“The Influence of Perceptual Accuracy on Willingness to Seek Help among College Freshmen” - Dr. Kathryn Conley

The study used a cross sectional design to examine personal attitudes and behaviors related to help-seeking as well as perceptions about others’ attitudes and behaviors related to help-seeking among freshmen at five colleges.  Most participants reported that they were willing to seek help and viewed seeking help as a personal strength rather than a personal weakness. However, discrepancies between “reality” and perception indicated that most freshmen in this sample misperceived reality. For example, most participants underestimated the extent to which peers are accepting of seeking psychological help and most participants were not accurate in their perceptions of peer help-seeking behaviors. This misperception significantly influenced personal willingness to seek help.   The data indicate that the social norms method of intervention is applicable to the domain of help-seeking and efforts to reduce stigma.  If you have any questions regarding this study, Dr. Conley can be contacted at conleyka@vcu.edu

“Women, Wealth & Social Norms Theory: Financial Behaviors and Perceptions of Affluent Women in Their Prime Years” - Dr. Scarlett Schwartz

A survey was developed and implemented in 2009 to investigate the behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions regarding financial management among affluent United States women in their prime years (aged 50–69) to determine if Social Norms Theory could be applied to this population. Three hypotheses were tested and upheld: 1) most affluent prime-of-life women have “healthy” financial behaviors and attitudes; 2) the majority of women in this group misperceive the reality, underestimating the percent of their peers who have “healthy” financial behaviors and attitudes; and 3) the minority of women who have “unhealthy” financial behaviors/attitudes will be more likely than those who have “healthy” behaviors/attitudes to misperceive their peers as having “unhealthy” financial behaviors and attitudes. The results determined that Social Norms Theory does apply to affluent women in their prime years and that a Social Norms Marketing approach may be useful. If you have any questions regarding this study, Dr. Schwartz can be contacted at scarlett.schwartz@gmail.com