The Influence of Social Norms on Athletes' Alcohol-Related Decision Making for Others

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to examine alcohol-related decision making for others in a sample of athletes, with a focus on the effect of injunctive norms on decision making. Based on social values theory, it was expected that decisions made for others would align more closely with the injunctive norms in comparison to self-decisions. Online surveys were administered to 285 college student-athletes from Wake Forest University and the United States Air Force Academy. In particular, hypothetical scenarios asked participants to indicate whether they would decide to drink heavily in certain situations, as well as whether they would decide for their teammate to drink heavily in those same situations. Results showed an effect of injunctive norms on decisions to drink heavily, as well as an interactive effect on decisions to drink heavily between the injunctive norms and social identity of the athletes. Although no self-other differences in decisions to drink heavily were identified in the current study, several explanations are provided for this outcome.