Normative Belief

Jessica SeifertH517 Principles of Health BehaviorFall 2014

Normative beliefs are individuals’ beliefs about the extent to which other people who are important to the individual think they should

or should not perform particular behavior

Evaluation of Behavior

Beliefs about

Behavior

Motivation to Comply

Normative Beliefs

Attitudes toward

behavior

Subjective Norm

Behavioral Intention

BEHAVIOR

Theory of Reasoned Action

Motivation to Comply

Normative Beliefs

Referent Source/Important Other 1

Motivation to Comply

Normative Beliefs

Referent Source/Important Other 2

etc.….

Subjective Norms

Father (smoker) Older Brother (nonsmoker)

Health Behavior: Smoking Cessation

Girlfriend (social smoker)

Medium to low

High HighNo to Cessation

Yes to cessation

Yes to cessation

Subjective Norm: Individual perceives that those closest

to him want him to quit.

Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior:

Strategy 11. Measure variables in a sample2. Determine relative contributions of attitudes and subjective norms to predict behavioral intent3. If subjective norm is an effective predictor use elicitation study to find relevant normative behaviors

Strategy 21. Use elicitation study to determine relevant normative and behavioral beliefs2. Create questionnaire with all the theoretical variables

Measuring Normative Belief

Measuring Normative Belief

Principle of CorrespondenceAll four components of

behavior must be the same for the measures of all the

variables

Four Components of Behavior• Action• Target• Time• Context

Quit SmokingIn the next 3

months

Visiting support group at local rec. ctr.

“My older brother thinks that I should (or should not) quit smoking in the next three months by visiting the support group at the local recreational center.”

Measuring Normative Belief

Magnitude of Influence

Focus of Intervention

Assess Pathway

Increasing the Importance of Normative Beliefs

Group Identification Priming the Collective Self

Related Concepts

Descriptive NormsPerceptions of what other people actually do in a given situation

Pluralistic IgnoranceMembers of a group or a society privately rejects a norm that they, incorrectly believe, everyone in the group or society accepts

Moral NormsPerceptions of what important others think would be moral or immoral

Confidence in Normative PerceptionsConfidence works as a moderator of relations between subjective norms and behavioral intent