WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the November 2009 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly
newsletter for research and news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – Keeping Promises: Do Pledges Work?
·
Workshop Reminder– Cultivating Sustainability in
Melbourne
·
Interesting Article of the Month – Making The Stairwell More
Attractive
·
60 seconds with… Natasha Lewis at Cocolo
·
Exercise of the Month – Making A Commitment
Feature
Article – Keeping
Promises: Do Pledges Work?
A popular component
of many behaviour change efforts involves asking a person to make a commitment,
or “pledge”, to undertake the desired behaviour. This typically involves getting them to sign
their name to a promise to save water/energy/emissions. The common perception is that this will make
them more accountable, and thus more likely to follow through on the requested
behaviours. This months article asks the
question as to whether the commitment approach actually works, and if so, how
and why?
There is a certain
amount of evidence across a variety of settings to suggest that gaining a
commitment does indeed have an effect on behaviour. For example, strong support has been found
for the effectiveness of “promise cards” to encourage people to wear seatbelts,
discussed in a 1991 review by Geller and Lehman.
In a series of studies, drivers were asked to sign a written statement of
commitment to use seatbelts for a period of time (1-2 months). Subsequently, the researchers found that “In
every case, a significant number of promise-card signers increased their use of
safety belts”. More importantly, the
effects of this intervention were found to be more effective in influencing
lasting change than similar approaches which used incentives to entice people
to wear seat belts.
In the
environmental field, the results are similarly compelling. A couple of studies have shown the effect of
commitment on recycling behaviour. Pardini and
Katzev conducted a simple study where groups of households were either a)
given an information leaflet about recycling, b) asked to make a verbal pledge
to recycle, or c) asked to make a written pledge. Both groups which made the pledge showed
higher recycling behaviours, with the written pledge resulting in the
strongest, most enduring behaviour change.
As with all
behaviour change efforts, it is important to consider if the intervention is
likely to make a difference long-term, rather than just for the duration of the
intervention. A 1990 study
in a retirement home found that residents asked to sign a 4-week group commitment
increased their recycling by 47%. When
the researchers checked in after another 4 weeks, this increase had been
maintained. The same study also looked
at recycling behaviour of a group of students and found that both individual
and group pledges worked to change behaviour, but only those students who
signed individual pledges maintained the change over a follow-up period. This study echoed the seatbelt finding
mentioned above, that signing a commitment is a more powerful facilitator of
long-term change than providing incentives.
So it appears
that gaining a commitment from people is a worthwhile, and fairly
cost-effective, step in increasing the likelihood that behaviour change efforts
will be effective. It is worth
considering why commitments work. The
theory of “Personal Norm Activation” suggests that, once we have committed to a
course of action, we have cemented it as a personal norm, or something that we
see as a moral standard in ourselves.
Any action which is at odds with that commitment therefore triggers a
personal norm, providing a motivation to act.
Similarly, the
theory of Cognitive Dissonance, which has been discussed at length in previous issues of Wake-Up
Call, goes some way to explaining the effectiveness of commitments. When we perceive a misalignment between our
actions and our beliefs or values, then we experience discomfort and/or
confusion. Thus, we work hard to
maintain “cognitive consistency”. Making
a commitment serves to create a belief that we are on board with the behaviour
being proposed, so we do our best to ensure that our actions match this belief
we have about ourselves.
This process
does, however, rely on us being self-aware - of our commitments, our behaviour,
and any misalignment between them. If we
are not conscious of our behaviour in relation to our beliefs, then dissonance
is unlikely to occur, thus removing the motivating factor. This is one reason why highly habitual
behaviour (which tends to occur at an unconscious, “auto-pilot” level) is more
resistant to the effects of commitments.
This phenomenon is discussed at length by Matthies
and colleagues, who states that “when car use habits are strong, the whole
process of norm activation and evaluation is blocked, and situational cues will
lead directly to the habitualised choice of travel mode, without moral or other
motives being considered”. As a result,
it is suggested that some form of habit disruption is combined with the
commitment, as demonstrated by the Matthies team. (Habits are also discussed in a previous Wake-Up Call).
Reviewing the
evidence for the inclusion of commitments or pledges as part of a behaviour
change interventions, a few recommendations can be made
·
Public commitments appear to work better
than private ones
·
Try to get written, specific commitments,
rather than vague verbal ones
·
A combination of individual and group
pledges is ideal if possible, so that people can hold each other accountable,
while also taking personal responsibility
·
Ensure that people are aware, conscious
and reminded of their commitment and their behaviour
Finally, as always, this approach is best used in
combination with other tactics, including a thorough consideration (and removal
where possible) of real and perceived barriers to the desired behaviour.
WANT TO USE THIS
ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with
it:
Awake provides psychology-based
services to support the development of sustainable behaviour in individuals,
groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
Workshop
Reminder – Cultivating Sustainability in Melbourne
Awake will conduct a Cultivating Sustainability workshop
on Tuesday, November 24th at Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne
This is a public workshop with all welcome to attend.
Cost: For-profits $250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
More information, including online registration details,
can be found at
www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which
provides sustainability advocates with insights, models and practical tools to
support their behaviour change efforts.
Anybody who has taken on the challenge of influencing others to live and
work more sustainably will find this workshop a valuable addition to their
skills.
Feedback from attendees of the most recent Cultivating
Sustainability workshops included…
“Great framework for encouraging behavioural change within
organisations”
“Provided me with tools and insights to challenge me to review
how I am approaching my sustainability project”
”This workshop has given me good insight into the motivating
factors in people’s behaviour and ways to get lasting change”
“I found the workshop useful to help me learn practical and
positive/inspirational ways to change peoples
attitudes and behaviours towards sustainability”
For more information about the Cultivating Sustainability
workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Interesting
Article of the Month –
Making The Stairwell More Attractive
Where?
The Use of
Prompts, Increased Accessibility, Visibility, and Aesthetics of the Stairwell
to Promote Stair Use in a
By M. E. van
Nieuw-Amerongen, S. P. J. Kremers, N. K. de Vries, and G. Kok
Environment
& Behaviour – Onlinefirst Article, October 2, 2009
What is it about?
In this study,
the researchers set out to increase the percentage of people choosing the
stairwell instead of the elevator, by making a number of changes to it’s accessibility, aestethics and signage. Interventions included posters highlighting
the health benefits of taking the stairs, addition of glass doors to increase
visibility, and a fresh coat of paint.
What did they
find?
The changes
resulted in an 8.2% increase in stairwell patronage, a trend which remained
stable over the 4-week period of observation.
What can we take
from this?
The authors
discuss at length the health and wellbeing benefits of taking the stairs
instead of the elevator, and also consider the results in relation to theories
of habitual behaviour (of which elevator use is an example). The key thing to note is the simplicity of
this intervention. Although 8.2% is a
modest increase, it is significant and did not require a really sophisticated
behaviour change intervention. Which
raises the question as to what other behaviours can be influenced by simply
putting a bit of thought into the environment cues which encourage them.
60 Seconds with….. Natasha Lewis at Cocolo
What first got you focused on sustainability?
I originally studied naturopathy, then practised as one, but missed the
sustainability aspects of organics. So I
got involved in food, and quickly moved into the Fair Trade area as one of the
founders of the Fair Trade Association.
I basically believe that it’s no good eating food if people are
struggling to live in order to produce it.
What is the sustainable choice you have recently made of
which you are most proud?
I try to never go into a shop
without my jute shopping bag. If I do, I end up carrying 50 things in my arms
rather than use a plastic bag!
What is a less sustainable choice that you are not so
proud of?
Sometimes
staying in the shower too long.
Correction: In last
months Wake-Up Call, the interview with Jessica from Cottonbottom incorrectly stated her
response to the question “What is the sustainable choice you have recently made
of which you are most proud?” as “Using disposable nappies”. This was, of course, a glaring error on my
behalf, and the real response was “Using cloth nappies”. Sincerest
apologies to Jessica for the mistake.
Exercise of the Month –
Making A Commitment
Following on from the article of
the month above, this months exercise is an
opportunity to try to use the idea of an expressed commitment to shift one of
your own behaviours.
1. Pick an eco-friendly
behaviour which you would like to adopt, but haven’t. Perhaps something that you have been
struggling with, or have just not got around to.
2. Make a decision to
do it.
3. Now tell somebody
that you are going to do it. Perhaps one
person, or a group of friend, or a public proclamation
on a blog or Facebook etc.
4. See if this makes a
difference to your motivation to do it.
Be sure to account for any of the other enabling factors which will
support you (such as getting the right information or resources)
Based on the research outlined in
the above article, you should stand a better chance of taking on the behaviour
once you have made a pledge to do it. As
an optional next step, you could try sharing this information with someone
else, and offer to be a “receiver” of their pledge, thus supporting and
encouraging them to take steps to live in a more eco-friendly way.
The exercise of the month provides
a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware and in action around
sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own, with a friend, or in
your work. If you do use it with others, please tell them where you got
it!
About Awake
Awake provides psychology-based services to support the
development of sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and
organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au for
more info
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© Awake 2009