title: Evaluating level of specificity of normative referents in relation to personal drinking behavior.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research has found perceived descriptive norms to be one of the strongest predictors of college student drinking, and several intervention approaches have incorporated normative feedback to correct misperceptions of peer drinking behavior. Little research has focused on the role of the reference group in normative perceptions. The current study sought to examine whether normative perceptions vary based on specificity of the reference group and whether perceived norms for more specific reference-group norms are related to individual drinking behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were first-year undergraduates (n = 1,276, 58% female) randomly selected from a university list of incoming students. Participants reported personal drinking behavior and perceived descriptive norms for eight reference groups, including typical student; same gender, ethnicity, or residence; and combinations of those reference groups (e.g., same gender and residence).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings indicated that participants distinguished among different reference groups in estimating descriptive drinking norms. Moreover, results indicated misperceptions in drinking norms were evident at all levels of specificity of the reference group. Additionally, findings showed perceived norms for more specific groups were uniquely related to participants' own drinking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that providing normative feedback targeting at least one level of specificity to the participant (i.e., beyond what the "typical" student does) may be an important tool in normative feedback interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. larimer@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Larimer
authors.forename: Debra L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kaysen
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kilmer
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Tiara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dillworth
authors.forename: Heidi D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.forename: Clayton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neighbors
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D012925:Social Conformity; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data