Using feedback,reinforcement and information to reduce energy consumption in households: A field-experiment

The department of Social and Organizational Psychology of Leyden University carried out a research project on the effectiveness of behavior modification strategies in influencing energy use in family households. A field experiment was carried out testing the effects on conservation of four strategies. These strategies were: (1) general information about how to conserve energy in the home, (2) weekly feedback with respect to the magnitude and financial consequences of people's personal energy consumption. (3) weekly feedback with respect to the magnitude and financial consequences of people's personal energy consumption compared with the consumption of people in comparable settings (i.e. same houses), (4) weekly comparative feedback and financial reinforcement for decreases in energy use.The results indicate that individual feedback (strategy 2) and financial reinforcement with comparative feedback (strategy 4) are effective in reducing energy use; that comparative feedback (strategy 3) is effective under certain conditions; and that general information (strategy 1) is not effective. The relation between residents' attitudes and their consumption levels is discussed.     

Technology's Four Roles in Understanding Individuals' Conservation of Natural Resources

An overview is presented of four ways in which human beings and technology interact with respect to the conservation of natural resources. The four roles technology plays are: (1) as intermediary, (2) as amplifier, (3) as determinant, and (4) as promoter of environmentally significant behavior. A review of pertinent literature supports the conclusion that behavioral scientists can contribute considerably to reducing overall environmental impact by analyzing human behavior and technology in concert. Problems and opportunities for interventions aimed to enhance resource conservation are discussed, such as rebound effects, allocation of control, and communication with users through technological-environmental and sensory inputs. A major conclusion is that well-designed technical environments, systems, and products have a great potential for supporting environmentally sustainable behavior.     

The Role of Similarity Cues in the Development of Trustin Sources of Information About GM Food

In evaluating complex new technologies, people are usually dependent on information provided by others, for example, experts or journalists, and have to determine whether they can trust these information sources. This article focuses on similarity as the basis for trust. The first experiment ( N  = 261) confirmed that a journalist writing about genetically modified (GM) food was trusted more when his attitude was congruent with that of his readers. In addition, the experiment showed that this effect was mediated by the perceived similarity of the journalist. The second experiment ( N  = 172) revealed that trust in a journalist writing about the focal domain of GM food was even influenced by him expressing a congruent attitude in an unrelated domain. This result supports a general similarity account of the congruence effect on trust, as opposed to a confirmatory bias account.     

Unmarried couples

Results of a study with 75 unmarried couples are presented. The couples were both homo- and heterosexual, both with and without children, of ages varying between 25 and 65, having had relationships lasting between 3 and 33 years, and coming from various levels of society. The inquiry was directed toward the goals and forms of organization of the relationships, as well as the obstacles of a social and juridical nature which these couples experience. Two different models for couples are described. One has the traditional form of marriage as its basis and the other is directed more toward the development of the individual personalities of the partners and their economic independence. The social and juridical differences between those relationships and a traditional marriage were examined with regard to five basic functions (affection, housing, housekeeping, care of children, and financial care) as well as two economic basic intentions (sharing together versus remaining independent together). We also describe how the drawing up of legal contracts between partners is hindered by emotional and legal factors. Appropriate changes in Dutch government policies are examined. Author's Note: The work described here was undertaken in close collaboration with the Sociological Institute, Department of Primary Groups, Utrecht University (A. M. van der Heiden, M.A.), and with the Faculty of Law, Department of Notary Law, Leiden University (W.C.J. Robert, L.L.M.). The translation is by Mr. Anthony S. Cowl.     

The Role of Trust in the Affective Evaluation of Novel Risks: The Case of CO2 Storage

There is general recognition that trust and affect are closely connected concepts. Usually, affect is modeled as an antecedent of trust. In the present research, we will argue that, particularly in new situations, trust can also evoke affect toward a risky object. Using structural equation modeling, support was found for the hypothesis that trust influences attitudes through this process. In the present study, we analyzed attitudes toward (carbon dioxide) CO₂ storage. The role of affect appears to be moderated by the level of self-relevance. In the case of high self-relevance (storage nearby), people's attitudes appeared to be merely based on affective reactions and trust. This effect is much weaker under low self-relevance (CO₂ storage in general). In such a case, cognitive factors, more particularly beliefs concerning perceived benefits, were also taken into account in attitude formation.     

The Contribution of Advanced Glycation End product (AGE) accumulation to the decline in motor function

Diminishing motor function is commonly observed in the elderly population and is associated with a wide range of adverse health consequences. Advanced Glycation End products (AGE’s) may contribute to age-related decline in the function of cells and tissues in normal ageing. Although the negative effect of AGE’s on the biomechanical properties of musculoskeletal tissues and the central nervous system have been previously described, the evidence regarding the effect on motor function is fragmented, and a systematic review on this topic is lacking. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted from a total of eight studies describing AGE’s related to physical functioning, physical performance, and musculoskeletal outcome which reveals a positive association between high AGE’s levels and declined walking abilities, inferior ADL, decreased muscle properties (strength, power and mass) and increased physical frailty. Elevated AGE’s levels might be an indication to initiate (early) treatment such as dietary advice, muscle strengthening exercises, and functional training to maintain physical functions. Further longitudinal observational and controlled trial studies are necessary to investigate a causal relationship, and to what extent, high AGE’s levels are a contributing risk factor and potential biomarker for a decline in motor function as a component of the ageing process.     

Within-Animal Variation as an Indication of the Minimal Magnitude of the Critical Effect Size for Continuous Toxicological Parameters Applicable in the Benchmark Dose Approach

In this study, the within-animal variation in routinely studied continuous toxicological parameters was estimated from temporal fluctuations in individual healthy nonexposed animals. Assuming that these fluctuations are nonadverse, this within-animal variation may be indicative of the minimal magnitude of the critical effect size (CES). The CES is defined as the breaking point between adverse and nonadverse changes in a continuous toxicological parameter, at the level of the individual organism. The total variation in the data from individual nonexposed animals was divided in variation parts due to known factors (differences in sex, animal, and day) and a residual variation, by means of analysis of variance. Using the residual variation and the estimated analytical measurement error of a toxicological parameter, the within-animal variation can be estimated. The data showed within-animal variations ranging between 0.6% and 34% for different clinical chemistry and hematological parameters in 90-day rat studies. This indicates that different (minimal) CES values may be applicable for different parameters.     

The established, the outsiders and scale strategies: studying local power conflicts

Established – outsider theory has been a useful tool for explaining the nature and course of local conflicts since its introduction in the 1960s. However, increased mobility and changing lifestyles have led to a change in the role of the local community in people's lives. Established – outsider theory can still be very relevant in explaining the course of local conflicts, if combined with new insights on the relation between space and community and the geographical concept of scale. Then it becomes clear that groups can use a number of scalar strategies in order to win a local conflict. An analysis of local conflicts in the Dutch village of Amerongen shows the related character of these strategies.     

Employers' Recruitment Behaviour: An Empirical Analysis of the Role of Personnel Management Attitudes

The practical importance of recruitment is witnessed by the existence of specific personnel management functions within firms. The aim of the paper is to investigate the importance of firms' personnel management attitudes for recruitment procedures. We focus on the choice of the first search channel and on the subsequent search spell. The model is empirically estimated by using a data set on recruitment behaviour of Dutch firms. The results show that personnel management considerations are important for the choice of the recruitment channel. It appears that advertisement is preferred to the informal channel in that employers believe it is faster and generates applicants who better comply with the hiring standards. Furthermore, employers turn out to prefer mainly the informal channel when recruitment costs are considered important.