Research findings on the most successful ways to influence people’s behavior:
- Make the penalty clear beforehand.
- Use consequences instead of telling people what they “should” do. For example, “The penalty for speeding is a $100 ticket.” versus “You shouldn’t speed (DeAngelis, 2014).”
- Make the desired choice the default (DeAngelis, 2014)
- Use social norms, instead of “shoulds” or threats, Social norms are a positive use of “peer pressure” (Shank, 2025; Duckworth et al., 2025).
For example:
- When entering college students are informed of the fact that most students opt not to binge drink or use drugs. This intervention leads to reduced drinking in those students who receive the information (Shank, 2025; Duckworth et al., 2025)
- Similarly, when consumers are given feedback about good behavior others are engaging in: “Your neighbors’ households are using less energy than yours”, it encourages behavior that follows suit (DeAngelis, 2014).
Dr. Margolies commentary:
3 Parenting Tips
- When these findings are applied to parenting, here are 3 tips that can make or break whether your consequence is effective in teaching new behavior:
- Apply consequences in a neutral tone and manner, e.g., not when angry, or in an “I told you so” way, or in a way that tries to leverage fear.
Choose consequences that in some way relate to the behavior and don’t overdo it. For example, longer punishments are not more effective and can needlessly create other problems. - Reinforce the positive behavior you want whenever it occurs (more effective than negative consequences). And when kids are doing something that you want them to stop, it’s more effective to focus on what you would like them to do instead rather than simply telling them to stop. It’s easier to substitute another behavior rather than try to restrain oneself.
References:
- DeAngelis, T. (2014, December 1). Coaxing better behavior. Monitor on Psychology, 45(11). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/12/cover-coaxing
- Duckworth, J. C., Morrison, K. M., & Lee, C. M. (2025). Alcohol and cannabis perceived descriptive and injunctive norms, personal use, and consequences among 2-year college students. Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), Article 251. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030251
- Shank, F., Korovich, M., Pakan, E., Jones, M. C., & Angelone, D. J. (2025). Examining graduate student drinking patterns and normative misperceptions. Substance Use & Misuse, 60(13), 2043–2049. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2025.2531550
- Perkins, H. W. (2002). Social norms and the prevention of alcohol misuse in collegiate contexts. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Supplement No. 14, 164–172. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsas.2002.s14.164
