NCJ Number
188765
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Dated: Winter, 2000 Pages: 39-54
Date Published
2000
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effects of a Peer Norms Correction (PNC) procedure on college students’ perceptions of campus drinking and their actual drinking behavior.
Abstract
Students were recruited from classes, residence halls, Greek houses, and advertisements and were then enrolled in sections of a one-credit self-management skills (SMS) course at a Northwestern State university. Sections of the class were randomly assigned either the standard SMS curriculum or the modified SMS curriculum, which included a one-hour PNC procedure. The SMS curriculum was designed to teach self-management skills to reduce high-risk sexual behaviors. The PNC curriculum was identical to the SMS curriculum except for the one-hour PNC procedure which attempts to change students’ perception of others’ drinking and thereby reduce the group’s overall drinking. The PNC procedure included the administration of the Core Alcohol Survey, which determines what the actual norms for alcohol related behaviors in each classroom were. PNC instructors provided participants with a quantitative summary of their perceptions about alcohol norms, what the actual norms were, and then discussed the discrepancies that existed. This procedure provided participants with a more accurate depiction of their environment, which frequently has a lower drinking norm than what they had reported. At the end of the course, the PNC group reported significantly lower perceptions than the standard SMS group on five of the eight measures of perceptions and attitudes. The results suggest that the PNC may be useful in correcting misperceptions about the norms for alcohol use but not for decreasing heavy drinking among college students. 2 tables, 28 references.