Abstract
Novel, public behaviors, such as masking, should be susceptible to normative influence. This paper advances the theory of normative social behavior by considering a new set of moderators of normative influence — superdiffuser traits — and by clarifying the antecedents and consequences of exposure to collective norms. We use data from a two-wave survey of a cohort living in one U.S. county during the pandemic (N = 913) to assess normative effects on masking. We also used a bipartite network (based on people shopping for food in the same stores) to examine exposure to collective norms. The results show different superdiffuser traits have distinct effects on the relationship between perceived injunctive norms and masking intentions. Exposure to collective norms influences masking, but this influence depends on how people interact with their social environments. Network analysis shows that behavioral homophily is a significant predictor of selective exposure to collective norms earlier (but not later) in the pandemic. Implications for understanding normative influence in a context where opinion leadership matters are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 49-61 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Health Communication |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Funding
Data4Action Research Group is supported by the Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Clinical Research Center and the Office of the Provost. The authors thank Amanda Applegate and two anonymous reviewers for their feedback on an earlier version of this paper. The authors thank the members of the D4A Action Research Group: Lauren J. Van Scoy, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Dee Bagshaw, Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Nita Bharti, Dept. of Biology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Cyndi Flanagan, Clinical Research Center, Matthew Ferrari, Dept. of Biology & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Thomas Gates, Social Science Research Institute, Margeaux Gray, Dept. of Biobehavioral Health, Suresh Kuchipudi, Animal Diagnostic Lab, Vivek Kapur, Dept. of Animal Science and the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, Stephanie Lanza, Dept. of Biobehavioral Health and the Prevention Research Center, James Marden, Dept. of Biology & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Susan McHale, Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies and the Social Science Research Institute, Glenda Palmer, Social Science Research Institute, Andrew Read, Depts. of Biology and Entomology, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Connie Rogers, Dept. of Nutritional Sciences and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and Charima Young, The Penn State Office of Government and Community Relations. The authors are grateful to the participants for sharing their thoughts and experiences with us.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Amanda Applegate | |
| Joint Clinical Research Centre | |
| Dept. of Biology & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences | |
| Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Clinical and Translational Science Institute | |
| Penn State Office of Government and Community Relations | |
| Social Science Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University | |
| Susan McHale | |
| Thomas Gates | |
| Social Science Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University | |
| Medical University of South Carolina Office of the Provost | |
| Dept. of Biology & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Communication