social norms Flashcards
social comparison theory-
Social Comparison Theory (Festinger, 1954) and how it relates to modeling and social impression management in the context of eating behaviors:
Social Comparison Theory:
People evaluate themselves by comparing their behaviors, attitudes, and attributes with others, especially in uncertain or ambiguous situations.
These comparisons are particularly relevant when it comes to behaviors like eating, body image, and managing how one is perceived socially.
How It Explains Modeling and Social Impression Management:
Modeling:
People are more likely to imitate (or “model”) others’ behaviors when they perceive similarities between themselves and the other person.
For example, if someone sees a peer with a similar body type or social status eating in a certain way, they are more likely to adjust their eating behaviors to match.
Social Impression Management:
People alter their eating habits to align with social norms or to present themselves in a certain way (e.g., eating less to appear disciplined or health-conscious, or eating more to fit in with a group).
These adjustments often depend on who is observing and the context of the eating situation.
Evidence Supporting This:
Body Image and Media Exposure:
When individuals are exposed to images of thin or idealized bodies in the media, it affects their eating behavior:Overall Decrease in Consumption: Many people reduce their food intake to align with the perceived societal ideal of thinness.
Restraint Predicts Increase in Consumption: For individuals with a history of dietary restraint (e.g., chronic dieters), this exposure can paradoxically lead to overeating due to feelings of failure or stress.
Modeling Behavior Based on Similarity:
Modeling occurs only when individuals perceive similarities between themselves and others. If someone feels a strong resemblance to a group or individual, they are more likely to mimic that group’s eating behaviors.
Presence of Others at a Meal (Salvy et al., 2009):
This study examined how overweight adolescent females adjusted their eating behaviors based on the body types of their peers:
With Normal-Weight Peers: They ate less, possibly to avoid judgment or to align with the perceived expectations of thinner peers.
With Overweight Peers: They ate more, likely because they felt a sense of similarity and reduced pressure to conform to thin norms.
In Summary:
Social Comparison Theory explains how individuals’ eating behaviors are shaped by the people around them. Modeling occurs when individuals perceive similarities with others, while social impression management drives adjustments to eating to align with perceived norms or expectations. Studies like Salvy et al. (2009) highlight how group dynamics, body type similarities, and social context play a crucial role in influencing eating behaviors.
- Pizza slice study (Polivy, Herman & Deo, 2010).= shown difference sizes of pizza being sent off to other participants. some saw a larger slice than what they were given, some saw smaller= some thought they had been ‘short changed’ some thought they got more! the group that felt they were ‘short changed’ ate more pizza when in eat as much pizza session.
social norms and eating
- Social norms are implicit codes of conduct that
provide a guide to appropriate action.
▫ Perceived standards for what constitutes appropriate
consumption (amount, type of food) for a particular
social group.
▫ Communicated via cultural practices and rules,
behaviours, or via environmental cues (e.g., portion
sizes).
▫ Descriptive (perceived prevalence) versus injunctive
(perceived expectations) norms
social norms and eating 2
- Norms important for affiliation and to engage in ‘correct’
behaviour
▫ Higgs (2015): Adaptive behaviour to ensure consumption of
safe foods and enhance evolutionary fitness.
▫ Not following social norms might result in social
disapproval.
▫ Norm following more likely when uncertainty about what
constitutes correct behaviour and where greater shared
identity with referent group.
scoial norms and eating 3
Hawkins, Farrow & Thomas (2020)
* N = 369 reported:
This study has demonstrated that perceived descriptive and frequency norms about what Facebook users actually eat predicted participants’ own fruit and vegetable consumption, whereas norms relating to social approval predicted their own consumption of HED foods and SSBs. This suggests that certain social norms may be more or less influential in determining the types of food that we choose to consume, and that the norms we perceive in our social media circles predict our food choicesintake of fruits and vegetables, while injunctive norms about unhealthy foods predicted higher consumpt
Hawkins, Farrow & Thomas (2021)
* Subsequent experimental study
* Between-groups design - 169 female students viewed
three types of images (20/group)
▫ High Energy Dense
▫ Low Energy Dense
▫ Interior Design
* Only one type of image was socially endorsed via ‘likes’
in each condition.
* Snack buffet of grapes and cookies
Findings
* Significant main effect of condition for grapes consumption.
* Those in the LED condition consumed a higher
proportion of grapes compared to cookies, than HED condition.
* No differences between control with LED or HED.
* Exposure to socially endorsed LED food images may contribute to healthy eating, by nudging individuals to select and consume larger portions of LED
food (such as grapes) relative to HED food (such as cookies)
a holistic approach to social influence
Situated Identity Enactment Model (Cruwys et al., 2016) explains how social influences and group membership impact eating behaviors, particularly disordered eating. Here’s a breakdown:
Key Ideas:
Disordered Eating and Social Context:
Disordered eating is seen as a result of being in a specific social context.
In such contexts, individuals identify with a group that endorses norms supporting disordered eating (e.g., a group promoting restrictive dieting or overeating behaviors).
Norms:
Definition: Norms are shared expectations about appropriate behaviors within a group.
For example, receiving information (from someone like a confederate) about the “right” amount to eat can significantly influence how much someone consumes.
The modelling effect (copying others’ eating behaviors) is mediated by these perceived norms—what individuals believe is typical or acceptable in that group.
Social Identity:
Definition: Social identity refers to a person’s sense of self based on group membership.
Conformity to eating norms and modeling others’ eating behaviors depends on how similar individuals perceive themselves to be to the group (perceived similarity strengthens conformity).
Context:
The broader social context (e.g., settings, group dynamics, cultural influences) shapes both the norms and social identity, which in turn influence eating behaviors.
In Summary:
This model highlights how disordered eating behaviors can arise when individuals identify with groups that promote such behaviors through shared norms. The strength of this influence depends on how much individuals feel they belong to the group (social identity) and the situational context that reinforces these norms.
other study
Pizza slice study (Polivy, Herman & Deo, 2010).= shown difference sizes of pizza being sent off to other participants. some saw a larger slice than what they were given, some saw smaller= some thought they had been ‘short changed’ some thought they got more! the group that felt they were ‘short changed’ ate more pizza when in eat as much pizza session.
