Better Be Convincing or Better Be Stylish? a Theory Based Multi-Agent Simulation to Explain Minority Influence in Groups Via Arguments or Via Peripheral Cues

Very often in the history of mankind, social changes took place because a minority was successful in persuading the dominant majority of a new idea. Social psychology provides empirically well-founded theories of social influence that can explain the power of minorities at individual level. In this contribution, we present an agent-based computer simulation of one such theory, the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). After introducing the theoretical background and our agent model, we present three simulation experiments that confirm past laboratory research but also go beyond its findings by adopting the method of computer simulation. First, we found that even a minority with low argument quality can be successful as long as it has positive peripheral cues. Second, our results suggest that a higher personal relevance of a topic for the majority led it to be more receptive to minority influence only when the minority showed neutral peripheral cues and very good arguments. Third, we found evidence that a neutral or only slightly biased majority is influenced more easily than a strongly biased one. To sum up, we consider these results to illustrate the notion that a well-presented, comprehensible and valid computer simulation provides a useful tool for theory development and application in an exploratory manner as long as it is well founded in terms of the model and theory.Social Influences, Persuasion Processes, Group Processes, Minority Influence, Computer Simulation, Modelling, Theory Verification, Simulation Experiments

Which psychological factors change when habitual water treatment practices alter?

Aim: Household water treatment systems (HWTS) and safe storage systems are an effective measure to ensure safe water supply. The adoption of HWTS requires long-term changes in behavior. During campaigns for health related behavior change, many people appear to have fixed behavioral patterns that are difficult to change. Since behavior change originates in the altering of inner psychological factors, it is necessary to investigate the transformation of these factors. Five categories of psychological factors are identified as responsible for the formation of habitual behavior: risk beliefs, attitudinal beliefs, normative beliefs, ability beliefs, and maintenance beliefs. This study analyzes which factors change when long-term users of HWTS, non-users, or ‘tryers' (using HWTS occasionally), transform their behavior type or remain in their current behavior type. Subjects and methods: Data were obtained by conducting six panel interviews about the use of solar water disinfection (SODIS) over a period of 14months, with 694 households, in the slum areas of Harare, Zimbabwe. Results: The results reveal that progressing to a higher level of user type (one who increases their use of SODIS), or staying at a high level of use (maintaining their level of use) is associated with the user's ability to avoid being hindered by other habits, to remember the behavior in respective situations, and to notice that other people are also using SODIS. Conclusion: Suggested strategies which may foster these factors include the control of distracting stimuli, forming implementation intentions, daily routine planning, applying reminders, and using public commitment

Determining the differential preferences of users of two fluoride-free water options in rural Ethiopia

Aim: In the Ethiopian Rift Valley, 8.5 million people depend on water sources with excessive fluoride. In one rural village, a fluoride-removal community filter was implemented; a personalized reminder was distributed to change people's behavior and increase the usage of the in-village community filter. During this promotion phase, an alternative fluoride-removal option was installed in a neighboring village. This study examines psychological factors that explain the differences in preference between the two options and their influence on the usage of the different sources. In addition, the effectiveness of the applied behavior change technique, a personalized reminder, on the use of the in-village community filter was analyzed. Subject and methods: In a complete longitudinal survey, 180 households, with access to both mitigation options, were interviewed through structured, face-to-face interviews. Logistic regressions were carried out to reveal factors predicting the usage of the two mitigation options and the effect of the implemented behavior change intervention. Results: The results showed that the better the taste, the lower the effort and the lower the costs for using the in-village community filter are perceived; in addition, the lower the perceived vulnerability to contract disease, the more the in-village community filter is used. Moreover, it was found that the personalized reminder also had a positive effect on the usage of the in-village mitigation option. Conclusion: Based on the results, possible recommendations for practitioners and researchers are made to help plan and implement mitigation option

Continuation of Health Behaviors: Psychosocial Factors Sustaining Drinking Water Chlorination in a Longitudinal Study from Chad

Behavior that has changed following promotion campaigns is usually not maintained at its initial level. Psychosocial factors for initiating behavior are often not the same as for the continuation of health behaviors such as water treatment and are much less understood. Better knowledge of factors for behavioral continuation would help to improve programs, both in the design of strategies for sustainable behavior change and by defining stronger criteria for the evaluation of sustainability. This study compared the mindsets of caregivers who continuously performed household drinking water treatment over time with individuals that stopped doing so in a population sample from Chad. Several factors from health psychology based on the Risks, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities, and Self-Regulation (RANAS) model were used to compare the two groups and examine their differing development. Normative factors such as others’ behavior, personal obligation, social support and discourse, perceived self-efficacy convictions, action control, and intention best discriminated between the two groups and developed significantly more positively over time for continuers of water treatment. These factors should be considered when designing future interventions intended to lead to sustainable behavior chang

Caregiver social support and child toilet training in rural Odisha, India: What types of support facilitate training and how?

Studies show positive impacts of social support on childcare practices, but there is limited research on child toilet training. Social support with toilet training may be especially important for rural Indian caregivers as this is a new childcare practice for many and mothers face an already demanding workload. The aim of this study was to examine the role of social support in toilet training using mediation and conditional process analyses. We surveyed 570 caregivers of children <5 years old living in rural Odisha, India. We found certain types of support aid toilet training through three mechanisms: directly, by improving self-efficacy, and by buffering against stress. Informational and instrumental support had a positive direct effect on toilet training while emotional support had no effect. Instrumental support also aided toilet training indirectly through bolstering a caregiver's perceived self-efficacy. These effects of instrumental support were not moderated by the caregiver's support network size. Additionally, we found perceived stress had a negative indirect effect on caregivers' toilet training efforts through diminishing self-efficacy, but this effect was buffered (i.e. moderated) by social support. These findings offer useful programmatic insights and expand the evidence-base on how social support functions to another childcare practice and cultural context

Determinants of exclusive consumption of fluoride-free water: a cross-sectional household study in rural Ethiopia

Aim: The occurrence of high fluoride concentrations in the ground- and surface water all over the world leads to the risk of developing dental and skeletal fluorosis. In Ethiopia, 8 million people depend on water sources with excessive fluoride. In four project areas in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, fluoride removal household filters based on bone char media have been implemented. This study examines possible predictors of consuming filtered water derived from various behavior change theories. Subject and methods: In a complete cross-sectional survey, 160 filter users were interviewed through structured face-to-face interviews. A logistic regression was carried out to reveal factors predicting consumption of filtered water. Results: The results show that the consumption of fluoride-free water is mainly related to people's pride in offering filtered water to guests (status norm) and the feeling of being able to produce enough water with the filter (perceived behavioral control). Moreover, the study showed that the more filter users like the taste of filtered water and the more expensive they perceive the filter media, the more likely users will exclusively consume filtered water (attitudinal beliefs). Furthermore, perceiving the act of filling as a matter of habit (perceived habit) enhances filtered water consumption. Conclusion: Based on the results, possible intervention strategies to change the influential psychological factors and, hence, increase the consumption of treated water can be designe

The importance of user acceptance, support, and behaviour change for the implementation of decentralized water technologies

Decentralized water treatment technologies could help in addressing global key water issues. Their successful implementation, however, depends on users’ positive valuation and, depending on the technology, ‘passive’ use (rooted in acceptance), ‘engaged’ use (rooted in support) or ‘active’ use (rooted in behaviour change). Although users’ valuation of a technology is contingent on its characteristics, positive valuation and use usually also require supporting promotion activities. Here we review the literature on psychological determinants of use as well as change techniques to promote use, and propose a user-focused theory of change to guide promotions. Our review highlights a lack of (conclusive) evidence on both psychological determinants and effective change techniques. We call on environmental and health psychologists to intensify their research on ‘passive’, ‘engaged’ and ‘active’ use of decentralized water treatment technologies and encourage engineers, practitioners and psychologists to intensify collaboration to ensure that technologies, implementation and promotions are optimally integrated

Psychological Factors Determining Individual Compliance with Rules for Common Pool Resource Management: The Case of a Cuban Community Sharing a Solar Energy System

This study focuses on individuals' subjective reasons for complying with rules for common pool resource management. We examine the topic of individual rule compliance, which the commons literature has addressed only marginally, and outline recent empirical findings. Hypotheses are derived based on rule compliance theory and explored using data gathered in a Cuban community sharing a solar energy system. The statistical analyses reveal that compliance with rules for energy management is influenced by various factors. Depending on the particular rule, factors such as sanctioning, legitimacy, and compatibility, among others, influence the frequency of individual rule compliant behavior to differing extent

Behavioural factors for improved after-use cleaning habit of shared latrines in Kampala slums, Uganda

Access to clean shared facilities fundamental to health and social well-being to millions of people living in urban slums in most developing countries. This study assessed behavioural factors (risks, attitudes, norms, ability and self-regulation) for improved after-use cleaning habit of shared latrines in Kampala slums. A before-and-after study was conducted between 2012 and 2013 in three slums in Kampala, in which shared latrine user’s cleaning habit and the behavioural influencing factors were assessed. The findings after testing behavioural interventions consisting of discussions and commitment showed that there was an improvement in individuals’ after-use shared latrine cleaning habit from in the discussions (Mean difference = 0.26) and discussions plus commitment (Mean difference = 0.35) compared to the control population (Mean difference = 0.17). The improvement in cleaning habit was through individuals’ awareness of their vulnerability to getting diseases, involvement of latrine sharing families in cleaning, personal cleaning norm and commitment