Temporal Distance and Intentions toward Socially Desirable Behaviors

• In Event: Motivational Processes Within Socially Desirable and Undesirable Contexts

Abstract

Construal Level Theory was tested by proposing that people’s intentions toward socially desirable behaviors (blood donation and recycling) would be greater if they consider engaging in those behaviors in the distant than near future (H1). H2 examined whether the correlation between descriptive norms and intention toward socially desirable behaviors would vary over time. Only the intention towards blood donation increased over time. The correlation between intention and perceived descriptive norms did not significantly change over time.

Authors

• Soe Yoon Choi, Rutgers University

• Hee Sun Park, Michigan State University