Meisel Matthew K, Goodie Adam S
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia.
Psychol Addict Behav. 2014 Jun;28(2):592-8. doi: 10.1037/a0036444.
Social norms have a fundamental impact on behavior, yet little research has examined social norms regarding gambling and no research has examined possible interaction effects. The current study examined the interaction between perceived approval of gambling by others (i.e., injunctive norms) and perceived prevalence of gambling by others (i.e., descriptive norms) on the respondent's gambling frequency and problems, in a sample of relatively frequent gamblers. The current study examined 2 distinct reference groups: 1 close in proximity (i.e., family and friends) and 1 distally located (i.e., other students). The sample consisted of 252 undergraduates who gambled at least twice a month. Two interactions were observed on gambling frequency based on the proximity of the reference groups; however, only descriptive norms significantly predicted gambling problems. When the reference group was closer in proximity, the positive relationship between perceptions of family and friends' gambling frequency and the individual's own gambling was stronger for individuals who believed that their friends and family members highly approved of gambling. When the reference group was distally located, differences in respondents' gambling frequency emerged only in contexts in which they perceived other students to gamble infrequently. Specifically, when respondents perceived that other students gambled infrequently and disapproved of gambling, respondents gambled the most frequently. The results suggest that individuals are influenced by their perceptions of others' attitudes and behaviors, regardless of proximity, and that these perceptions of others' behavior are strongly associated with gambling problems.
社会规范对行为有着根本性的影响，但很少有研究考察与赌博相关的社会规范，且尚无研究考察可能的交互作用。本研究在一个相对频繁赌博者的样本中，考察了他人对赌博的认可程度（即指令性规范）与他人赌博的普遍程度（即描述性规范）之间的交互作用对受访者赌博频率和问题的影响。本研究考察了两个不同的参照群体：一个是在空间距离上较近的（即家人和朋友），另一个是在空间距离上较远的（即其他学生）。样本由252名每月至少赌博两次的本科生组成。基于参照群体的距离，在赌博频率上观察到了两种交互作用；然而，只有描述性规范能显著预测赌博问题。当参照群体在空间距离上较近时，对于那些认为其朋友和家人高度认可赌博的个体而言，他们对家人和朋友赌博频率的认知与个体自身赌博之间的正向关系更强。当参照群体在空间距离上较远时，只有在受访者认为其他学生很少赌博的情境中，他们的赌博频率才会出现差异。具体而言，当受访者认为其他学生很少赌博且不认可赌博时，他们赌博最为频繁。结果表明，个体受到他们对他人态度和行为认知的影响，无论距离远近，而且这些对他人行为的认知与赌博问题密切相关。
