Document Type
Article - post-print
Publication Date
3-2009
Abstract
Misperceptions of peer drinking norms have been found to be strongly associated with individual drinking behavior, especially for proximal reference groups such as same-sex friends. Less studied are the effects of perceived preferences from the opposite sex on alcohol use; that is, the behaviors an individual believe the opposite sex prefers from them. Research suggests that these perceived “reflective” normative preferences may be particularly salient among college women, who may drink in pursuit of intimate relationships and positive attention from male peers. Heterosexual undergraduate students from two universities participated in this project. Females answered questions regarding the amount of alcohol they believe a typical male would like his female friends, dates, or romantic partners to drink. Males answered the same questions, stating their actual preferences. Results showed that females overestimate the amount of alcohol males want their female friends, dating partners, and sexual partners to drink, and that this misperception was associated with their drinking behavior, even after controlling for perceived same-sex norms. These results suggest that reflective normative feedback may offer a powerful new tool for female-targeted interventions.
Citation / Publisher Attribution
LaBrie, J. W., Cail, J., Hummer, J. F., Lac, A., & Neighbors, C. (2009). What Men Want: The Role of Reflective Opposite-Sex Normative Preferences in Alcohol Use Among College Women. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors : Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 23(1), 157–162. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0013993
Publisher Statement
This is an author-manuscript of an article accepted for publication in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors following peer review. The version of record: LaBrie, J. W., Cail, J., Hummer, J. F., Lac, A., & Neighbors, C. (2009). What Men Want: The Role of Reflective Opposite-Sex Normative Preferences in Alcohol Use Among College Women. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors : Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 23(1), 157–162 is available online at: http://doi.org/10.1037/a0013993.
