Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.

In this paper we report two high-powered and pre-registered experiments, testing the robustness and conceptual development of reciprocity and social norm appeals. Both experiments assessed both psychological processes for complying with these appeals and pro-environmental behavioral intention in tou...

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Main Authors: Malin Ekelund, Magnus Bergquist
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289602&type=printable
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author Malin Ekelund
Magnus Bergquist
author_facet Malin Ekelund
Magnus Bergquist
author_sort Malin Ekelund
collection DOAJ
description In this paper we report two high-powered and pre-registered experiments, testing the robustness and conceptual development of reciprocity and social norm appeals. Both experiments assessed both psychological processes for complying with these appeals and pro-environmental behavioral intention in tourism settings. In Experiment 1 (N = 2004), participants reported lower psychological reactance levels after learning that the hotel engaged in resource conservation (i.e., indirect homeomorphic reciprocity). No statistically significant effect was obtained for either obligatory motivation, prosocial motivation, skepticism, or behavioral intentions to reuse hotel towels. Importantly, high baseline intention of reusing hotel towels might have limited the effect of appeals. Therefore, we targeted meat consumption in Experiment 2 (n = 2540). Results first showed stronger obligatory and prosocial motivation for all three reciprocity appeals, compared to the standard appeal. No statistically significant results were found for either reactance or skepticism. Finally, after learning that the hotel had made a financial contribution to an environmental organization (i.e., indirect heteromorphic reciprocity) participants showed reduced meat consumption intentions compared to the standard appeal. Overall, the results provide initial evidence for conceptually refining the norm of reciprocity to encourage pro-environmental behaviors and for understanding the underlying psychological processes.
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spelling doaj.art-7f9ccfcb58a9467ab2a55087966bd3052023-12-24T05:33:25ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-011812e028960210.1371/journal.pone.0289602Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.Malin EkelundMagnus BergquistIn this paper we report two high-powered and pre-registered experiments, testing the robustness and conceptual development of reciprocity and social norm appeals. Both experiments assessed both psychological processes for complying with these appeals and pro-environmental behavioral intention in tourism settings. In Experiment 1 (N = 2004), participants reported lower psychological reactance levels after learning that the hotel engaged in resource conservation (i.e., indirect homeomorphic reciprocity). No statistically significant effect was obtained for either obligatory motivation, prosocial motivation, skepticism, or behavioral intentions to reuse hotel towels. Importantly, high baseline intention of reusing hotel towels might have limited the effect of appeals. Therefore, we targeted meat consumption in Experiment 2 (n = 2540). Results first showed stronger obligatory and prosocial motivation for all three reciprocity appeals, compared to the standard appeal. No statistically significant results were found for either reactance or skepticism. Finally, after learning that the hotel had made a financial contribution to an environmental organization (i.e., indirect heteromorphic reciprocity) participants showed reduced meat consumption intentions compared to the standard appeal. Overall, the results provide initial evidence for conceptually refining the norm of reciprocity to encourage pro-environmental behaviors and for understanding the underlying psychological processes.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289602&type=printable
spellingShingle Malin Ekelund
Magnus Bergquist
Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.
PLoS ONE
title Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.
title_full Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.
title_fullStr Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.
title_full_unstemmed Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.
title_short Hotels re-explored: Experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals.
title_sort hotels re explored experience and influence of reciprocity and social normative appeals
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289602&type=printable
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