Transcript Methods of Behavioral Change

Psychological Underpinnings of
(Un)Sustainable Behaviors
Susan Ledlow
Decision Center for a Desert City
School of Sustainability
Arizona State University
Advanced Water Education Workshop
June 28-29, 2011
Outcomes
 By the end of the session, I hope you can--– Explain why a research perspective is important
when creating behavioral change initiatives,
campaigns, or strategies
– Discuss the importance of “working with the
groove” of human psychology
Which disciplines study behavioral change?
 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
– “the hybrid offspring of psychology and economics”
– a branch of economics that studies how social,
cognitive, and emotional factors influence economic
decisions.
A Psychological Perspective on
Environmental Decisions
 Understanding how people make decisions is
critical to changing their behaviors
– Psychological literature on decision-making
– Psychological literature on fundamental motives
– Psychological literature on influence and
persuasion
Why an Experimental Approach?
 Experimental methods and tools help
us test the effects of relevant
variables on climate and water
decisions.
–Intuitive interventions do not always
work
Team
 Susan Ledlow
– School of Sustainability, Arizona State University
 Edward Sadalla
– Department of Psychology, Arizona State University
 Students
 Rebecca Neel
 with Claire Yee, REU
 Anna Berlin
 Samantha Neufeld
 Yexin Jessica Li
Overview of Our Study Areas
1. Priorities in residential water consumption
2. Landscape choice and perceived social
identity
3. Fundamental motives and environmental
decision-making
4. Social norms and environmental behaviors
5. Temporal discounting of negative
environmental consequences
Changing a Behavior
 Pick a behavior
– Using a refillable water bottle
– Idling while waiting to pick up your child at school
– Hanging laundry rather than using the dryer
– Using public transportation
– “Meatless Mondays”
 What are some ways you can get people to
start adopting the new behavior?
Education
Attitude Change
Behavioral Change
Assumptions About Behavioral Change 1
Reinforcement
 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?????
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
Assumptions About Behavioral Change 2
Fundamental Motives
 There is a human nature consisting of evolved abilities,
behavioral tendencies, preferences, and fears.
– Opposite of “The blank slate” (cf. e.g. Pinker, 2002).
– “Fundamental motives.” (c.f., Kenrick and Colleagues)
 Care for family
 Self-protection
 Seeking friends and allies
 Seeking status
 Seeking mates
New DCDC Research:
Landscape Choice and Social Identity
 Anthropological,
sociological, and
psychological studies
indicate that in most
cultures there is a
relationship between
consumption and
status.
“What do her
diamonds say
about you?”
But, research tells us that…
 Higher status individuals
consume more resources
than lower status
individuals
 For household energy
 Through consumption
of goods produced
with energy
We want- More things, e.g.,
– New car every 3
years
 Bigger things, e.g.,
– Hummers,
McMansions
 Average new house
size has increased
from 1600 to 2400
square feet in the last
30 years
 The social meaning or
symbolic significance
behaviors will
determine their
probability of
occurrence, e.g.,
– If behaviors like desert
landscaping, public
transport, or recycling
connote low status, they
will be avoided.
Past Research
 Individuals who display conservation
behaviors are perceived as
– Lower in status
– Lower in sexual attractiveness
– Less competitive
– Generally unfavorable
Research Questions:
Symbolism and Landscape Choice
 Studies 1 and 2
– How does landscape choice affect identity
symbolism?
 Study 3
– Can we change the symbolic significance of
landscape choice?
Study 1 (Completed)
 A man, woman, or couple were described as
choosing desert landscaping or mesic
landscaping for their newly purchased home
 Participants were asked to rate the targets on
a variety of dimensions
Study 1
 A woman moved into a neighborhood in the greater
Phoenix area. In this neighborhood, the houses were
all quite similar, but differed in their front yard
landscaping. Half of the homes had typical desert
landscaping with cacti and other desert plants, and
half had typical grass landscaping with trees and
shrubs. After thinking over her options, she realized
she had a strong preference for [desert, grass]
landscaping, so she bought a house with [desert,
grass] landscaping in front.
Overall Result
Landscape choice made a significant
difference in how targets were rated
Targets who chose desert landscaping were
perceived far more negatively than those who
chose mesic landscaping
Results: Ratings by landscape
Positive/negative evaluation





good-bad
pleasant-unpleasant
likeable – not likeable
good neighbors – bad neighbors
warm – cold
Status/achievement orientation




wealthy - poor
educated - not educated
high status - low status
intelligent – unintelligent
Family orientation
 have children – don’t have children
 likes children - doesn’t like children
 family oriented – not family oriented
Creativity







artistic - non artistic
conventional – unconventional
creative – uncreative
adventurous – not adventurous
complex – simple
open to new experience – closed
prefers new things – familiar things
Prosocial/benevolence





generous - stingy
helpful - unhelpful
kind - unkind
volunteers - does not volunteer
donates to charity – does not donate
Sexual attraction
 sexy – not sexy
 romantic – not romantic
 attractive – not attractive
Conservation behaviors




tend to save water – waste water
environmentalist – nonenvironmentalist
tend to save energy –waste energy
recycles – does not recycle
The decision makers’ future…
 How much will the value of their home
increase over the next five years?
– House with lawn more likely to increase, p<.001
 How happy is this person/couple?
– Target with lawn higher, p<.001
What image were P’s picturing?
Study 2
SES was specified: A woman decided to purchase a
home in an upscale neighborhood with large houses in the
greater Phoenix area. In this neighborhood, the houses were
all quite similar, but differed in their front yard landscaping.
Half of the homes had typical desert landscaping with cacti
and other desert plants, and half had typical grass landscaping
with trees and shrubs. After thinking over her options, she
realized she had a strong preference for desert landscaping,
so she bought a house with desert landscaping in front.
Results the same
New DCDC Research
Fundamental Motives Study 1
 Preserve the planet for
your children’s future
 Save money on cooling and
heating
 Be a leader in your
community
 “Energy saving is the new
aphrodisiac”
 Find the home that’s right
for you (Control)
Results
 Commit to Change
– Effectiveness of the message depended on the sex
of the person presented in the ad
– Kin care message with female in ad was
persuasive
– $ message with male in the ad was persuasive
 Spend More on Energy Efficiency
– Effectiveness of the message depended on the sex
of the person presented in the ad
– But only for people high on “family orientation”
scale
New DCDC Research
Priorities in Residential Water Consumption
 Previous research on
actual residential
water use.
 Little known about
residents’ priorities
for water use
American Waterworks Research Association
The Trade-off Experiments
 Subjects get a fixed
budget ($24 or $36)
to “buy” differently
kinds of water use,
e.g.,
– Low flow vs. high flow
showerheads
– Desert plants or grass
lawns
Questions Explored in This Research
 What are the perceived priorities associated
with residential water usage?
 Are there sex differences?
 Does “environmental orientation” influence
choices?
 Do long time residents prioritize water
allocations differently than newcomers?
Results
 High Priority
– Unlimited toilet flushing
– Long Showers
– High flow faucets and
showerheads
 Low Priorities
–
–
–
–
Baths
Swimming pools
Outdoor uses in general
Protection of native plants
and animals
Proportions of Budget Spent
Gender Differences
Study 1
– Males allocated slightly more on outdoor water
use than females
 Study 2
– Nada!
Environmental Orientation
Participants high on the NEP scale spent less
on water overall
They also allocated slightly more to native
plant and animal protection
– But overall this was still a low priority
Length of Residence:
“Oasis mentality”
Think About the Behavior You
Wanted to Change
 What are some ways you could use
fundamental motives to get people to start
adopting the new behavior?
– Specifically, how you you make the behavior
associated with high status or family values?
Assumptions About Behavioral Change 3
Decision Triggers
 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
 Dan Arielly’s Predictably Irrational
– http://www.predictablyirrational.com/?page_id=178
 Thaler and Sunstein’s Nudge
– The default strategy
Decision Trigger
 An automatic response.
 A single, reliable piece
of information that
guides our behavioral
decisions.
– Examples:
 “Here’s your check.”
 Cutting in line to make
photocopies.
 Littering
Social Norm Example:
Petrified Forest Experiment
 The old sign
– “Many past visitors have removed petrified wood
from the Park, changing the natural state of the
Petrified Forest.”
 pictures of three visitors taking wood.
Social Norm Example:
Petrified Forest Experiment
 Some Visitors Saw the Old Sign
– “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
– “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.
Percentage of Marked
Wood Stolen
Results
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
People Steal/It’s Bad
Most Don’t Steal
New DCDC Research
 How many people have to believe climate
change is a serious problem before most
people believe it?
– Study 1 (complete): Do you think you believe what
most people believe?
 Yes you do, unless you’re a political independent
– Study 2 (in design phase): Can we change your
beliefs by changing what you think others think?
Ethical implications of these
strategies?
 Let’s say that you know that if you place foods in
a certain place in a high school’s cafeteria line,
students will be more likely to buy them.
– Is it ethical to rearrange the food in a cafeteria to
encourage healthier choices?
Ethical implications of these
strategies?
 Let’s say that you know that if you place foods in
a certain place in a high school’s cafeteria line,
students will be more likely to buy them.
– Is it ethical to rearrange the food in a cafeteria to
encourage healthier choices?
– Is it ethical to rearrange the food in a cafeteria to
increase profits?
Ethics
 Cialdini
– True/Honest
– Naturally occurring in the situation
– Win-Win
 Thaler and Sunstein’s Libertarian Paternalism
– It is ethical to steer people’s behavior in order to
make their lives longer, happier, and better.
– But, people should not be “burdened” if they
want to make another choice
Is this ethical?
 Making organ donation the default option on your drivers
license (people have to opt out rather than opt in).
 Requiring freshmen to live on campus in a residential
community.
 Charging people for “green energy” on their energy bill unless
they opt out.
 Requiring car dealers to show gallons per 100 miles rather than
mgp.
 Requiring that all programmable thermostats be set to a default
“energy efficient” option.
 Deducting a portion of employees’ paychecks to go to a pension
program unless they opt out
 Deducting a portion of employees’ paychecks as a donation for
the United Way unless they opt out.
Think About the Behavior You
Wanted to Change
 What are some ways you could use decision
triggers to get people to start adopting the
new behavior?
– Specifically, how you you make the behavior a
social norm or a default?
Community Based Social Marketing
 One of the most widely used approaches to
changing sustainability related behaviors
– Original website, cases, listserv
 http://www.cbsm.com
– Online course
 http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/socialmarketing/tr
aining/index.htm
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
Questions?