title: The Big Impact of Small Groups on College Drinking.
abstract: College drinking is a problem with severe academic, health, and safety consequences. The underlying social processes that lead to increased drinking activity are not well understood. Social Norms Theory is an approach to analysis and intervention based on the notion that students' misperceptions about the drinking culture on campus lead to increases in alcohol use. In this paper we develop an agent-based simulation model, implemented in MATLAB, to examine college drinking. Students' drinking behaviors are governed by their identity (and how others perceive it) as well as peer influences, as they interact in small groups over the course of a drinking event. Our simulation results provide some insight into the potential effectiveness of interventions such as social norms marketing campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Tempest Technologies, 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 506, Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA ; Loyola Marymount University, UH 2700, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.affiliation: Tempest Technologies, 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 506, Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Tempest Technologies, 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 506, Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA ; Loyola Marymount University, UH 2700, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Polidan
authors.affiliation: Tempest Technologies, 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite 506, Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Angelis
keywords: College Drinking; Group Formation; Identity Control Theory; Peer Influence; Simulation; Social Norms