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  3. Motive Alignment Promotes Adolescents' Proenvironmental Behavior: A Field Experiment In Two Cultures.
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  3. Motive Alignment Promotes Adolescents' Proenvironmental Behavior: A Field Experiment In Two Cultures.

Related Experiment Video

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger
05:50

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

Published on: January 16, 2020

Motive Alignment Promotes Adolescents' Proenvironmental Behavior: A Field Experiment in Two Cultures.

Jenna Spitzer1, Stathis Grapsas2, Astrid M G Poorthuis1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Utrecht University.

Psychological Science
|May 11, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Engaging adolescents in proenvironmental behavior is key for a sustainable future. A novel motive alignment strategy, linking environmental actions with autonomy and peer status, successfully boosted youth engagement in studies across the Netherlands and China.

Keywords:
adolescenceclimate communicationenvironmental educationproenvironmental behaviorvalues alignment

Related Experiment Videos

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger
05:50

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

Published on: January 16, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Fostering proenvironmental engagement among adolescents is crucial for achieving a sustainable future.
  • Understanding effective strategies to promote adolescent proenvironmental behavior is an ongoing research area.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test a novel intervention approach, motive alignment, for promoting adolescent proenvironmental behavior change.
  • To investigate whether aligning proenvironmental actions with adolescents' salient motives (autonomy, peer status) enhances engagement.

Main Methods:

  • A preregistered, cross-national, longitudinal field experiment was conducted across two studies (Netherlands and China).
  • The intervention involved presenting proenvironmental behavior as aligned with adolescents' developmental motives.
  • Control groups received a standard intervention without motive alignment.

    • Main Results:

    • The motive alignment intervention increased proenvironmental food choices in adolescents immediately after the intervention in Study 1.
    • While immediate effects on food choices diminished after four weeks, intervention participants showed increased donations to an environmental organization at follow-up.
    • Study 2 successfully replicated these findings in a different cultural context (China).

    Conclusions:

    • Motive alignment is a promising strategy for enhancing adolescents' proenvironmental behavior.
    • This approach offers scalable and affordable opportunities to strengthen interventions aimed at fostering youth environmental engagement.
    • Aligning environmental actions with adolescent autonomy and peer status motives can lead to sustained behavioral changes.