Prompt Effectiveness Research
What we've used to make our recommendations and conclusions
The effectiveness of models and prompts on waste diversion: a field experiment on composting by cafeteria patrons
Sussman, Reuven; Greeno, Matthew; Gifford, Robert; Scannell, Leila
This article by Sussman, Greeno, Gifford and Scannel looked at how visual prompts and human models influence compost-supportive behaviour by individuals in a cafeteria setting. It was conducted with N = 1060 and the experiment was conducted with pro-composting signs and models who demonstrated appropriate composting behaviour. With the introduction of signs appropriate composting behaviour went from 12.5% to 20.5%. A further increase was seen with the introduction of a model, when two models were used in conjunction with signs there was an increase to 42%. (Sussman, Greeno, Gifford and Scannel ) For the prompts they implemented a compost bin with a standard infromational sign (which listed acceptable and unaccetable compost items). They used upgraded signs after a short period and added a table top sign as well. This article also found increases in positive behaviors after adding regional facts and other various bits of information that had gathered from gathering insights from individuals who went to the cafeteria. In synthesis, the two findings were that 1.) The frequency of ideal composting increased significantly with the addition of improved signs and multiple models, and 2.) the frequency of noncomposters was not affected by the use of signs or models at a 21%. (Sussman, Greeno, Gifford and Scannel)
Effectiveness and cost of two stair-climbing interventions—Less is more
Olander,Ellinor K.; Eves,Frank F.
Research was conducted at 4 separate University Buildings to see to what effect point of choice prompts along with a "health information day" had on promoting stair-climbing use. (There was also a comparison of the interventions' costs). Prompts were found to be effective in increasing stair use; they can be used in conjunction with the information day to increase results even more. Stair-climbing was measured at a baseline, after the health well-being day, and during a point-of-choice prompt intervention. The experiment was conducted with a sample size of over 4000 people, There was a baseline of 47.9% of the participants already using stairs regularly. The health information day proved to be statistically insignificant in promoting stair climbing use, with 48.8% using the stairs following the health day with the stair-climbing stand. Prompts, on the other hand, did show effectiveness with an increase of 4.7%; 52.6% of employees used the stairs after they were implemented.The cost of the well-being day was totalled to be over $700; the point-of-choice prompts were only around $30. These prices, in coordination with the percent increase of stair use after each intervention, are evidence supporting the positive, cost friendly implementation of prompts.
Litter in university cafeteria: Demographic data and the use of prompts as an intervention strategy
C.A. Durdan, G.D. Reeder, and P.R. Hecht
Durdan, Reeder, and Hecht seek to answer the question of how effective various behavioral prompts are in urging University cafeteria patrons to reduce their waste contribution. They are specifically interested in if prompts can increase the busing behavior of cafeteria patrons. The method of this research is to examine data collected from 2,353 separate observations in an Illinois State cafeteria. The data was collected before the implementation of prompts, during the implementation, and after. The researcher recorded where the cafeteria subjects sat, the size of the lunch group, sex of the subjects, age, and waste contributions. They conducted their own experiment and collected their own data but some of their conclusions were aided by prior research on the effectiveness of prompts. There are several results: it was found that positively worded prompts are more effective than negatively worded ones and that males litter more than females. People in larger groups tend to litter more than people in smaller groups. It was also concluded that before the prompts were introduced, the "25 and older" group littered more than the younger group, and the prompts reversed this trend. These results definitely help us answer our question because these findings not only help identify the effectiveness of prompts, but also helps identify different types of prompts that are effective in reducing waste. This data gives us great insight on prompts effectiveness within a university setting.
Encouraging Electricity Savings in a University Residential Hall Through a Combination of Feedback, Visual Prompts, and Incentives
Marthinus J. Bekker, Tania D. Cumming, Nikola K.P. Osborne, Angela M. Bruining, Julia I. McClean, and Louis S. Leland, Jr.
Bekker, Cumming, Osborne, Bruining, McClean, and Leland Jr. encourage students in residential halls on campuses to save electricity when the incentive of saving rent costs is not possible. Students living in dorms do not necessarily have a financial incentive to conserve electricity because they all spend the same amount to live in an area. To tackle these problems, Bekker et. al studied college students ranging from ages 18-20 in two separate New Zealand residence halls, where he measured electricity use over 3 weeks. The researchers implemented several new practices in one of the residence halls (the other was used as a control) through incentives, prompts, and education. For the purpose of our research, our group was very interested in the different ideas that the researchers used to make prompts effective in this interesting case. The researchers placed 9 large posters calling attention to a “savings thermometer” throughout eating halls and at 89 different locations throughout the dormitory. There were also small prompts by appliances to encourage people to save electricity. Bekker et. al concluded that the methods were effective in driving down costs of a total electric bill and in saving energy. We are interested in looking at the financial aspects conservation and how visual prompts can help us encourage people to save energy when monetary funds are not a reward, so we are very interested in this study and find it will be useful for our own research.
Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing: Prompts
Doug McKenzie-Mohr
Doug McKenzie-Mohr, in Fostering Sustainable Behavior, provides a lot of information on the use of prompts and how they can be made effective. McKenzie-Mohr has found that a major problem with implementing sustainable actions is that humans often forget things; prompts are a way that we can remind those around us and influence positive practices. A major problem is that some prompts have a non-explicit message. Based on different case studies, it has been suggested that non-explicit prompts (an example of one he used was “Think Globally, Act Locally”) are not effective and confirm the fact that visual prompts should target specific actions. In the section “Prompts: Remembering to Act,” McKenzie-Mohr looks at several different examples of studies conducted and how visual prompts have affected energy and waste reduction. The main case study McKenzie-Mohr looked at was one that targeted water waste reduction in Canada. In this experiment, three different Canadian regions with 500 homes were studied. Region 1 was given information about water use reduction, decreasing their usage by only 1%. Regions 2 and 3 reduced their consumption by 32-45%, as they received prompts to put on the windows of their home and above their outdoor faucets to remind them to conserve. (Water consumption was measured by a meter installed on the water mains of their home.)
The Use of Prompts, Increased Accessibility, Visibility, and Aesthetics of the Stairwell to Promote Stair Use in a University Building
van Nieuw-Amerongen,ME; Kremers,SPJ; de Vries,NK; Kok,G.
These scientists and researchers were aiming to answer the question whether increasing the attractiveness and accessibility of a stairwell had an impact on stair use at Maastricht University. The study involved changing several environmental factors, including putting up prompts that would encourage stair use. The effects were recorded. They collected data over a total of 9 weeks, while making over 21,000 observations on stair use and used past research to help answer their question. In this study, it is important to note that even though they used prompts, that was not the only factor that lead to increased stair use. Overall they found that improving the stairwell environment (aesthetics) leads to an increase in stair use; they also had other helpful findings on the effectiveness of prompts. They found that “prompts make people consciously aware of existing beliefs or behavior tendencies, without requiring substantial levels of attention” (132). Prompts can help break habits in a person’s daily routine, which can help lead to behavioral change. Finally, prompts are a very cheap resource that tend to have significant yet small effects.
Bekker, M. J., Cumming, T. D., Osborne, N. K. P., Bruining, A. M., McClean, J. I., & Leland Jr, L. S. (2010). Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43(2), 327-331.
Durdan, C. A., Reeder, G. D., & Hecht, P. R. (1985). Litter in a university cafeteria: Demographic data and the use of prompts as an intervention strategy. Environment and Behavior, 17(3), 387-404.
McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2000). Fostering sustainable behavior through community-based social marketing. American Psychologist, 55(5), 531.
Olander, E. K., & Eves, F. F. (2011). Effectiveness and cost of two stair-climbing interventions—Less is more. American Journal of Health Promotion, 25(4), 231-236.
Sussman, R., Greeno, M., Gifford, R., & Scannell, L. (2013). The effectiveness of models and prompts on waaste diversion: A field experiment on composting by cafeteria patrons. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43(1), 24-35.
Van Nieuw-Amerongen, M., Kremers, S., de Vries, N., & Kok, G. (2011). The use of prompts, increased accessibility, visibility, and aesthetics of the stairwell to promote stair use in a university building. Environment & Behavior, 43(1), 131-139.