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The effect of peer comparison information in the context of expert recommendations on risk perceptions and subsequent behavior
Author(s) -
Schmiege Sarah J.,
Klein William M. P.,
Bryan Angela D.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.645
Subject(s) - psychology , perception , context (archaeology) , social psychology , promotion (chess) , risk perception , social influence , social comparison theory , applied psychology , paleontology , neuroscience , politics , political science , law , biology
The present study seeks to understand how social comparison information may be used to provide individuals with information about their level of risk and to promote health behavior. The effect of peer comparison information, presented alone or in the context of expert recommendations, was examined across two studies using distinct experimental manipulations. Study 1 showed that regardless of whether expert standards were available or not, participants who were provided with inflated estimates of peer flossing behavior demonstrated increased behavioral intentions and increased flossing behavior measured 3 months later. This pattern was replicated in Study 2 with effects on attitudes toward flossing and intentions to floss. These findings add to a growing literature identifying comparative feedback as distinct from objective information and are discussed in terms of implications for health promotion and risk communication. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.