Similar to effects identified with traditional media forms, recent evidence indicates that body image concerns, such as body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, may also be associated with ...exposure to images on Social Networking Sites. Utilizing social comparison theory, the current study sought to examine the relationship between female university students' photo-based activities on Instagram, which is a relatively new Social Networking Site, appearance-related comparisons, and two outcome variables: drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. Mediational analyses using bootstrapping methods indicated that Instagram photo-based activities positively predicted both drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction through the mediating variable of appearance-related comparisons. These results suggest that Instagram use could be potentially harmful to individuals who find themselves frequently engaging in comparisons with others. Additionally, utilizing the intrasexual competition framework, the second aim of this study was to determine whether individual differences in competitiveness for mates influenced individual tendencies to engage in appearance-related comparisons on Instagram. A significant positive relationship emerged between intrasexual competitiveness for mates and appearance-related comparisons on Instagram. Theoretical and applied implications from these findings are discussed.
•Surveyed undergraduate students on Instagram photo activities as the predictor variable.•Appearance-related comparisons was the mediator variable and intrasexual competition was the moderator variable.•Drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction were criteria.•Significant mediating effect for both criteria was found.•Adds to the body of literature pertaining to body image concerns and SNS use.
This study investigated a set of social-psychological predictors affecting smart meter support and adoption intention based on the Technology Acceptance and Sustainable Energy Technology Acceptance ...Models among 711 U.S. residents. Despite low levels of adoption in the U.S., this study suggested that the majority of our participants supported smart meter technology and were willing to adopt this technology. Two perceived technology attributes – usefulness and risk to privacy – had direct effects on support for smart meter installation and adoption intention, while the other technology attribute, perceived cost, had no impact. Individual differences in trust in one’s utility company and problem perception related to energy issues affected support and adoption intention through the mediators of perceived usefulness and privacy risk. Problem perception also had direct effects on support and adoption intention. Democrats reported higher levels of trust in utility companies and problem perception than non-Democrats. This study provides useful insights for utility managers, researchers and policy makers.
This study examined how framing of residential energy-saving benefits as environmental or economic (i.e., benefit framing) and long-term or short-term (i.e., temporal framing) influenced individuals' ...attitudes toward and perceived outcome efficacy of energy-saving behaviors, and, especially, how individual differences in environmental concern, political orientation and consideration of future consequences (CFC) moderated message framing effects. Data were collected from 461 U.S. residents in an online experiment. Results from moderated regression analyses suggested that environmentally framed benefits induced more positive attitudes toward energy saving than economically framed benefits among those with moderate levels of environmental concern and among more politically liberal participants, suggesting that environmentally framed messages might stimulate positive responses only within a subset of U.S. energy consumers. Short-term, economic benefits induced the most positive attitudes and highest outcome efficacy among participants with lower levels of CFC. Implications for promotional messages about energy saving are discussed.
•We manipulated benefit and temporal framing of messages promoting energy saving.•Environmental framing led to more positive attitudes among those moderate in environmental concern.•Environmental framing led to more positive attitudes among political liberals.•Short-term economic framing led to more positive attitudes among low-CFC participants.•Short-term economic framing led to greater efficacy among low-CFC participants.
Many local governments have started using smartphone applications to more effectively inform and communicate with citizens. This trend is of interest, as cities can only be smart if they are ...responsive to their citizens. In this paper, the intention to use such a mobile application among adult residents (n = 420) of a mid-sized city in the southeastern United States was examined using hierarchical linear regression analysis. The regression model that was tested indicated significant predictors of the intention to use the app in order to report municipal problems, such as power outages, and to request services for one’s home or community, including: Performance expectancy (e.g., citizens’ beliefs that the app would be efficient, helpful, convenient), effort expectancy (citizens’ beliefs about difficulty of using the app), social influence, perceived cost (e.g., privacy loss, storage space, unwanted notifications), and prior use of city apps. Consistent with current research on technology adoption, performance expectancy had the strongest influence on app-use intentions. Additionally, citizens’ trust in their city government’s ability to effectively manage an app was a weak, positive predictor of app-use intentions; general trust in the city government did not predict app-use intentions. Implications for city governments and city app developers are discussed.
This study investigated whether the effects of viewing pro-environmental messages within a narrative context affected intention to perform ecofriendly behaviors through the accessibility of ...participants' (N = 332) environmental attitudes. One week after an online pretest, participants viewed one of two television clips that either included or did not include pro-environmental messages. Participants then completed attitude accessibility latency measures and reported behavioral intent to perform several ecofriendly behaviors. Reinforcement of pro-environmental attitudes by the pro-environmental messages occurred through the accessibility of the attitudes, which, in turn, predicted intention to engage in the depicted ecofriendly behaviors. Consistent with a category activation hypothesis, accessible attitudes toward the specific behaviors depicted in the program predicted the accessibility of attitudes toward ecofriendly behaviors that were not depicted or explicitly discussed in the program, and these accessible attitudes predicted intention to engage in ecological behaviors not depicted in the program. These findings are a first demonstration that portrayals of specific behaviors in a narrative television program can increase behavioral intention for related behaviors not shown in the program and that these effects occur through the activation of existing, positive attitudes.
An experiment examined the influence of self-affirmation on individuals' responses to messages about environmental threats. A new manner of self-affirmation more appropriate for use in the field than ...traditional approaches was tested. The visual-based manipulation used group-related photographs to affirm participants' self-integrity before exposure to risk messages. Exposure to group-related visuals was associated with more positive evaluations (perceived message strength) of the messages. In turn, greater perceived message strength predicted greater awareness of consequences associated with harmful environmental behaviors of plastic bag use and energy waste, which predicted greater personal moral norms to reduce those behaviors. The findings suggest visual-based, group-related affirmation could increase acceptance of risk messages.
This study tested a new method of using self-affirmation theory to increase adaptive responses to health risk messages. Participants' self-concepts were affirmed via text integrated with risk ...messages (public service announcements/PSAs) rather than by methods used in most previous studies that have limited applicability for campaigns employing mediated messages. Participants were exposed to health risk PSAs either including or not including affirming text to examine relative effects on message evaluation and adaptive responses. The moderating effect of personal relevance of the behavior on responses was also examined. Participants exposed to PSAs with integrated, affirming text (affirmed participants) reported more positive attitudes toward the PSA, greater self-efficacy, and greater intention to reduce risky behavior than participants exposed to messages without affirming text (non-affirmed participants). Compared to non-affirmed participants, affirmed participants also reported weaker perceptions of risk severity and equivalent perceptions of susceptibility. The personal relevance of the behavior did not moderate any effects of self-affirmation. Implications for health campaigns that employ mass-mediated messages are discussed.
Despite growing availability of renewable energy or “green pricing” programs for residential use, consumer adoption in the U.S is limited. Existing data indicate that consumer values and political ...orientation—both of which reflect moral considerations—are associated with interest in renewable energy policies and use. An online experiment (n = 317) tested whether promotional messages framing renewable energy as consistent with participants’ primary moral concerns, as delineated by moral foundations theory, would indirectly lead to more positive message evaluation and greater willingness to pay for such programs. Specifically, the interactions of framing effects with participants’ political orientation were examined, as were the mediating roles of message-induced hope and personal moral norms. Results indicated political orientation was the most consistent predictor of message-induced hope, personal moral norms, and willingness to pay. Message framing did not interact with political orientation to influence mediating or outcome variables. Main effects of framing on hope were identified. Implications for promotion and adoption of residential renewable energy programs are discussed.
College students report high psychological distress, mental health problems and anxiety. Research indicates that faculty and staff can help support these students in crisis, but there is limited ...trauma-informed training for higher education professionals who are not mental health counselors. This study explored an evidence-based online training program designed to help faculty/staff members facilitate well-being and resilience among college students. To test the training, a systematic program evaluation was conducted. Prior to completing the training, participants (
n
= 52) took a pretest. Then, after completing the training, they took a posttest. Results indicated a significant difference between pre and posttest. There were more positive attitudes toward trauma-informed approaches and resilience resources; stronger beliefs about prevalence and effects of psychological trauma; greater self-efficacy to perform trauma-informed approaches; and greater confidence in trauma-informed knowledge. Additionally, participants reported they were likely to use tools learned during the training. Thus, indicating that a self-paced, convenient, and culturally sensitive training may be beneficial for faculty and staff as they aid in student success. Practical implications, participant comments and specific suggestions for colleges are also discussed.
In-game advertising has become a major advertising outlet. The current study examined the effect of brand names placed in video games on college students' memory. Both implicit and explicit memory ...for brands placed in two sports computer games were tested using a word-fragment test and a recognition task, respectively. The results indicated that college students had low levels of explicit memory (recognition test) for the brands, but they showed implicit memory (word-fragment test) for the brand names placed in the video games.
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