Positive Social Influence Research Articles

Nationwide implementation of guided supermarket tours in The Netherlands: a dissemination study.

The purpose of this study was to assess adoption, implementation and maintenance of a guided supermarket tour program of nutrition education by Dutch Public Health Services (PHSs), and the factors associated with program dissemination. A first questionnaire was sent to all 60 PHSs, and measured program adoption, perceived program attributes, and characteristics of the adopting organization and person. A second questionnaire was only sent to adopting PHSs, and measured extent and success of implementation, intentions to continue the program, and characteristics of the main implementing person. Of the 59 PHSs who responded, 30 adopted the program and 17 implemented it sufficiently. Perceived program complexity, social influence within the PHS toward program participation and existence of a separate health education department were predictors of adoption. Perceived program complexity was also a predictor of extent of implementation. The number of health educators within each PHS was a predictor of sufficient implementation. It was concluded that adoption and implementation of the program was reasonable, considering the limited dissemination strategy. Dissemination might have been more successful if the program had been less complex and required less effort, if positive social influence had been generated, and if specific attention had been given to PHSs without a separate health education department.

Social Influences on Physical Activity in Older Adults: A Review

The interpersonal relationships of older adults have long been recognized as important determinants for their physical activity involvement. To date, researchers in this field have tended to focus on positive social influences, such as social support. Furthermore, in most studies, operational definitions of social support have stressed the source of the support (e.g., family support and friend support) rather than the nature of the support provided by these groups and individuals. In order to clarify the social context of physical activity among older adults, more attention should be paid to exploring both positive and negative social influences on physical activity. The objectives of this paper were to consolidate current findings concerning social influences and physical activity among aging adults, and to identify major positive and negative social influences from the literature that are associated with physical activity and health-promoting behaviors among aging adults. The development of a more comprehensive and representative method of measuring social influences in physical activity settings is advocated.

Misconceptions of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: Differences between Objective and Subjective Estimation of Intake

This study reports the discrepancy between two methods to assess fruit and vegetable consumption in a Dutch adult population (N = 367). The consumption of fruit and vegetables was assessed by telephone interviews in two ways: it was estimated objectively by using a food frequency method (the number of grams of fruit and vegetables that subjects ate every day), and it was estimated subjectively by assessing the self-rated fruit and vegetable intake of subjects. Besides behavior, intention was measured in two ways: the intention to eat fruit and vegetables each day and the intention to eat more fruit and vegetables. Also, determinants were measured using a theoretical model including the attitude toward fruit and vegetable consumption, self-efficacy expectation, and the social influence to eat fruit and vegetables. Results show that there were large differences between the self-rated and estimated objective consumption of fruit and vegetables. Subjects rated their own intake as much higher than their estimated objective intake. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses show that the determinants predicted the self-rated consumption much better than the estimated objective consumption. Subjects who rated their own consumption as high had more positive beliefs concerning fruit and vegetable consumption, experienced more positive social influence to eat fruit and vegetables, and had higher self-efficacy expectations of being able to eat fruit and vegetables than subjects who rated their own consumption as low. It is concluded that nutrition education aimed at stimulating fruit and vegetable consumption should especially focus on making people aware of their own fruit and vegetable intake, in addition to changing attitudes and self-efficacy expectations.

Self-Efficacy as an Important Determinant of Quitting Among Pregnant Women Who Smoke: The ø-Pattern

Background. The transtheoretical model and a revised model of planned behavior were used to study the motives of pregnant women to quit or to continue smoking. The goal was to explore possibilities for tailored advice based on the motivational stage of pregnant women. Methods. A cross-sectional study included 103 pregnant women who smoked and 40 women who had quit during the last year. Five groups were formed: precontemplators, contemplators, actors, maintainers, and relapsers. Attitudes, social influences, self-efficacy, intention, and behavior were measured. Results. Precontemplators had a more negative attitude toward quitting than the other groups. Actors encountered more positive social influences for quitting. Actors and maintainers had greater self-efficacy than precontemplators and contemplators. Maintainers had greater self-efficacy than actors. Conclusion. Health education for pregnant women who smoke can be tailored toward their motivational stage. Precontemplators need information on the consequences of smoking and quitting for themselves and their baby to create a positive attitude. Contemplators and relapsers need information on coping with barriers that prevent them from quitting, in order to create greater self-efficacy. Post-delivery relapse prevention strategies are needed.

The Effects of Group Attitudes Toward Alternative GDSS Designs on the Decision-making Performance of Computer-Supported Groups

Empirical investigations of the effects of group decision support systems (GDSS) accord relatively little attention to the role of attitudes developed by groups toward the GDSS. This study draws upon the theory of social influence to examine the role played by group attitudes in mediating the impact of GDSS designs on group decision-making performance. We found that, in addition to capabilities of GDSS designs, group attitudes toward GDSS were influential in affecting group decision-making performance. The managerial implications of the study are: (1) effective GDSS designs for supporting groups in equivocal decision-making contexts should include structures for communication and consensus support and (2) attempts should be made to enhance user attitudes toward the GDSS through design features of the GDSS, training, and facilitation of positive social influences within the group. The study also provides encouraging evidence about the value of social theories, such as the social influence model and the adaptive structuration theory, in investigating GDSS effects. Further, this study illustrates the value of the partial least squares (PLS) analysis method for testing holistic structural models of GDSS effects.

Social influence processes in smoking cessation: Postquitting predictors of long-term outcome

Participants in a smoking cessation program completed measures of positive and negative social influence processes related to maintaining abstinence, along with measures previously associated with success in smoking cessation (e.g., motivation, stress, nicotine dependence). The relationship of these variables to smoking status at three assessments (postquitting, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups) was evaluated in a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that while variables such as nicotine dependence, motivation, and stress predicted postquitting status, social influence processes were the most important predictors of longer term outcome. Both increased support and hindrances from friends/coworkers were related to returning to smoking at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Support and hindrance from partners/spouses was not related to smoking status at any time. The need for a broadened, multidimensional conceptualization of social influence processes in smoking cessation is discussed.

Gender Bias in Theoretical Perspectives: The Case of Female Socialization Into Sport

Using female socialization into sport as an example, this paper empirically examines whether existing conceptual and methodological perspectives pertaining to sport may be gender-biased. A social role-social systems approach, previously applied to male sport socialization and purported to predict a high degree of sport involvement when positive social influences are exerted by significant others, was applied to female athletes and nonathletes. Results from several stepwise regressions suggest that this conceptual approach does not adequately capture the process that pertains to females, as more variance is accounted for in the case of nonathletes, who have lower levels of sport involvement. The implications of such findings suggest that existing conceptual notions pertaining to sport socialization may in reality be a more accurate portrayal of gender role-appropriate behavior in sport rather than actual sport role behaviors.

Children's Views Regarding Possessions and Their Theft

Abstract This study concerned the relationship between views of possession and theft. Four groups of children aged 7‐8; 9‐10; 12‐13 and 16‐17 completed a questionnaire based on the work of Furby (1980 a and b) and Irving and Siegal (1983). Results demonstrated that possession concepts become more differentiated with age, focusing more on the importance of positive acquisition, single ownership and social influence. Attitudes towards theft crimes become more harsh even in the face of mitigating circumstances. This increased harshness may be understood in terms of possessions becoming progressively more a part of the self‐concept. Thus theft and consequent loss to self leads to empathy with the victim and feelings of retribution for the thief. The results are discussed in terms of the literature on social and moral development.

Personality and Social Influence Styles of Attractive and Unattractive College Women

Summary This study sought to determine whether facially attractive college women (N = 80) maintained more desirable personality characteristics and positive social influence style. Discriminant function analyses revealed a variety of differences between facially attractive and unattractive women on personality and social behavior measures.

Help, Likability, and Social Influence1

What factors affect an aid‐giver's perceived helpfulness and likeability and the amount of positive and negative social influence he is able to exert? In experiment I, subjects performing a difficult task expected or did not expect to receive help which they subsequently received or did not receive. No significant differences were found in reactions to the aid‐giver in the two expectancy confirmation conditions. However, reactions were markedly different in the two disconfirmation conditions‐very positive when unexpected help was received and very negative when expected help was not received. The two hypothesized main effects were found (p < .05) on the negative social influence, or counter‐conformity, measure. In experiment II, the perceived nature of the task was varied. Subjects received or did not receive unexpected help on a relatively unimportant task which yielded only extrinsic rewards or on an intelligence test which yielded only intrinsic, ego‐rewards. This time, social influence and counter‐conformity measures both showed predicted interaction effects (p < .05), while attitudinal measures did not.