Assessing the immediate impact of normative drinking information using an immediate post-test randomized controlled design: Implications for normative feedback interventions?

Abstract

One alternative explanation for the observed impact of normative feedback interventions is that participants who receive normative information will just report reductions in their drinking rather than actually reducing the amount they drink. The current study tested the immediate impact of receiving normative information on self-reports of drinking. Methods: A random half of participants (39 out of 80) were presented with normative information about college drinking and then asked information about their drinking. Participants in the control condition were not presented with the normative information before answering the questions about their drinking. Results: Risky drinking participants presented with the normative information reported significantly less drinking as compared to those in the control condition (p<. .05). Show more