Topf, Sabine;
(2022)
Do as I do, not as I say: the role of behavioural traces in pro-environmental behaviours.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Behavioural traces are the evidence of other people’s behaviour left in a shared environment such as a bike left outside the building after cycling. They are a source of information about which behaviours other people engage in, and by implication, may be worth engaging in, too. Information from behavioural traces is distinct from information gleaned from direct observation of behaviours and verbal communication. In contrast to direct observation, as behavioural traces last longer than the constituting behaviour they can potentially reach more people. In contrast to direct communication, as a by-product of the genuine engagement in a behaviour they are more trustworthy than ‘cheap talk’. In this thesis the focus is on behavioural traces of pro-environmental behaviours—for which behaviours these exist, how common they are and whether there is a correlational link between the frequency of encountering a trace and engaging in a pro-environmental behaviour (Chapter 2); and whether people follow the example set by behavioural traces and what the consequences are (Chapters 3, 4 and 5). Behavioural traces exist for a number of pro-environmental behaviours. Noticing traces more frequently correlates positively with engagement in some behaviours (Chapter 2). In general, people follow behavioural traces—they repeat the behaviour that created the trace. However, this is only the case if they believe that the trace was created on purpose, rather than by accident (Chapter 4). Traces only favour the desirable or correct behaviour if a majority already engages in this behaviour, making traces complimentary to other interventions (Chapter 3). In a social dilemma, communication via behavioural traces keeps cooperation high over time (Chapter 5), where a medium decay rate is most favourable. Implication and possible interventions are discussed.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Do as I do, not as I say: the role of behavioural traces in pro-environmental behaviours |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10146218 |
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