title: Patterns and importance of self-other differences in college drinking norms.
abstract: College students overestimate other students' drinking behavior (descriptive norms) and attitudes (injunctive norms). This study explored the effects of demographics, norm type, and reference group on the magnitude of self- other differences (SODs). Participants (N = 1,611; 64% women) completed surveys assessing demographics, drinking patterns, and perceived norms. A subset of 122 students provided consumption data 1 month later to test predictors of changes in drinking. Overall, women and non-Greeks (Greek = member of fraternity or sorority) reported larger SODs for both norm types compared with men and Greeks. Heavier drinkers reported smaller SODs. Gender x Reference Group interactions revealed that women had larger SODs for reference groups increasingly distal to them; for men, the largest SODs occur for close friends versus more distal groups. Larger SODs for descriptive norms predicted increases in drinking, consistent with social norms theory.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health and Behavior, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. kbcarey@syr.edu
authors.forename: Kate B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borsari
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maisto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D012928:Social Desirability; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States