Anchoring Estimates of Alcohol Use with Normative Feedback

描述(由申请人提供)：本项目的长期目标是检查研究良好的认知偏差(即锚定效应)是否会影响检验基于规范的干预措施有效性的研究的有效性。先前的研究表明，个性化规范反馈(PNF)干预在减少自我报告的酒精使用方面是成功的，但很少有支持表明它们成功地减少了与酒精相关的问题。 考虑到酒精使用和酒精相关问题之间的密切关系，这一发现是奇怪的。正如NIAAA的使命声明中所述，NIAAA寻求在减少与酒精有关的问题的国家努力中发挥领导作用。拟议的研究检查了PNF干预治疗组中向个人呈现的规范信息是否偏向于自我报告的酒精使用估计，这可以解释为什么报告的酒精使用量减少而后果不受影响。研究1检验了几个假设。使用研究设计来排除行为改变(即横断面设计)，假设1指出，提供标准化信息将产生锚定效应，即在没有行为改变的情况下，自我报告的饮酒将受到影响。为了进一步考察锚定效应的边界条件，检验了锚定效应在没有意识的情况下发生的想法(无意识锚定效应假说)。假设2a预测，即使参与者被预先警告了锚定效应，锚定效应也会发生，并且假设2b预测，即使在控制了社会合意性偏差之后，锚定效应也会出现。进一步，研究一考察锚定效果是否越大，锚定越适用(锚定适用性假说)。假设3a预测，与性别中性反馈相比，当呈现性别特定的规范性反馈时，锚定效应将更强，而假设3b预测，对于与参照群体认同更密切的个人，锚定效应将更强。为了扩展研究1的发现，研究2采用纵向设计(即1个月的跟踪调查)来检验两个具体的假设。假设4预测，锚定效应预测将比从社会规范理论得出的预测更好地解释所报告的饮酒变化。假设5预测，即使估计酒精使用量的这些变化不能归因于实际行为的变化，感知的饮酒规范将中介规范信息对酒精使用量估计的影响。研究3使用生态瞬时评估(EMA)方法检验了一个独特的假说。假设6预测，当使用过去一周的回溯性饮酒措施时，锚定效应将出现，但当使用每日综合日记评估时，则不会。拟议的研究对酒精干预的开发和测试具有广泛的影响。 与公共健康相关：该项目将研究在获得规范信息后可能破坏自我报告饮酒有效性的认知偏差。具体地说，锚定效应可能会伪装成基于常模的干预措施的干预效果。如果假设得到支持，那么用于评估个性化规范反馈干预措施的酒精消费标准评估将受到质疑，并将建议改进方法，以更好地评估干预效果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of this project is to examine whether a well-studied cognitive bias (i.e., anchoring effect) may effect the validity of studies examining the efficacy of norm-based interventions. Prior research suggests that personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions are successful as reducing self-reported alcohol use, but there is very little support suggesting that they successfully reduce alcohol-related problems. Given the very strong relationship between alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, this finding is peculiar. As stated in NIAAA's mission statement, NIAAA seeks to provide "leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems." The proposed studies examine whether the presentation of normative information to individuals in the treatment group of a PNF intervention biases estimates of self-reported alcohol use, which could explain why reported alcohol use decreases while consequences are unaffected. Study 1 examines several hypotheses. Using the study design to rule out behavioral change (i.e., cross-sectional design), Hypothesis 1 states that providing normative information will produce an anchoring effect such that self- reported alcohol use will be affected in the absence of behavioral change. To further examine the boundary conditions of the anchoring affect, the idea that the anchoring effect occurs without conscious awareness is tested (nonconscious anchoring effect hypothesis). Hypothesis 2a predicts that the anchoring effect will occur even when participants have been forewarned of the anchoring effect, and Hypothesis 2b predicts that the anchoring effect will be present even after controlling for social desirability bias. Further, Study 1 examines whether the greater the anchoring effect is stronger when the anchor is more applicable (anchor applicability hypothesis). Hypothesis 3a predicts that the anchoring effect will be stronger when presented with gender- specific normative feedback as compared to gender-neutral feedback, and Hypothesis 3b predicts that the anchoring effect will be stronger for individuals who more closely identify with the referent group. To extend the findings from Study 1, Study 2 uses a longitudinally design (i.e., 1-month follow-up) to examine two specific hypotheses. Hypothesis 4 predicts that the anchoring effect predictions will better account for reported change in alcohol use than predictions derived from Social Norms Theory. Hypothesis 5 predicts that perceived drinking norms will mediate the effect that normative information has on alcohol use estimates, even when these changes in estimated alcohol use cannot be attributed to actual behavior change. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods, Study 3 examines one unique hypothesis. Hypothesis 6 predicts that the anchoring effect will be present when using past week retrospective alcohol use measures, but not when using aggregated daily diary assessments. The proposed studies have broad implications to the development and testing of alcohol interventions. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will examine a cognitive bias that may undermine the validity of self-reported alcohol consumption after being provided with normative information. Specifically, the Anchoring Effect may dissimulate the intervention efficacy for norm-based interventions. If the hypotheses are supported, then the standard assessment of alcohol consumption used to evaluate personalize normative feedback interventions will be called into question and improved methods will be suggested to better assess intervention efficacy.