Laurel Peterson Looks at Roles Norms, Prototypes Play in COVID-19 Protection
News of the omicron variant once again has many wondering anew what to do to protect themselves from COVID-19.
However, in some areas of the U.S., vaccination rates remain alarmingly low and preventive measures like indoor mask wearing are all but ignored.
Research published in the November issue of by a team that included Associate Professor of Psychology Laurel Peterson adds to the mounting evidence that perceived risk isn鈥檛 always as important in practicing preventive behavior as many may think.
Laurel M. Peterson, associate professor and chair of psychology鈥淪tart sharing those booster selfies. Spreading the word in your networks that prevention behavior is normal can help change others鈥 behaviors.鈥
Early in the pandemic, Peterson and her colleagues Marie Helweg-Larsen, from Dickinson College, and NYU doctoral student Sarah DiMuccio, surveyed a sample of U.S. adults and asked them about their participation in current prevention behaviors and followed up with them later to see whether they changed.
鈥淩isk perceptions of the coronavirus did vary,鈥 says Peterson. 鈥淏ut those beliefs did not predict increases in prevention behavior. Instead, peoples' thoughts about what other people around them were doing was more powerful, for both people who thought they were at risk and those who did not think they were at risk鈥攑eople were more likely to increase prevention if they thought their neighbors, friends, and family were doing prevention behaviors.鈥漬 conducting their study, Peterson and her fellow researchers looked at the influence of 鈥渘orms鈥 and 鈥減rototypes鈥 on behavior.
鈥淣orms are our perceptions of what we think other people are doing,鈥 explains Peterson. 鈥淧rototypes are what we think the typical person who does a behavior is like.鈥
Higher norms and positive prototypes influenced increases in coronavirus prevention behavior across regions of the country and above and beyond political orientation, the researchers found.
鈥淣orms and prototypes are often influenced by media and public messaging,鈥 says Peterson. 鈥淭hese results suggest that public health officials could create advertising campaigns that focus on positive representations of everyday people engaging in prevention behavior.鈥
Peterson presented these findings along with 老王论坛 psychology Major Yvonne Yan (HC 鈥21) at the Society of Behavioral Medicine鈥檚 2021 Conference where their research received a citation award.
Ellie Bowers 鈥22, who is working on her thesis and is a member of Peterson鈥檚 lab, has found similar results for COVID-19 vaccination uptake in her research. Her results are currently under review to present at the Society of Behavioral Medicine鈥檚 annual conference in March.
鈥淪tart sharing those booster selfies,鈥 says Peterson. 鈥淪preading the word in your networks that prevention behavior is normal can help change others鈥 behaviors.鈥