Social Norms Approach - Glossary

Glossary

The following are key terms discussed in this article that are relevant to the Social Norms Approach:

• Pluralistic ignorance: the false assumption of an individual that the attitudes or behaviors of others are different from their own, when in fact they are similar.
• False consensus: the incorrect belief that others are similar to oneself, when in fact they are not.
• Norms: a pattern or trait taken to be typical of the behavior of a social group.
• Descriptive norms: Descriptive norms are concerned with what people actually do. They refer to the perceptions of "the most common actions actually exhibited in a social group,"(p. 165) such as the quantity and frequency of drinking, and are largely formed from observations of others' alcohol consumption. Park and Smith found that descriptive norms can be perceived at both a personal and societal level, and define them as "individuals’ beliefs regarding the popularity of the behavior in question", (p. 196)either among valued others or society at large.
• Injunctive norms: Injunctive norms are concerned with what people feel is right based on morals or beliefs. Perkins defines them as "widely shared beliefs or expectations in a social group about how people in general or members of the group ought to behave in various circumstances" (p. 165). Park and Smith note that injunctive norms can also be perceived at a personal or a societal level, defining them as "individuals’ beliefs regarding approval or disapproval of the behavior in question", (p. 196) either by valued others or societal members.
• Formative evaluation: The first step in a social norms campaign, which consists of surveying the population, as well as message creation based on the survey results. The formative evaluation phase is the time when information regarding perceived norms and actual behaviors is garnered from the audience.
• Summative evaluation: The final step in a social norms campaign before the cycle begins again, which measures its success. It consists of examining and evaluating the progress made by an intervention through assessing the outcome and impact, cost and benefits, and cost effectiveness of a program.