Examining marijuana user and non-user prototypes in formative research for prevention campaigns

We report on research-both quantitative and qualitative-conducted to explore perceptions of prototypes of marijuana users, as well as the extent to which self-prototype congruence predicted marijuana use intention. Results of a survey of undergraduates (N = 139) showed that prototypes of users and non-users differed in terms of key attributes, and that a greater match between one's self and user prototype would be associated with greater intention to use marijuana. In addition, exploratory analysis showed that males had higher ratings of user prototype social attractiveness compared to females overall, with the most pronounced differences between non-White males and non-White females. To probe these findings, two focus groups consisting of African-American males and females (N = 12) were conducted. Results indicated that social attractiveness of users was a common theme among males but not females. Implications for prevention programs and future research are discussed.