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Perceiving college peers' alcohol consumption: temporal patterns and individual differences in overestimation
Helge Giese1, F Marijn Stok1, Britta Renner1
1a Department of Psychology , University of Konstanz , Konstanz , Germany.
Objective:
This study examines temporal patterns and individual differences of overestimation in alcohol norm perception within a social network.
Design:
Hundred psychology freshmen indicated biweekly during their first semester the drinks they consumed, the perceived average of their peers' consumption, and with whom they were acquainted. At baseline, trait self-control was assessed.
Main Outcome:
The moderation of alcohol consumption overestimation by time and individual characteristics was explored.
Results:
Results show that students overestimated alcohol consumption of their acquainted peers by 1.22 drinks (p < .001). For time periods at which peers reported high consumption, overestimation decreased. Additionally, individuals reporting high alcohol consumption (b = -0.25, p < .001) and low self-control (b = 0.27, p = .010) showed higher overestimation.
Conclusions:
Students overestimate the alcohol consumption of peers not fully accounting for changes in peer-reports. Furthermore, individual differences suggest informational and motivational processes underlying overestimation.
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