SOCIAL NORMS 101AN INTRODUCTION TO

THEORY AND RESEARCH

SOCIAL NORMS APPROACH TO AT-RISK BEHAVIOR PREVENTION

An increasingly popular universal prevention technique based upon sociological/psychological theory and supported by an extensive empirical study

An “environmental” approach based upon sharing accurate information with students

Compatible with other prevention strategies

PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION

Introduce the theoretical and research underpinnings of social norms strategies and the reasons they work

Help identify the best way to use the social norms approach as described in the Social Norms Tool Kit with your students

Provide practical implementation advice for developing a local social norms campaign

Provide information on evaluating the success of a school’s social norms campaign

SOME DEFINITIONS

Social Norms Approach: a proactive prevention program that communicates the “truth about peer norms in terms of what the majority of students actually think and do, all on the basis of credible data drawn from the student population that is the target.” (Perkins, 2003).

Misperception: the “gap between the perceived and the actual.”

Bullying: “systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt and/or psychological distress on one or more students” (National Education Association, 2008).

SOME DEFINITIONS, CONT.

Bullying: “systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt and/or psychological distress on one or more students” (National Education Association, 2008).

Binge Drinking or Heavy Episodic Drinking: The consumption of four or five drinks in a row in a short period of time.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS

Contemporary, evidence-based prevention strategies emphasize the importance of environmental strategies for effecting positive behavior change

THE THEORY BEHIND SOCIAL NORMS STRATEGIES

Our behavior is influenced by our perceptions of what others think and do … BUT These perceptions are often inaccurate If we can correct the “misperceptions” that exist,

over the course of time behavior should reflect the more accurate (and healthier) norms

EVIDENCE FOR THE IMPACT OF NORMS ON BEHAVIOR

Social Comparison Theory: We continuously compare ourselves to others in our social group. If discrepancies exist, we become motivated to reduce the discrepancies, thus, bringing our behavior into congruence with the norm, Festinger (1957).

SOCIAL COMPARISONS ARE OFTEN BIASED

“Pluralistic ignorance”…Everybody else is different from me! I am the only one who is NOT doing it…(“Gee, I’d better do it.”)

But in reality there is typically much greater similarity between one’s self and others

SOCIAL NORMS MAY BE ESPECIALLY INFLUENTIAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Peers become increasingly influential starting in late childhood (beginning at age 10 or so)

Peer group norms are likely to dictate much pre-adolescent and adolescent behavior

Adolescents want and need to be accepted by their peers, and will work toward this goal

THE REALITY OF MISPERCEPTIONS

Over 50 published studies document the existence of misperceptions (National Social Norms Institute, University of Virginia) Earliest was Perkins and Berkowitz (1986) –

College students believed peer norms for alcohol consumption were much higher than they actually were

A MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE

Perkins, Haines & Rice (2005); 76,145 college students from 140 colleges and

universities nationwide 71% misperceived the amount of alcohol

consumed by peers, overestimating both the quantity consumed by peers and the frequency with which they drank

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE SIMILARLY AFFECTED

Perkins and Craig (2003) Web-based survey of 8,860 middle and high

school students Actual alcohol use in middle school was 7%;

Perceived use in middle school was 23% Actual use in high school was 29%;

Perceived use in high school was 60%

MISPERCEPTIONS ABOUT BULLYING Perkins and Craig (2006)

Survey of 578 middle school students 63% did NOT tease others; 83% believed that

their peers DID 74% did NOT push or hit others; 83% believed

that their peers DID

The gaps noted in the figures above clearly indicate the existence of misperceptions in this population

WHY DO MISPERCEPTIONS EXIST?

The “vividness effect” – behavior that stands out in some way is better remembered and more often discussed

Media depictions and even educational material perpetuate the notion that “everyone” is drinking

MISPERCEPTIONS AND BEHAVIOR

Empirical research confirms that misperceptions correlate with behavior

In a nationwide sample of college students, student perception of the drinking norm was the strongest predictor of personal consumption (Perkins et al., 2005)

Among 29,976 NJ college students surveyed from 1998-2007, those who misperceived the peer norm as 7+ drinks were twice as likely to drink heavily themselves (LaMastro & LaMastro, 2007)

MISPERCEPTIONS AND BEHAVIOR: MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

“Higher peer perceptions of alcohol use were associated with subsequent escalations of personal drinking.” (HS students) (D’Amico et al., 2001)

Estimates of peer alcohol use predicted one’s own alcohol use one year later (Marks et al., 1992)

THE KEY QUESTION:

Does reducing or correcting misperceptions change

behavior? Given sufficient time and a strong social

norms marketing campaign, research suggests that the answer is “YES”

Research with college students revealed a 10% campus-wide decrease in high-risk drinking over the campaign period (Perkins & Craig, 2002)

The percentage of college students with Blood Alcohol Content over .05% declined 8% during the campaign period (Foss et el., 2003)

AMONG MS AND HS STUDENT

In the “MOST of us” campaign in Montana: 10% of 12-17 year olds in the campaign counties initiated smoking, versus 17% in control (non-campaign) counties

Reductions in high-risk drinking among MS students was associated with accurate perceptions of peer norms following a two-year campaign,(Botvin et al., 2001)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOLISM AND ALCOHOL ABUSE:

“Initial results from programs adopting an intensive social norms approach are promising. Several institutions that persistently communicated accurate norms have experienced reductions of up to 20% in high risk drinking over a relatively short period of time…together these findings provide strong support for the potential impact of the social norms approach.” (NIAAA, pg. 13, 2002)

Botvin, G.J., Sussman, S. & Biglan, A. (2001). The Hutchison smoking prevention project: A lesson on inaccurate media coverage and the importance of prevention advocacy. Prevention Science, 2, 67-70.

D’Amico, E.J. (2001). Progression into and out of binge drinking among high school students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15, 341-349.

Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.

REFERENCES

REFERENCES

Foss, R., et al. (2004). Social norms program reduces measured and self-reported drinking at UNC-CH. The Report on Social Norms: Working Paper #14. Little Falls, NH, Paper Clip Communications.

LaMastro, V. & LaMastro, R. (2007). Looking back, looking forward: Social norms programming at New Jersey state colleges and universities, 1997 to 2007. Monograph, New Jersey Higher Education Consortium.

REFERENCES

Marks, G., Graham, J.W., & Hansen, W.B. (1992). Social Projection and Social Conformity in Adolescent Alcohol Use: A Longitudinal Analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 96-101.

NIAAA (2002). How to Reduce High Risk College Drinking: Use Proven Strategies, Fill Research Gaps. Final Report of the Panel on Prevention and Treatment, Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Washington, DC. National Institutes of Health.

REFERENCES

Perkins, H.W. & Berkowitz, A.D. (1986). Perceiving the community norms of alcohol use among students: Some research implications for campus alcohol education programming. International Journal of the Addictions, 21, 961-976.

Perkins, H.W. (Ed.) (2003). The Social Norms Approach to Preventing School and College Age Substance Abuse. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.

REFERENCES

Perkins, H.W., Haines, M.P., & Rice, R. (2005) Misperceiving the college drinking norm and related problems: A nationwide study of exposure to prevention information, perceived norms, and student alcohol misuse. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66 470-478.

Perkins, H.W., & Craig, D.W. (2003). The imaginary lives of peers: Patterns of substance use and misperceptions of norms among secondary school students. In The Social Norms Approach to Preventing School and College Age Substance Abuse. H.W. Perkins (Ed.), San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.