A randomized test of a small-group interactive social norms intervention.
Social norms interventions are a common approach to addressing the problem of college student drinking. An increasingly popular but not yet well-validated social-norms-based intervention consists of providing normative feedback to students in small groups.


OBJECTIVE
In this study, the authors used a randomized design to test an interactive form of small-group social norms correction with 502 first-year students during September and October 2001. Because the unit of random assignment was at the level of the classroom, the authors used hierarchical linear modeling to estimate variability. They investigated whether small-group interactive social norms correction could influence alcohol perceptions and behaviors above and beyond a noninteractive social norms education approach.


RESULTS
Results indicate that the approach has a fairly substantial influence on student perceptions; however, the findings do not support an influence of interactive small-group social norms correction on measures of alcohol use behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Given these findings, the use of interactive small-group social norms approach to influence student misperceptions may be considered as a primer for population-level preventive interventions.
Reilly
Daniel William
DW
University of Tennessee's Safety, Environment, and Education (SEE) Center, Knoxville, TN 37996-4800, USA. dreilly@utk.edu
Wood
Mark David
MD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009511:New England; D010379:Peer Group; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services; D012925:Social Conformity; D040241:Social Marketing; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities