Environmental Psychology: Measuring Environmental Behaviour

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Questions and Answers

What are some limitations of self-reported measures of environmental behaviour?

They are sensitive to response biases and may not reliably reflect actual behaviour, and therefore cannot accurately reflect environmental impact.

Why may environmentally significant behaviours be excluded from measures of environmental behaviour?

Because scholars rarely consider environmental impact when developing lists of behaviours to measure their constructs.

What is a source of debate in measuring environmental behaviour?

Whether to measure environmental behaviour or the impact of behaviour.

What is a limitation of self-reported outcomes in psychology research?

They are influenced by many factors beyond the control of individuals, including technology. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common type of data used in psychology research on environmental behaviour?

Self-reported behaviours and self-reported outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a typical format of items in pro-environmental behaviour measures?

Items asking for a judgement on how often individuals perform a behaviour, often using a Likert scale. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of environmental psychology research?

To help understand and change environmental behaviour Signup and view all the answers

What are the three important issues that need to be addressed when developing robust measures of environmental behaviour?

What to measure, how to measure it, and how to conceptualize it Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of most research in environmental psychology?

Studying pro-environmental behaviour Signup and view all the answers

What is goal-directed pro-environmental behaviour?

Behaviour that people adopt with the explicit goal of doing something beneficial for the environment Signup and view all the answers

What do environmental psychologists typically try to measure?

Behaviours rather than the outcomes of such behaviours in terms of environmental impact Signup and view all the answers

What is the key distinction between measuring behaviour and measuring environmental impact?

Measuring behaviour focuses on the actions taken, while measuring environmental impact focuses on the outcomes of those actions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using self-report measures in assessing behavioral changes?

It is easy to administer and allows for easy comparisons across behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What type of questioning may elicit more detailed data, but is still subject to measurement error and response biases?

Asking people more detailed questions, such as calculating the percentage of drink cans disposed of in a recycling bin. Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential drawback of using complex questions to gather detailed data on behavior?

It can lead to more response bias and require calculation and detailed knowledge from respondents. Signup and view all the answers

What is the most accurate form of measurement, but is often labor-intensive and requires extra financial resources?

Observation of actual behavior or its immediate outcomes, such as observing littering or recycling or weighing bins. Signup and view all the answers

What issue do information technologies such as smart meters or smart plugs raise, despite their potential to reduce measurement problems?

Ethics concerns around potential privacy infringement. Signup and view all the answers

What type of biases can self-report measures be subject to, according to the text?

Response bias, such as social desirability or self-serving biases. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common limitation of measures of environmental behaviour?

They often focus on one type of behaviour. Signup and view all the answers

What does research suggest about people's pro-environmental behaviour?

People do not behave consistently pro-environmentally across different domains. Signup and view all the answers

What is the implication of different pro-environmental behaviours being motivated by different factors?

Engagement in one pro-environmental behaviour does not necessarily lead to another. Signup and view all the answers

What type of measure of environmental behaviour was developed by Kaiser and Wilson (2004)?

A unidimensional measure of goal-directed pro-environmental behaviour. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the Campbell paradigm in the context of environmental behaviour?

It provides a framework for understanding goal-directed pro-environmental behaviour. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key finding regarding the correlation of pro-environmental behaviours across different domains?

They do not correlate reliably. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Measuring Environmental Behaviour

Measures of environmental behaviour may not accurately reflect actual behaviour due to reliance on self-reports, which are prone to response biases.
Scholars often fail to consider environmental impact when developing lists of behaviours to measure, potentially omitting the most environmentally significant behaviours.

The Debate: Measuring Behaviour vs. Impact

Some argue that a focus on impact is useful for providing clear policy insights, while others argue that the aim of psychology should be to understand behaviour, not its impact, as impact is influenced by many factors beyond individual control.

Typical Measurement Methods

Self-reported behaviours, such as recycling frequency, and self-reported outcomes, such as car mileage or energy use, are commonly used in psychology research.
Typical items of pro-environmental behaviour measures ask for judgments on how often individuals perform a behaviour, e.g. 'I usually recycle old newspapers'.

Measuring Environmental Behaviour: Issues and Considerations

Three important issues in measuring environmental behaviour are:
- What to measure: behaviour or impact of behaviour
- How to measure: self-reports or observation
- How to conceptualize: unidimensional or multidimensional

Pro-Environmental Behaviour

Pro-environmental behaviour is defined as 'behaviour that consciously seeks to minimize the negative impact of one's actions on the natural and built world'.
This type of behaviour can be labelled as goal-directed pro-environmental behaviour.

Environmental Impact

Environmental psychologists typically measure behaviours rather than the outcomes of such behaviours in terms of environmental impact.
Self-report measures of actual behaviour are subject to response bias and measurement error.

Alternative Measurement Methods

More accurate self-report measures ask detailed questions, such as 'in the last week what percentage of your drink cans did you dispose of in a recycling bin?'
Observation of actual behaviour or its immediate outcomes is a more accurate form of measurement, but can be labour-intensive and raise ethical concerns.

Multidimensional Measures of Environmental Behaviour

Measures of environmental behaviour usually focus on one type of behaviour or include a range of different behaviours.
Research suggests that pro-environmental behaviour is multidimensional, and people do not appear to behave consistently pro-environmentally across different domains.

Unidimensional Measures of Environmental Behaviour

A unidimensional measure of goal-directed pro-environmental behaviour was developed by Kaiser and Wilson (2004) based on the Campbell paradigm.
According to this paradigm, all behaviours regarding a specific goal (e.g. doing something beneficial for the environment) are measured.

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Description

Understand the importance of measuring environmental behaviour in psychology research, including what to measure, how to measure it, and how to conceptualize it.