Social Norms Misperceptions and Longitudinal Risky Alcohol Use (2013)

Undergraduate: Michael Giordano

Faculty Advisor: Mitch Prinstein
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Past research has shown that college students consistently misperceive the amount of alcohol that their peers consume; consistent with theories of peer influence, this misperception is linked to personal use of alcohol. Few studies to date have used to longitudinal design to assess how these relationships change over time, and the reciprocal effects between social norms perceptions and personal levels of alcohol use. A representative sample of 889 UNC students completed survey questionnaires during their summer orientation, and again during their first year and finally 4 years later. Risky alcohol use, social norms perceptions, academic achievement, and misconduct were all assessed. Latent growth curve modeling revealed that social norms perceptions before entering college were significantly related to baseline levels of alcohol use. Both initial levels of alcohol use and changes in alcohol use predicted later social norms perceptions. Analyses revealed that alcohol use is related to GPA; an unexpected finding suggests that perceptions of alcohol use are related to GPA. Findings underscore the importance of the transition period between high school and college and highlight the reciprocal relationship between alcohol use and social norms perceptions.