The Impact of Normative Message Types on Off-Trail Hiking

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia L. Winter
Keyword(s):  
Visitor Behavior ◽  
Giant Sequoia ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Maintenance ◽  
Additional Sign

Depreciative activities and high annual visitation levels threaten the health and sustainability of the giant Sequoia. Signage is one route to managing visitor behavior. Research suggests a two-by-two conceptualization of normative messages in signs. Messages may present the “ought” (injunctive) or the “is” (descriptive) of behavior and may be stated positively (prescriptive) or negatively (proscriptive). This paper summarizes findings from an experiment testing normative messages and presents evidence for injunctive-proscriptive messages as the most effective route in gaining desired behavior. Under this condition off-trail hiking was less likely to occur, compared to the incidence of off-trail hiking under four other conditions (including a control under which no additional sign was posted). In contrast, the incidence of off-trail hiking was greatest when the descriptive-proscriptive message was used (when compared to three other message types). The injunctive-proscriptive message is most appropriate when a behavior is desired shortly after exposure to a message and may not be most effective when longer-term maintenance of actions is desired.

scholarly journals Social media reveal ecoregional variation in how weather influences visitor behavior in U.S. National Park Service units

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Wilkins ◽  
Peter D. Howe ◽  
Jordan W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Daily Weather ◽  
Visitor Behavior ◽  
Park Service ◽  
The Impact

AbstractDaily weather affects total visitation to parks and protected areas, as well as visitors’ experiences. However, it is unknown if and how visitors change their spatial behavior within a park due to daily weather conditions. We investigated the impact of daily maximum temperature and precipitation on summer visitation patterns within 110 U.S. National Park Service units. We connected 489,061 geotagged Flickr photos to daily weather, as well as visitors’ elevation and distance to amenities (i.e., roads, waterbodies, parking areas, and buildings). We compared visitor behavior on cold, average, and hot days, and on days with precipitation compared to days without precipitation, across fourteen ecoregions within the continental U.S. Our results suggest daily weather impacts where visitors go within parks, and the effect of weather differs substantially by ecoregion. In most ecoregions, visitors stayed closer to infrastructure on rainy days. Temperature also affects visitors’ spatial behavior within parks, but there was not a consistent trend across ecoregions. Importantly, parks in some ecoregions contain more microclimates than others, which may allow visitors to adapt to unfavorable conditions. These findings suggest visitors’ spatial behavior in parks may change in the future due to the increasing frequency of hot summer days.

scholarly journals Crafting Normative Messages to Protect the Environment

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Cialdini
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Adolescent Suicide ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Descriptive Norms ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
Alcohol And Drug Use ◽  
Normative Appeals ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages

It is widely recognized that communications that activate social norms can be effective in producing societally beneficial conduct. Not so well recognized are the circumstances under which normative information can backfire to produce the opposite of what a communicator intends. There is an understandable, but misguided, tendency to try to mobilize action against a problem by depicting it as regrettably frequent. Information campaigns emphasize that alcohol and drug use is intolerably high, that adolescent suicide rates are alarming, and—most relevant to this article—that rampant polluters are spoiling the environment. Although these claims may be both true and well intentioned, the campaigns' creators have missed something critically important: Within the statement “Many people are doing this undesirable thing” lurks the powerful and undercutting normative message “Many people are doing this.” Only by aligning descriptive norms (what people typically do) with injunctive norms (what people typically approve or disapprove) can one optimize the power of normative appeals. Communicators who fail to recognize the distinction between these two types of norms imperil their persuasive efforts.

Sitting through life? Psychosocial Antecedents of Sedentary Behaviour in a Post-Secondary Setting

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Calderhead
Keyword(s):  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Secondary Purpose ◽  
Setting Theory ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages

Currently, there is a paucity of research on the psychosocial antecedents of sedentary behaviour (SB) in a post-secondary setting. Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs may influence sedentary behaviour amongst students. Further, normative messages may be one tool for altering perceptions of sedentary behaviour. However, the effect of descriptive norm messages on sedentary behaviour is currently unknown. The primary purpose of this study is to examine students’ perceptions of sedentary behaviour; the secondary purpose is to investigate whether the receipt of a normative message is an efficacious tool for reducing students’ sedentary behaviour. Post-secondary students will complete an online questionnaire and will randomly receive an injunctive norm, descriptive norm, or control sedentary behaviour message. The questionnaire will measure demographics, TPB constructs, and self-reported SB. One week later, they will complete the same questionnaire. Multiple regression and ANOVAs will be used to address the two study purposes, respectively. Results may inform future interventions aimed at decreasing students’ sedentary behaviour levels.

scholarly journals Lifestyle and Long-Term Smoking Cessation

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 1179173X2096306
Author(s):  
Tove Sohlberg ◽  
Karin Helmersson Bergmark
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Smoking Initiation ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Swedish Health Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Maintenance

Background: Since smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, discouraging smoking initiation, encouraging smoking cessation, and exploring factors that help individuals to stay smoke free are immensely important. One such relevant factor may be the impact of lifestyle for long-term smoking cessation. Method: A representative sample of successful quitters was recruited for a study about smoking cessation. These respondents are now part of a 7-year follow-up with the overall aim of revealing factors affecting long-term smoking cessation. Descriptive analyses were carried out at baseline and at follow-up, as well as a further two-step cluster analysis to explore profiles of long-term smoke-free individuals. Results: A majority did not make any particular lifestyle changes, but among those who did, most adopted a healthier lifestyle and/or increased their quota of physical training, where permanent changes in this direction seem to promote a more enduring smoke-free life. Conclusions: Individuals who want to quit smoking should be encouraged to increase their level of physical activity. Swedish health care institutions should be able to provide support for this both initially and over time to promote the long-term maintenance of a smoke-free lifestyle.

scholarly journals Vibration Analysis and Empirical Law Definition for Different Equipment in a Civil Construction

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 4689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Rodríguez ◽  
Marc Bascompta
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Standard Values ◽  
Historical Sites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Term Maintenance

The potential affection of any construction, and especially historical sites, is of great concern for their long-term maintenance and stability. This study has determined the vibration behavior in poor-quality rock mass conditions generated by some of the most typical equipment used in construction: excavator, ripper, ripper vibrator, hydraulic hammer, bulldozer and vibrating roller. Several empirical expressions are proposed to know the maximum velocity at different distances for each type of equipment, taking into account the intensity of the vibration generated and its pattern. A general equation has also been defined to determine the vibration propagation along the distance at a construction site, based on the impact generated by all the possible vibration elements, exogenous and endogenous, including machinery working individually or in any possible combination and number. On the other hand, the maximum allowable velocity in the case study is also discussed and compared to international standards, stating some recommendations. It would be very important to have a clear legislation in this regard due to the high density of sensitive constructions in Spain and the economic implications of applying too high or too low standard values.

scholarly journals The effectiveness and efficiency of using normative messages to reduce waste: A real world experiment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261734
Author(s):  
Gabby Salazar ◽  
João Neves ◽  
Vasco Alves ◽  
Bruno Silva ◽  
Jean-Christophe Giger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Randomized Field Experiment ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages

Although they are only home to 16% of the global human population, high-income countries produce approximately one third of the world’s waste, the majority of which goes to landfills. To reduce pressure on landfills and natural systems, environmental messaging should focus on reducing consumption. Messages that signal social norms have the potential to influence people to reduce their consumption of comfort goods, such as straws, which are not a necessity for most people. We conducted a randomized field-experiment at a marine park in Portugal to test whether different normative messages reduced visitors’ paper straw use when compared to non-normative messages. We found that a message framed around a positive injunctive norm significantly reduced straw use compared to a non-normative message. We estimated that using the message at 17 park concession stands could keep over 27500 straws out of landfills annually and save the park money after two years.

scholarly journals Developing and evaluating tools to assess the impact of chimpanzee sanctuaries via a unique zoo-sanctuary partnership

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany K Hansen ◽  
Stephen R Ross ◽  
Lydia M Hopper ◽  
Amy Fultz
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
The Public ◽  
Visitor Behavior ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Standardized Protocol ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lincoln Park ◽  
Term Data

Sanctuaries are crucial to the survival and welfare of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). They also play an important role in educating the public about chimpanzee behavior and conservation. However, as many sanctuaries lack the capacity to collect long-term data, there is no standardized protocol for evaluating these aims. To address this, the Lincoln Park Zoo, USA, has partnered with Chimp Haven, Inc., USA. Chimp Haven houses nearly 200 chimpanzees in several enclosure types including traditional indoor-outdoor runs (~20m2 in area), open-top corrals (~300m2), and large forested habitats (up to 24,000m2). By leveraging the expertise from both institutions we will evaluate the aims of the sanctuary considering both the behavior and welfare of the chimpanzees and the impact of the sanctuary’s public education program. To address the first aim, we will use non-invasive focal observations to evaluate whether and how different housing types affect the chimpanzees’ activity budgets, enclosure usage, and social interactions. To inquire about the success of the second aim, we will evaluate education programs at Chimp Haven during which the public can view the chimpanzees. We will investigate whether public viewing opportunities affect the chimpanzees’ behavior through the use of observational data collected on the chimpanzees. Simultaneously, we will evaluate the learning outcomes and attitudes of visitors at Chimp Haven, using questionnaires and observations of visitor behavior. Findings from this research will inform decisions about the care and management of captive chimpanzees. This research will also provide information about how sanctuaries can best engage and educate the public.

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