Environmental and Health Psychology (EHPsy)

Research of this cluster targets at understanding how psychological interventions change opinions, behavioral determinants, and behaviors and how these individual changes affect phenomena on the population level. Based on this understanding, intervention techniques and campaigns can be developed that are more efficient, robust, and have a longer lasting effect.

                                   Cluster Structure

Team: Hans-Joachim Mosler, Robert Tobias, Nadja Contzen, Elisabeth Seimetz, Ina Sonego, Innocent Kamara

A guideline for behavior change

Publications

Psychological topics

• Effects and effectiveness of behavior change techniques: Psychological determinants of behavior; corresponding behavior change techniques; etc.
• Situational effects on behavior: Prospective memory; habit development; social norms; etc.
• Communication and ‘thinking’: Message production, persuasion, and risk communication; mental models and decision making of ‘common people’; information selection and interpretation; etc.
• Interaction processes in populations and media effects: Cooperation and collective actions; diffusion of innovations; behavior caused disease spreading; opinion dynamics; etc.

Water-research topic

Water consumption and drinking water

• Use of household water-treatment systems in developing countries: SODIS; As- and F-mitigation techniques; etc.
• Safe storage and handling of water in developing countries
• Consumption of and opinions related to tap-water in developed countries: Consumption of tap vs. bottled water; micro-pollutants in tap-water; etc.
• Consumption of and opinions related to consumption of virtual water in developed countries
• Acquisition, use, and maintenance of latrines in developing countries
• Promotion of hand-washing and other hygiene-related behaviors (e.g., protection against flies)
• General hygiene personal norm
• Behaviors and opinions related to waste-water: Use of urine-bags after X-ray treatment; opinions on waste-water policies; conscious use of chemicals at home; etc.
• Aquatic ecosystems and ground water:
• Behaviors affecting aquatic ecosystems and ground water: Irrigation behavior and use of chemicals by farmers; relocation of boats infected with invasive dreissenids; fish-stocking behavior; etc.
• Opinions related to aquatic ecosystems and ground water: Subjective value of certain aquatic systems (e.g., for recreation); opinions on policies regarding aquatic ecosystems and ground-water reserves; etc.

Sanitation / hygiene and wastewater

• Acquisition, use, and maintenance of latrines in developing countries
• Promotion of hand-washing and other hygiene-related behaviors (e.g., protection against flies)
• General hygiene personal norm
• Behaviors and opinions related to waste-water: Use of urine-bags after X-ray treatment; opinions on waste-water policies; conscious use of chemicals at home; etc.

Aquatic ecosystems and ground water

• Behaviors affecting aquatic ecosystems and ground water: Irrigation behavior and use of chemicals by farmers; relocation of boats infected with invasive dreissenids; fish-stocking behavior; etc.
• Opinions related to aquatic ecosystems and ground water: Subjective value of certain aquatic systems (e.g., for recreation); opinions on policies regarding aquatic ecosystems and ground-water reserves; etc.

Methods

Data gathering

• Household surveys (cross-sectional, longitudinal, and time-series)
• Surveys with experimental manipulations and Internet-based experiments
• Campaigns and field experiments
• Behavior observation and recording of conversations

Statistical analyses

• Multivariate statistical modeling (e.g., regression analyses, also non-linear)
• Mediator-moderator analyses (covariance-based and case-based)
• Multi-level analyses
• Quantitative conversation analyses
• Social network analyses

Agent-based computer simulation

• Data-based system analysis: Parameter estimation, cross-validation, analysis of identifiability, sensitivity, uncertainty, etc.
• Systematic exploration and scenario investigation