ASSIGNMENT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of government interventions largely depended on citizens’ willingness to adhere to recommended measures. While many studies have examined individual predictors of adherence, the role of social influence, such as the opinions and behaviours of family, friends, and social media networks, is not systematically explored.
In this project, you will design and conduct an experimental study to investigate the relative impact of different social groups on adherence to public health measures. The internship offers hands-on experience in experimental design and data collection and contributes to improving strategies for pandemic preparedness and public health communication.
KEYWORDS
Pandemic preparedness; Social influence; Public health compliance; Social norms; Experimental research
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ORGANIZATION
The section Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety at the University of Twente has a distinctive and unique profile in the areas of risk perception and risk communication, conflict and crisis management and the antecedents of risky, antisocial and criminal behaviour. It currently includes 16 research staff members and 8 PhD students. We work from both a psychology and an engineering perspective and cooperate with other scientific disciplines, based on the “high tech, human touch” profile of the University of Twente.
AVAILABILITY
Usually anytime. This internship is open for 2 students.
INTERESTED?
Please contact the internship coordinator Miriam Oostinga (m.s.d.oostinga@utwente.nl).
LITERATURE
- Godbersen H, Hofmann LA, Ruiz-Fernández S. (2020). How People Evaluate Anti-Corona Measures for Their Social Spheres: Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control. Front Psychol. 12;11:567405. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.567405. PMID: 33281669; PMCID: PMC7689201.
- Moya C, Cruz Y Celis Peniche P, Kline MA, Smaldino PE. (2020). Dynamics of behavior change in the COVID world. Am J Hum Biol. e23485. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23485. Epub 2020 Aug 23. PMID: 32830396; PMCID: PMC7460984.
- Ranieri V, Kamboj SK, Edwards SJL (2023). Perceived coercion, perceived pressures and procedural justice arising from global lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. PLOS Glob Public Health.:e0001250. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001250. PMID: 36962987; PMCID: PMC10019622.