The Role of Social Norms in Behavioral Expectations: Evidence from University Students in Chengdu
Abstract
enabling them to expect behavioral consistency among members. We investigated which type of norm observers rely upon when expecting
group members' behaviors. Using a questionnaire experiment, we manipulated the presence or absence of group information and the proportion of group members performing the same behavior (25% / 50% / 75%). The findings revealed that: (1) people expect consistency in social
interactive behaviors among group members; (2) as the proportion of members performing a particular behavior increases, observers show a
stronger tendency to predict behavioral consistency; (3) for behaviors occurring at higher proportions, descriptive norms play a role, whereas
for behaviors occurring at lower proportions, neither type of social norm exerts significant influence.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/wef.v4i5.10127
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