Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Theory and Experimental Test of Collective Action Participation

University South Carolina Research Foundation, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

SES-0720935 Shane Thye Christine Witkowski University of South Carolina Collective problems are pervasive features of social life that compromise health and well-being on many levels. Familiar examples include HIV/AIDs, terrorism, collapsing fisheries, avian flu, rainforest destruction, and global climate change. Unfortunately, motivating people to get involved in collective problem solving, otherwise known as collective action ("CA"), can be difficult. Despite efforts by scholars to shed light on when and why an individual will decide to participate in collective problem solving, the scientific community still lacks sufficient knowledge about when cognitive support for CA leads to actual participation in that CA. Building on earlier theories and capitalizing upon foundational social psychological insights, this study addresses this issue by offering a new theory that answers the question "why do some individuals respond to a call to action that seeks to involve them in collective problem solving while others do not?" Data will be collected through a laboratory experiment at the University of South Carolina Laboratory for Sociological Research. The centerpiece of the PIs' theory asserts that an appeal for CA that is consistent with an individual's existing beliefs is more likely to be perceived as credible, is more likely to be supported intellectually and emotionally, and is more likely to lead to actual participation. The investigators incorporate these ideas into a single theoretical framework and propose new research to test core ideas of this theory. Specifically, a new laboratory experiment is designed to determine whether consistency between a CA appeal and an individual's preexisting beliefs is a necessary condition for message credibility, cognitive support, and actual participation in the CA. In the experiment, the PIs first evaluate the subjects' beliefs then administer a CA appeal that is either consistent or inconsistent with those beliefs. Subjects then evaluate the credibility of the message, indicate their level of cognitive support for the CA, and decide whether or not to actually participate in the CA. This work combines a number of existing ideas about CA participation into a succinct theoretical framework that can be tested, thus allowing the investigators to fill a gap in the social scientific understanding of how people are compelled to become engaged in collective problem solving. This project will deepen our understanding of when and why people choose to participate in CA. A key theoretical contribution is the bridging of the gap between existing explanations of CA with an eye toward a broader and more integrative model. Additionally, the investigators will train and provide research experience to female and minority students (both graduate and undergraduate) in the Laboratory for Sociological Research. An understanding of when and why people choose to become involved in CA would benefit scientists and practitioners alike. The former include students of sociology, social psychology, social marketing, persuasion and communication; the latter include organizers and policy makers working for NGOs, government organizations, and corporations striving to mobilize CA. Participation in collective problem solving is needed to disentangle world-wide problems such as the HIV/AIDs epidemic, widespread ecological devastation, global climate change, and the growth of malicious political regimes or terrorist organizations that threaten public health, safety, and security.