Deborah Roy

EQUIVALENCE CLASS FORMATION: A METHOD FOR TEACHING STATISTICAL INTERACTIONS

Many students struggle with statistical concepts such as interaction. In an experimental group, participants took a paper-and-pencil test and then were given training to establish equivalent classes containing four different statistical interactions. All participants formed the equivalence classes and showed maintenance when probes contained novel negative exemplars. Thereafter, participants took a second paper-and-pencil test. Participants in the control group received two versions of the paper-and-pencil test without equivalence-based instruction. All participants in the experimental group showed increased paper-and-pencil test scores after forming the interaction-indicative equivalence classes. Class-indicative responding also generalized to novel exemplars and the novel question format used in the paper-and-pencil test. Test scores did not change with repetition for control group participants. Implications for behavioral diagnostics and teaching technology are discussed.

“My Worries Are Rational, Climate Change Is Not”: Habitual Ecological Worrying Is an Adaptive Response

Qualifications such as “global warming hysteria” and “energy policy schizophrenia” put forward by some climate change skeptics, usually outside the academic arena, may suggest that people who seriously worry about the environment suffer from psychological imbalance. The present study aimed to refute this thesis. While habitual worrying in general is strongly associated with psychopathological symptoms, in a survey a near-zero correlation was found between habitual ecological worrying and pathological worry. Instead, habitual ecological worrying was associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and with a personality structure characterized by imagination and an appreciation for new ideas. The study had sufficient statistical power and measures were valid and reliable. The results confirm that those who habitually worry about the ecology are not only lacking in any psychopathology, but demonstrate a constructive and adaptive response to a serious problem. In the public domain, these findings may contribute to a more rational and less emotional debate on climate change and to the prevention of stigmatization of people who are genuinely concerned about our habitat and are prepared to do something about it (“habitual worriers are not crazy”). In the academic arena this study may contribute to environmental psychology (“habitual worrying is part of a green identity”), as well as to the literature on worry and anxiety (“habitual worrying can be a constructive response”).

Consumer habits and sustainable consumption

When you ask people if sustainable consumption is a good thing, you can expect an overwhelmingly positive response. Yet, as this Handbook of Research on Sustainable Consumption makes clear, there is still a long way to go. And this may even be the optimistic view: most people show little interest in making truly sustainable choices, but rather follow their natural tendency to focus on short- term benefits and tangible outcomes, which more often than not do not contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. The content of the present volume is a testimony to the complexity and difficulty of sustainable consumption. While realizing that our focus only represents a thin slice of a much richer reality, this chapter focuses on individual consumers, and in particular on consumer habits and sustainability. We first address the question: what is meant by sustainable consumption? We then discuss the process of making sustainable choices, and define and position the concept of habit. Finally we turn to the important question of behaviour change and prospects for interventions to promote more sustainable lifestyles.

Consumer preferences for written and oral information about allergens when eating out

Background Avoiding food allergens when eating outside the home presents particular difficulties for food allergic (FA) and intolerant (FI) consumers and a lack of allergen information in restaurants and takeaways causes unnecessary restrictions. Across Europe, legislation effective from December 2014, aims to improve allergen information by requiring providers of non-prepacked foods to supply information related to allergen content within their foods. Methods Using in-depth interviews with 60 FA/FI adults and 15 parents/carers of FA/FI children, we aimed to identify FA/FI consumers’ preferences for written and/or verbal allergen information when eating out or ordering takeaway food. Results A complex and dynamic set of preferences and practices for written and verbal allergen information was identified. Overwhelmingly, written information was favoured in the first instance, but credible personal/verbal communication was highly valued and essential to a good eating out experience. Adequate written information facilitated implicit trust in subsequent verbal information. Where written information was limited, FA/FIs depended on social cues to assess the reliability of verbal information resources, and defaulted to tried and tested allergen avoidance strategies when these were deemed unreliable. Conclusion Understanding the subtle negotiations and difficulties encountered by FA/FIs when eating out can serve as a guide for legislators and food providers; by encouraging provision of clear written and verbal allergen information, and training of proactive, allergen-aware staff. This, in tandem with legal requirements for allergen information provision, paves the way for FA/FIs to feel more confident in eating out choices; and to experience improved eating out experiences.

Making Sense of Sustainability: Exploring the Subjective Meaning of Sustainable Consumption

This article investigated what the term “sustainability” meant to a group of proenvironmental people living in Peterborough, in the east of England. The data was collected and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analyses. Recycling came most readily to mind in those interviewed. Results revealed that respondents attributed unsustainable behavior in themselves and others to “lack of thought.” The various strands of the analysis, when drawn together into a coherent framework, highlight that the business of life continues to perpetuate thoughtless consuming, even in those who are conscious of global warming. This suggests that education programs could be orientated toward addressing this “lack of thought” to encourage more thoughtful consumption.