Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026
08:05
A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
Predicting negative drinking consequences: examining descriptive norm perception
Stephen L Benton1, Ronald G Downey, Peggy S Glider
1Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5312, USA. leroy@ksu.edu
Journal of Studies on Alcohol
|April 13, 2006
Summary
College student drinking consequences are linked to gender and alcohol use, but not descriptive norm perception. Understanding these factors is key for targeted interventions to reduce negative drinking outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Negative drinking consequences are a significant concern among college students.
- Previous research suggests gender and alcohol consumption influence these consequences.
- The role of descriptive norm perception in this context requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if descriptive norm perception explains additional variance in college student negative drinking consequences.
- To assess the predictive power of descriptive norms beyond student gender and self-reported alcohol use.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large-scale study with a derivation (N=7565) and replication (N=8924) sample of undergraduate students.
- Employed hierarchical regression analyses to examine relationships between variables.
- Administered the Campus Alcohol Survey in classroom settings.
Main Results:
- Student gender and average alcohol consumption when partying significantly predicted negative drinking consequences.
- Men reported more consequences than women; higher alcohol intake correlated with more consequences.
- Descriptive norm perception did not explain any additional variance in negative drinking consequences.
Conclusions:
- Descriptive norm perception does not significantly contribute to explaining negative drinking consequences in college students, beyond gender and alcohol use.
- Findings suggest focusing on gender and consumption levels for interventions aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
00:57Deindividuation
Deindividuation is a form of social influence on an individual’s behavior such that the individual engages in unusual or non-normal behavior while in a group setting. Why? Because in these group settings, the individual no longer sees themselves as an individual anymore, disinhibiting their behavior and personal restraint.
01:30Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia indicate a reduction or absence of typical behaviors and emotional responses found in healthy individuals, while positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...