Academic dishonesty and how to address it are common concerns across higher education disciplines, but engineering students admit to higher rates of academic dishonesty than other students. However, first-year students may be particularly receptive to prevention efforts. Considering self-perception, social norming, and behavioral choice theories,…

Although peer norms significantly influence adolescents' aggressive behaviors, little research compares their effects in online and offline contexts. Specifically, online contexts differ from traditional ones by enabling anonymity and amplifying behavior visibility. These characteristics could alter norm perceptions, reducing or increasing…

Objective: To examine the influence of dynamic and trending descriptive norms on increasing physical activity and decreasing the sedentary behaviors of university students while on campus. Participants: One-hundred fifty-six university students from a Canadian university completed this study. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to receive…

This study aimed to explore the association between prestige norms of moral disengagement and ethnic bullying among Italian early adolescents. Prestige norms of moral disengagement were also examined as possible moderator of the association between individual prejudice and ethnic bullying. Participants were 742 sixth to eighth graders attending…

Background: Previous studies have shown that when young people witness bullying, perceived social norms of their peer group affect their behavior. However, few studies have examined the specificity of norm misperception (i.e., overestimation of peer antisocial responses and the underestimation of prosocial responses relative to the objective group…

While intergroup contacts and social norms both have important roles in regulating intergroup relations, their effects on intergroup outcomes have mostly been examined independently from each other. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore the role of perceived ingroup norms about intergroup contact in the relationships between both…

Background: Relationships exist between perceived peer and own use of alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco, particularly when peers and participants are sex-matched. We investigated sex influences on social norms effects for college students' non-medical prescription drug use (NMPDU). Methods: N = 1986 college students reported on their perceptions of…

Men's negative attitudes toward women represent a known risk factor for sexual aggression perpetration. Sexual aggression is a widespread public health concern, especially among emerging adults, and is associated with a multitude of negative consequences. The current study evaluated whether pornography-related perceived peer norms, own approval,…

Background: As adolescents prioritize friendship in developing their norms and values, it is important that we understand how peer influences drive positive and negative outcomes, particularly academic achievement. For example, adolescents develop perceived norms based on how they believe their peers value school, socializing, working, and…

This report presents findings from data collected through the Reality Now program, providing a long-term study exploring tobacco and vaping behaviours among Australian secondary school students. Conducted from 2018 to 2024, the program collected nearly 30,000 responses from students in Years 7 to 11. Using a social norms approach (SNA), the…

The aim of our study was to explore students' bystander roles in peer bullying considering the interaction between their individual and contextual characteristics. We included social status goals (popularity, social preference and social insecurity), moral disengagement and peer support as key variables for differentiating bystander behaviour. Our…

In this article, we integrate cultural evolutionary theory with empirical research from developmental psychology, cultural anthropology, and primatology to explore the role of peer learning in the development of complex instrumental skills and behavioral norms. We show that instrumental imitation, contingent teaching, generative collaboration, and…

This study examines the factors driving student non-compliance with AI use declarations in academic assessments at King's Business School, where 74% of students failed to declare AI usage despite declaration being a requirement of a mandatory coursework coversheet. Utilising the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a framework, the research…

Bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual harassment in high school occur in the presence of peers, who often implicitly or explicitly support this perpetration. This study examines the impact of a social norms campaign on personal and perceived peer norms related to bullying, cyberbullying, and sexual harassment. Wilcoxon signed ranks tests indicate…

Co-curricular activities have been shown to impact many measures of academic success, such as academic self-confidence, leadership abilities, identity development, personal development, and student thriving. Borrowing from established research paradigms on pluralistic ignorance, the current study sought to explore whether first-year and senior…