What makes unwritten rules work? A framework for understanding normative influence. [ 2008-01-01 - 2012-03-31 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Joanne Smith (Chief Investigator) ,  Prof Deborah Terry (Chief Investigator) ,  Professor Winnifred Louis (Chief Investigator) ,  ARC Linkage Grant LP1701000985 (Funded by)

Brief description What makes unwritten rules work? A framework for understanding normative influence. Societies are regulated primarily by norms, which are unwritten, informal rules for appropriate behaviour. Governments, religious and cultural groups, and even families can all actively campaign to change people's standards or norms for behaviour. However, often people ignore the normative messages. As one example, child obesity rates in Australia continue to grow, despite years of campaigns on this issue. Sometimes normative campaigns can even increase the problems they're trying to solve. For example, some research shows children targeted with anti-drug messages are more likely to abuse drugs. This research tests why normative campaigns fail, and how to solve the problem.

Funding Amount $160,000

Funding Scheme Discovery Projects

View this grant in the ARC Data Portal