Self-Dissemination of Environmentally-Responsible Behavior: The Influence of Trust in a Commons Dilemma Game

Mosler, H. J. (1993). Self-dissemination of environmentally-responsible behavior: The influence of trust in a commons dilemma game. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 13, 2, 111-123.

Postulated that environmentally responsible behavior can disseminate itself. If mutual trust becomes established between anonymous individuals in a society, they themselves can exert mutual influence on each other to behave in environmentally responsible ways. The concept of "verifiable, public commitment" as the operating mechanism responsible for this process is derived from social theories. 100 Ss (aged 17-58 yrs) took part in an online fishing economy game. In the game, Ss, as fisherpersons, had to subsist on lake fishing, together with 24 other (computer simulated) fellow game players. In the verifiable, public commitment condition, Ss were informed which of their fellow players commited themselves to restricting their catch to a moderate quota. Ss playing under this condition exhibited changes in fishing behavior and in trust. Verifiable, public commitment had its greatest effect on persons whose environmental consciousness was low.

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