Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

7-2021

Abstract

Internal psychological factors, such as intentions and personal norms, are central predictors of pro-environmental behavior in many theoretical models, whereas the influence from external factors such as the physical environment is seldom considered. Even rarer is studying how internal factors interact with the physical context in which decisions take place. In the current study, we addressed the relative influence and interaction of psychological and environmental factors on pro-environmental behavior. A laboratory experiment presented participants (N = 399) with a choice to dispatch a used plastic cup in a recycling or general waste bin after participating in a staged “yogurt taste test.” Results showed how the spatial positioning of bins explained more than half of the variance in recycling behavior whilst self-reported recycling intentions were not related to which bin they used. Rinsing cups (to reduce contamination) before recycling, on the other hand, was related to both behavioral intention and external factors. These results show that even seemingly small differences in a choice context can influence how well internal psychological factors predict behavior and how aspects of the physical environment can assist the alignment of behavior and intentions, as well as steering behavior regardless of motivation.

Keywords

behavior, environment, intention, norms and attitudes, physical context

Discipline

Applied Behavior Analysis | Environmental Sciences | Nature and Society Relations

Research Areas

Integrative Research Areas

Publication

Frontiers in Psychology

Volume

12

First Page

1

Last Page

12

ISSN

1664-1078

Identifier

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.699410

Publisher

Frontiers Media

Copyright Owner and License

Authors-CC-BY

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.699410

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