Self-persuasion strategies to resist temptation

The main aim of this thesis is to understand how people use cognition to resist tempting objects, and behaviours. Applying the Epistemic and Teleologic Model of Deliberate Self-Persuasion to temptation, the impact of motivation on the use of self- persuasion strategies was explored. Four experimental studies were conducted in three diverse contexts: teenagers' consumption of beverages, restrained eaters' consumption of chocolate, and dating students' attraction to alternative partners. Overall, the pattern of results indicated that motivated people use epistemic self- persuasion strategies to derogate the tempting object as a way to resist temptation. This process of deliberate self-persuasion had effects on subsequent evaluation and behaviour towards the tempting object, in particular by the creation of new negative information regarding that object. Discussion focuses on relevant theoretical and practical implications in the domains of attitude-change, cognitive therapy, and social intervention

The principle of co-operation in the law of international watercourses.

In international law, co-operation is a general concept applied in a variety of contexts. In the context of the law of international watercourses, the general obligation to co-operate and the procedural rules it comprises have a crucial role to play in the implementation of the substantive principles of equitable and reasonable utilisation and of diligent prevention of transboundary harm. The problems lie in the identification of the scope of the obligation, its specific content, legal status and application. The principal objective pursued in this thesis is to present a detailed examination of the nature, scope, specific content, application, and consequences of non-compliance with the obligation to co-operate in the particular context of the law of international watercourses, in order to contribute to the clarification of this vague but fundamental principle. To illustrate how the theories relating to the obligation to co-operate on international watercourses can be translated into concrete acts, several examples are provided, including planned works in a basin State such as dams. Due to the variety and the nature of the issues involved in the context of international watercourses, an interdisciplinary approach was adopted between law and geography. This approach permits the sharing of insights and information, and a better understanding of several technical questions presented to the international lawyer when dealing with international watercourses. The thesis finally presents conclusions regarding the evolution and consolidation of the principle of co-operation, and assesses the feasibility of constructing and securing wider acceptance for a model of co-operation and the potential utility of such a model

What matters most? Stakeholders’ perceptions of river water quality

The need to integrate stakeholders’ views into environmental policy is increasingly gaining attention because this offers the opportunity to design sustainable and synergistic environmental strategies. Understanding and integrating the views of resource users into policy design and implementation could help address the most important challenges, gain community support, enhance project ownership, and avoid policies being rejected by local people. As a result, research in environmental management has focussed on stakeholders’ perceptions of river water quality and how to integrate such views into policy. While existing studies offer insights into the different ways in which stakeholders evaluate river water quality and potential factors influencing judgements, they appear to be limited in a number of ways. First, most of these studies focus on developed countries and may have limited contextual relevance to the developing world. Moreover, past studies focus on segments of society such as farmers and mainly on wastewater for agriculture. These shortcomings may limit our understanding of the topic and our ability to design effective policies to address water quality problems. Drawing on survey data from the Wenchi municipality in Ghana, we examine public perceptions of what constitute important measures of river water quality as well as factors influencing such judgements. Results suggest that while variables such as taste, colour, smell and litter are important, the presence of faecal matter in and/or around the river was rated the most important measure of river water quality while depth of river was the least important. Results further suggest that education, age, number of years a person had lived in a community, depth of river and the presence of aquatic vegetation influence water quality judgements. The findings of this research provide insights into what policymakers and regulators need to consider when attempting to influence behaviours in relation to water resources. We note, however, that while public perceptions of river water quality could guide water management policies, scientific measurements of water quality must not be replaced with stakeholder perceptions. This is because aspects such as ecological integrity may not be important to segments of the public but are an important aspect of water management. This is reinforced in the present study as there seems to be a lack of concern among the participants regarding river depth – an important factor for habitat provision and pollution dilution

Perception of tap water risks and quality: a structural equation model approach

The present study aims to test a model of tap water risk and quality perception. A questionnaire was designed and applied to a convenience sample of 499 people in Portugal. The model includes aesthetic variables (colour, odour, and flavour), contextual indicators and risk perception. Other variables were also considered, including external information, trust in water companies, familiarity with tap water, and past water-related health problems. A behavioural outcome – drinking tap water – was also studied. Due to multivariate non-normality (Mardia's Coefficient (G2,P) = 460.3), the AGLS estimator was used for the structural equation model (SEM). A triangulation approach with multivariate regression analysis was used to explain the use of tap water to drink and to propose a more holistic model that could not be tested using SEM. Results show that perceived water quality is largely influenced by flavour. Other factors, such as perceived risk and contextual indicators, also have a role but their relevance is relatively weak. On the other hand, risk perception seems to be mainly a result of external information, past health problems, and water colour. Finally, the use of tap water to drink at home can be moderately explained and depends mostly on the ability to use alternatives (i.e. bottled water), tap water taste, and perceived risk.</jats:p

Cross-national comparisons of image associations with "global warming" and "climate change" among laypeople in the United States of America and Great Britain

Climate change poses significant risks to societies worldwide, yet governmental responses differ greatly on either side of the North Atlantic. Risk perception studies have shown that citizens in the United States and Great Britain have similar risk perceptions of climate change: it is considered a distant threat, of limited personal importance. Engaging the public on this issue is thus challenging. Affect, the positive or negative evaluation of an object, idea, or mental image, has been shown to powerfully influence individual processing of information and decision‐making. This paper explores the affective images underlying public risk perceptions of climate change through comparative findings from national surveys in the USA and in Great Britain. American and British respondents predominantly referred to generic manifestations and impacts of climate change or to a different environmental problem (ozone depletion). The terms “global warming” and “climate change”, and their associated images, evoked negative affective responses from most respondents. Personally relevant impacts, causes, and solutions to climate change, were rarely mentioned, indicating that climate change is psychologically distant for most individuals in both nations. The role of affective images in risk judgements and individual decision‐making deserves greater study