Mixed logit models, also called random-parameters or error-components logit, are a generalization of standard logit that do not exhibit the restrictive “independence from irrelevant alternatives” property and explicitly account for correlations in unobserved utility over repeated choices by each customer. Mixed logits are estimated for households' choices of appliances under utility-sponsored programs that offer rebates or loans on high-efficiency appliances.

Mixed logit with repeated choices: households' choices of appliance efficiency level

Most programs to foster sustainable behavior continue to be based upon modelsof behavior change that psychological research has found to be limited. Although psychology has much to contribute to the design of effective programs to foster sustainable behavior, little attention has been paid to ensuring that psychological knowledge is accessible to those who design environmental programs. This article presents a process, community-based social marketing, that attempts to make psychological knowledge relevant and accessible to theseindividuals. Further, it provides two case studies in which program planners have utilized this approach to deliver their initiatives. Finally, it reflects on the obstacles that exist to incorporating psychological expertise into programs to promote sustainable behavior.

https://web.stanford.edu/~kcarmel/CC_BehavChange_Course/readings/Mckenzie_socialmarket_2000.pdf

Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing

Some individuals have a greater capacity than others to carry out sophisticated information processing about emotions and emotion-relevant stimuli and to use this information as a guide to thinking and behavior. The authors have termed this set of abilities emotional intelligence (EI). Since the introduction of the concept, however, a schism has developed in which some researchers focus on EI as a distinct group of mental abilities, and other researchers instead study an eclectic mix of positive traits such as happiness, self-esteem, and optimism. Clarifying what EI is and is not can help the field by better distinguishing research that is truly pertinent to EI from research that is not. EI--conceptualized as an ability--is an important variable both conceptually and empirically, and it shows incremental validity for predicting socially relevant outcomes.

/pdf/emotional-intelligence-new-ability-or-eclectic-traits-34vj4nimtz.pdf

Emotional intelligence: new ability or eclectic traits?

Efforts to explain environmental concern as a function of social structure have revealed some weak but reliable associations. Stronger associations have been found between environmental concern and...

Social Structural and Social Psychological Bases of Environmental Concern

Since anthropogenic climate change first emerged on the public agenda in the mid-to-late 1980s, public communication of climate change and—more recently—the question of how to communicate it most effectively have witnessed a steep rise. This paper synthesizes what is known, presumed, and still unknown about how to effectively communicate this problem. An introductory historical overview of climate change communication is followed by a discussion of the challenges that communicators face in trying to convey the issue (invisibility of causes, distant impacts, lack of immediacy and direct experience of the impacts, lack of gratification for taking mitigative actions, disbelief in human's global influence, complexity and uncertainty, inadequate signals indicating the need for change, perceptual limits and self-interest). The core of the paper focuses on key aspects of the communication process (purpose and scope of the communication, audience, framing, messages, messengers, modes and channels of communication, and assessing the outcomes and effectiveness of a communication). These elements are placed in relationship to several contextual factors that affect the communication process. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research on climate change communication. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Communicating climate change: history, challenges, process and future directions

Energy conservation behavior: The difficult path from information to action.

Person perception tasks involving nonverbal communication have a mystified reputation. It is frequently argued that nonverbal cues are accurately, but only unconsciously, perceived. This may explain the frequent response of judges who, when asked to decode a sample of nonverbal behavior, reply that it was “just a hunch”—i.e., show little or no awareness of how they arrived at a judgment, even a correct one. Two alternative models, the “Unconsciousness” hypothesis and the “Inarticulation” hypothesis are posited to describe the possible relationship between accuracy and awareness. Two studies are reported on the relationship between accuracy and awareness, both using the Interpersonal Perception Task (IPT). In the first study, the IPT was given to a sample of 476 undergraduates. Accuracy was measured by how many of the 30 IPT questions these judges answered correctly. Global awareness was indexed by having each judge guess how many of the 30 scenes they had answered correctly. In this coarse analysis, the accuracy-awareness relationship was positive but weak. A second experiment was conducted to produce more fine-grained tests of the accuracy-awareness relationship. Different versions of the IPT were presented to 134 undergraduates. Judges given each version of the IPT were asked to indicate their degree of confidence in each one of their answers. This second experiment found a positive, substantial relationship between accuracy and awareness, and this relationship was particularly strong when analyzed across experimental conditions as a whole. These findings support the “Inarticulation” hypothesis, and cast doubt on the “Unconsciousness” hypothesis. Implications for an emerging understanding of how nonverbal communication is processed are discussed.

Mark Costanzo

Papers

Energy conservation behavior: The difficult path from information to action.

"Just a hunch": Accuracy and awareness in person perception.

The interpersonal perception task (IPT)

The Interpersonal Perception Task (IPT): Alternative approaches to problems of theory and design.

Predictors of therapeutic talent in aspiring clinicians: A multivariate analysis.