology and economics” – a branch of economics that studies how social, cognitive,

and emotional factors influence economic decisions.

Why an Experimental Approach?

• Experimental methods and tools help us test the effects of relevant variables on environmentally protective behaviors.

– Intuitive interventions do not always work

Changing a Behavior

• Pick a habit/behavior– Using a refillable water bottle– Idling while waiting to pick up your partner at work/school– Hanging laundry rather than using the dryer– Using public transportation– Littering– Exercising

• What are some ways you can get people to start adopting the new behavior?

“The Rationale”

Education

Attitude Change

Behavioral Change

• 1971 Ad Council Environmental Advertisement– Said to be one of the most

memorable and successful ads of the 20th Century.

– Works for instigating attitude change, but does not provide any information to practically change behavior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=862cXNfxwmE&list=PL31F627AE7726CB9B

Assumptions About Behavioral Change 1Reinforcement

• Behaviors, emotions, and thoughts don’t necessarily correspond.– “Educating” people

often does not change either their attitudes or behaviors.

– Even when attitudes change, behaviors don’t necessarily follow.

• Delayed reinforcement!

Climate Change

• Scary!!!!!! • Because?????

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Public Perceptions: Climate Change & Environment

• National Public Opinion Polls:– 82% - Climate change is real (60% caused by human activities)1.– 65% - concerned “a great deal” or “a fair amount” about climate

change2.– 53% - Climate change is one of the most serious long-term issues

facing our country3.

1Fox News Survey, 2007; 2Pew Research Center, 2008; 3Presidential Debate on Science Survey, 2008; 4Clean Air Partnership & Vanderbilt University, 2003 - 2007

APA Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global

Climate Change• Uncertainty – Research has shown that uncertainty over climate change reduces

the frequency of “green” behavior.• Mistrust – Evidence shows that most people don’t believe the risk messages of

scientists or government officials.• Denial – A substantial minority of people believe climate change is not occurring

or that human activity has little or nothing to do with it, according to various polls.• Undervaluing Risks –many people believe environmental conditions will worsen in

25 years. While this may be true, this thinking could lead people to believe that changes can be made later.

• Lack of Control – People believe their actions would be too small to make a difference and choose to do nothing.

• Habit – Ingrained behaviors are extremely resistant to permanent change while others change slowly. Habit is the most important obstacle to pro-environmental behavior

Assumptions About Behavioral Change

• Many behaviors that are predictable are not economically “rational”– We often don’t know why we do what we do– We can’t always tell when we’re being influenced

• Many things that influence us do so below the threshold of consciousness

• Cialdini’s Influence: Science and Practice• Charles Duhigg The Power of Habits

Strategies for Promoting Behavioral Change

• Provide of Usable Information• Cash/Tangible Rewards• Verbal or Written Feedback to Promote

Efficacy• Social Norms

I. Usable Information

• Green NYC Ads - Practical Ways to Behavior Change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh4fVjw-os0

Think About the Behavior You Wanted to Change

• What are some ways you could use usable information to get people to start adopting the new behavior?

II. Rewards/Reinforcement

Operant

• Any behavior by which an individual operates on his or her environment

Rewards

Cash/Tangible Rewards

*note that symbolic things can also represent a consequence (e.g. getting a Hummer may indicate higher social status vs.

riding the bus)

Social Meaning can have ‘value’• The social meaning or

symbolic significance behaviors will determine their probability of occurrence, e.g., – If behaviors like, public

transport, or recycling connote low status, they will be avoided.

The Habit Loop: Cue as a Reward

CRAVINGCRAVING

From the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

1.

2.

3.

From the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The Habit Loop

From the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Think About the Behavior You Wanted to Change

• What are some ways you could provide immediate reinforcement to get people to start adopting the new behavior?– Could be positive or negative reinforcement– What did RecycleBank do to engage the

consumer?

III. Feedback to confirm we are good at what we do 

Verbal or Written Feedback

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Feedback• We are less motivated to engage in behaviors that we feel are ineffective. • Particularly important for frequent & easy to change behaviors.• Promoting Efficacy:

– Message framing• Stress the connection between behaviors and outcomes.

– Feedback • Feedback meters associated with 5 to 60% reduction in energy use. • Continuous feedback is most effective (feedback meters)• Periodic feedback is better than no feedback (public announcements)

31%

55%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Weekly Feedback Continuous Feedback

Petersen et al. (2007)

Think About the Behavior You Wanted to Change

• What are some ways you could use feedback to get people to start adopting the new behavior?

IV. Social Norms

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Using Social Norms

• Social Norms:– Pressure to comply (social approval)– Pressure to conform (popularity, fitting in)

• We often change our behavior to accommodate social norms.– 75% of participants gave an obviously wrong answer (Asch, 1951). X A B C

Social Norm Example:Petrified Forest Experiment

Message Framing is Important and can have boomerang effects

• Some Visitors Saw the Old Sign (Negative norm)– “Many past visitors have removed petrified wood from the Park,

changing the natural state of the Petrified Forest.” • pictures of three visitors taking wood. ------------------------------------------------------------------

• Other Visitors Saw the New Sign 1 (Positive norm)– “That vast majority of past visitors have left the petrified wood in the

park, preserving the natural state of the Petrified Forest• picture of visitors looking at a piece of wood.

• Other Visitors Saw the New Sign 2 – “Please don’t remove the petrified wood from the Park, in order to

preserve the natural state of the Petrified Forest.” • picture of a lone visitor stealing a piece of wood, with a red circle-

and-bar symbol superimposed over his hand.

Boomerang effects- High Descriptive Norm

Source: Cialdini et al. (under review). Activating and aligning social norms for persuasive impact.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Establishes a negative norm

Boomerang effects- Low Descriptive Norm

Establishes a positive norm

Boomerang effects- Injunctive Norm

Even though a negative message, effective because the image is a nerdy tourist that nobody wants to be like (norm).

Results

Don’t/It’s Bad Most Don’t Most Steal

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

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Using Social Norms

• Message Framing Based on Norms:– Sequoia National Park (Winter et al., 2000):

• “Many past visitors have gone off the established paths, changing the natural state of the Sequoias and vegetation in this park”

• “Please don't go off the established paths and trails in order to protect the Sequoias and natural vegetation in this park”

31%

19%

5%0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

No Sign "Many past visitors havegone off the established

paths…"

"Please don't go off theestablished paths..."

Percent of visitors who strayed off the path

Old Message: This seems like a message that would solicit the desired result. That is because we are judging based on what WE would do. In the following experiment updated notes were left establishing social norms.

Social Norm Messages

ResultsNumber of towels taken out of the room on the first towel replacement day.

11.11.21.31.41.51.61.71.81.9

2

Norm Message Control Message

F(1,976)=10.74; p<.001). A 21% reduction in the number of towels used!

Think About the Behavior You Wanted to Change

• These door handles served as ‘cues’ for the routine. What are some ways you could use ‘cues’ to get people to start adopting the new behavior or ‘norm’?– Specifically, how you make the behavior a social

norm?

Final Thoughts

• “Educating” people often does not change their attitudes or behaviors.

• We might be more successful by just targeting the behavior without worrying about what people believe

• Harnessing the power of human nature is always a good bet