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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger

Published on: January 16, 2020

Pro-environmental behavior: rational choice meets moral motivation.

Rama Mohana R Turaga¹, Richard B Howarth, Mark E Borsuk

¹Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

|February 12, 2010

Summary

Understanding pro-environmental behavior is key for sustainability. This review compares moral and rational choice models, finding convergence in explaining actions like recycling and green purchasing, informing ecological economics.

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

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Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Economics
Ecological Economics

Background:

Individual behaviors for shared environmental benefits are central to social science.
Divergent behavioral models offer different policy recommendations.
Existing research highlights the interplay between personal norms and external factors.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and compare social psychology and economics literature on pro-environmental behavior.
To explore the convergence between moral and rational choice models.
To examine implications for ecological economics theory and practice.

Main Methods:

Literature review and comparative analysis of social psychology and economics research.
Examination of moral theories and rational choice models (e.g., theory of planned behavior, voluntary provision of public goods).
Analysis of factors influencing behaviors like recycling and green product demand.

Main Results:

Social psychology's moral theories emphasize personal norms, moderated by external costs and incentives.
Rational choice models increasingly incorporate personal norms to explain environmental behaviors.
Convergence is observed between disciplines in understanding norm-behavior relationships.

Conclusions:

Integrating moral and rational choice perspectives offers a more comprehensive understanding of pro-environmental behavior.
Findings inform policy development in ecological economics by highlighting the role of norms and incentives.
Further research can bridge disciplinary gaps for enhanced environmental policy.