Using Commitment to Reduce Energy Consumption in Iowa City

Cases
Pallak, M.S., D.A. Cook and J.J. Sullivan (1980). Commitment and Energy Conservation. In L. Bickman (ed.), Applied Social Psychology Annual 235-253, Beverley Hills, Ca: Sage.
First, a literature review identified public commitment as an effective tool for behavior change. In order to further investigate the effectiveness of commitment, this tool was in…

1-2-3 Campaign Against Global Warming

Cases
The 1-2-3 Global Warming Campaign was initiated in the 1st Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon in January 2001 to inform people about the dangers of global warming and spur them …

Facing the Greenhouse Effect: Communication about Energy in Germany

Articles
Henschel, C. & Wiedemann, P. M. (1993). Facing the greenhouse effect: Communication about energy in Germany. Technology in Society, 15, 301-310.
Energy policy in Germany has been characterized by an irreconcilable debate about nuclear power and the potentials of renewable energy sources and energy-saving activities for mor…

Reducing Energy Consumption: The Long-Term Effects of a Single TV Program

Articles
Winett, R. A., Leckliter, I. N., Chinn, D. E., & Stahl, B. (1984). Reducing energy consumption: The long-term effects of a single TV program. Journal of Communication, 34, 3, 37-51.
Investigated the effects of the delivery of a program through a cable TV system's public access channel on the consumer energy use of 150 households. The 20-min program emphasized…

Barriers to Consumer Choice of Energy Efficient Products

Articles
Anderson, C. D. & Claxton, J. D. (1982). Barriers to consumer choice of energy efficient products. Journal of Consumer Research, 9, 2, 163-170.
Explored barriers that deter consumers from making energy conserving choices when buying major durables. Refrigerator energy labels and sales staff emphasis were manipulated in an…

Prompting Thermostat Setting Behavior: Public Response to a Presidential Appeal for Conservation

Articles
Luyben, P. D. (1982). Prompting thermostat setting behavior: Public response to a presidential appeal for conservation. Environment and Behavior, 14, 1, 113-128.
Surveyed 419 residents door-to-door and by telephone to obtain readings of thermostat settings immediately after President Carter's 1977 appeal to conserve energy. Results show th…

Public Policy and Consumer Information: Impact of the New Energy Labels

Articles
McNeill, D. L. & Wilkie, W. L. (1979). Public policy and consumer information: Impact of the new energy labels. Journal of Consumer Research, 6, 1, 1-11.
Investigated 2 questions about the federal energy consumption labeling program for home appliances: (a) the likely impact of the labels on consumers and (b) the relative effect of…

The Effect of Tailored Information, Goal Setting, and Tailored Feedback on Household Energy Use, Energy-Related Behaviors, and Behavioral Antecedents

Articles
Abrahamse, W., Steg, L., Vlek, C., & Rothengatter, T. (2007). The effect of tailored information, goal setting, and tailored feedback on household energy use, energy-related behaviors, and behavioral antecedents. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(4), 265-276.
In this multidisciplinary study, an Internet-based tool was used to encourage households (N = 189) to reduce their direct (gas, electricity and fuel) and indirect energy use (embe…

Information and Energy Conservation

Articles
Seligman, C. (1985). Information and energy conservation. Marriage and Family Review, 9, 1-2, 135-149.
Examines reasons why consumers are not saving as much energy and money as they can using research on the psychology of the energy consumer. The information consumers have and need…

Applying Social Psychology to Desegregation and Energy Conservation. Special Issue: Illustrating the Value of Basic Research

Articles
Aronson, E. (1990). Applying social psychology to desegregation and energy conservation. Special Issue: Illustrating the value of basic research. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 16, 1, 118-132.
Presents 2 examples of social psychology in action in dealing with an immediate crisis and a gradual problem. The immediate crisis occurred when a school system was desegregated, …

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