Mass behaviour change amid COVID-19: How public health information and social norms explain the transformation

COVID-19 is a severe and ongoing threat globally, with the spread disrupting lives and society. Despite the developments of vaccines, the key measure to reduce the transmission of variants has stemmed from mass changes to personal behaviours. COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique context, where the protection behaviours enacted by an individual are necessary to keep the community safe. A social psychological perspective can be used to understand the reasons for adherence to policies and determine what other factors can shape preventive behaviours. To resolve this, in partnership with health consumers we use an online survey, with the findings substantiating preventive behaviours are positively related to COVID-19 information access and descriptive norms. Additionally, findings demonstrate the mediating role of injunctive norms on preventive behaviour suggesting that policy makers can influence decision-making by promoting health information that provides guidance on acceptable behaviours, but also demonstrates subsequent success. The integrity of the model is substantiated by partial least squares (PLS) testing.

Alcohol consumption in young adults: the role of multisensory imagery

Little is known about the subjective experience of alcohol desire and craving in young people. Descriptions of alcohol urges continue to be extensively used in the everyday lexicon of young, non-dependent drinkers. Elaborated Intrusion (EI) Theory contends that imagery is central to craving and desires, and predicts that alcohol-related imagery will be associated with greater frequency and amount of drinking. This study involved 1535 age stratified 18-25 year olds who completed an alcohol-related survey that included the Imagery scale of the Alcohol Craving Experience (ACE) questionnaire. Imagery items predicted 12-16% of the variance in concurrent alcohol consumption. Higher total Imagery subscale scores were linearly associated with greater drinking frequency and lower self-efficacy for moderate drinking. Interference with alcohol imagery may have promise as a preventive or early intervention target in young people.