During adolescence many youth spend increasing amounts of time gaining new knowledge and skills outside of their home in environments such as structured afterschool activities. In these settings, youth have meaningful opportunities to explore new interests, develop varied competencies, and seek social support from peers and adults. As youth get older rates of participation in structured activities decline. Given the role that structured activities can play in nurturing positive youth development, gaining a better understanding of how peers may affect youth's choice to participate in structured activities is important. This study used logistic regression to examine the role of peer influence and how the perceptions of close friends (direct peer influence) and other peers (social norms) impact a youth's decision to participate in structured activities as well as use alcohol and marijuana. Additionally, the association between youth participation in structured activities and reported use of alcohol and marijuana was examined. Study results indicated that youth who reported engaging in specific types of structured activities, specifically performing arts and volunteering, reported lower rates of alcohol and marijuana use respectively. Direct peer influence was an important factor in substance use whereby for each additional best friend a youth had that participated in school activities, students were less likely to have used alcohol or marijuana. Findings are interpreted using an ecological systems perspective and demonstrate that gaining a better understanding of the influence that direct peers and social norms exert on youth behavior has important implications for promoting the positive development of youth.

This research aims to examine a framework to test the relationships between consumers' perceptions of a retailer's brand personality and outcome variables (i.e., positive word-of-mouth about and patronage intention toward the retailer) by applying identity and social identity theories to reveal possible factors influencing these relationships in both department and discount retailer image formats. This research hypothesized that retailer brand personality should influence consumers' behavioral outcomes through private and public forms of self-congruity. The more positive the perception of a retailer's brand personality, the higher the private and public self-congruities with the brand personality. In addition, considering the unique, tangible nature of a store's environment, this research suggested that retailer brand identity (RBI), a consumer's perception of oneness with a retailer brand, should play an important role in the retailer brand personality-behavioral outcomes framework by mediating the influences of both private and public self-congruities on various behavioral outcomes. Moreover, the relationships among two forms of self-congruity and perceived RBI should be moderated by the shopping conspicuousness situation (i.e., whether co-shopping with important others or alone and whether shopping in an environment in which one is visible to important others or is relatively secluded) and consumer shopping involvement (i.e., whether consumers see shopping as an important and self-relevant activity). To test the study's hypotheses, data were collected from a sample of 616 general consumers via a self-administered questionnaire provided through the website of an online survey research firm. This research used a 2 (retailer image format) X 2 (shopping situation conspicuousness) between-subjects quasi-experimental design in which subjects were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups who read a scenario that provided a description of a retailer image format of either a hypothetical department (n = 311) or discount store (n = 305) and a description that manipulated the shopping situation as being either high (n = 303) or low (n = 313) in shopping conspicuousness. Results revealed that the retailer brand personality scale, adapted from BPS, a brand personality scale developed by Aaker (1997) and other scales specifically used to measure retailer brand personality (Dardin & Babin, 1994; d'Astous & Lévesque, 2003; Helgeson & Supphellen, 2004) comprised two positive dimensions (i.e., Modish and Genuine) and one negative dimension (Inactive). Each dimension influenced the behavioral outcomes of Word-of-Mouth and Patronage Intention differently. Perceived Genuineness was the most influential dimension among the three, exerting direct and indirect influences through increasing Private and Public Self-congruities and overall RBI on both WOM and Patronage Intention. However, Modish had only a direct negative effect on Patronage Intentions whereas Inactive had indirect effects on both behavioral outcomes through a combined (direct and indirect) negative effect on overall RBI. This research also revealed that overall RBI, driven by its affective and evaluative dimensions, fully mediated the influences of Private and Public Self-congruities on behavioral outcomes, suggesting overall RBI as an important factor in the retailer brand personality-behavioral outcomes framework. Moreover, the relationship between Public Self-congruity and overall RBI was found to be stronger in the high Shopping Conspicuousness Situation whereas the relationship between Private Self-congruity and overall RBI was found to be stronger in the department store image format. The moderating role of Consumer Shopping Involvement on the relationships among self-congruities and overall RBI was not significant. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings and limitations of the study are provided.

Currently our world consumes the equivalent of 1.6 earths per year. Although the production has become resource-efficient by using fewer natural resources to produce one dollar of GDP, per-capita consumption in the US firmly increases. Individuals consume an ever-increasing quantity of goods and services which inevitably leads to environmental damages in terms of pollution, deforestation, climate change and psychological disorders such as reduced wellbeing, unhappiness, and anxiety. Past research has suggested that embracing sustainable consumption - where consumption of products and services have minimal impact on the environment, and improvement in society's wellbeing-might mitigate the detrimental effects of over-consumption. Increasingly studies in this stream propose that adopting a psychological approach, specifically by enhancing individuals' inherent capability known as mindfulness may aid in boosting sustainable consumption behaviors. However, only few studies have investigated the decision-making processes associated with mindfulness that could show a detailed picture of how mindfulness - receptive attention to and present moment awareness is positively associated with sustainable consumption behaviors. Conceptual model for this study was built based on mindfulness-related mechanisms, namely re-perceiving, systematic processing, and ability to overcome need for fulfillment. Using a four-step conceptual model: mindfulness-cognitive personality variables-values and beliefs variables-sustainable consumption behaviors, this research empirically examines how trait mindfulness is associated with sustainable consumption behaviors. Embracing a broad definition of sustainable consumption in terms of its impact on environment (composition) and level of consumption (volume), this research includes both pro-environmental and downshifting consumption behaviors. By utilizing an online survey method, data was collected from 1005 respondents in Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk). Findings from self-reported measures suggested that while mindfulness directly and positively associated with sustainable behaviors, significant indirect relationships are explained by cognitive personality variables such as cognitive flexibility, need for cognition, attention based self-regulatory control, and values/beliefs namely altruistic values, self-acceptance values, materialistic values, and perceived consumer effectiveness. Comparing empirical models using measures of both socio-cognitive based mindfulness and meditation based mindfulness demonstrated that the former has both direct and indirect relationships with sustainable behaviors while the latter showed only indirect relationships through cognitive personality variables and values/beliefs. By identifying cognitive personality variables that are closely associated with mindfulness, this research teases out the tenets of mindfulness that are more relevant for sustainable consumption behaviors. Also, the recognized cognitive personality variables in this research have been rigorously studied in consumer behavior research, hence finding their relationships with mindfulness might help uncover applications of mindfulness in mainstream consumer behavior research. In addition, by supporting relationships involving cognitive personality variables and values/beliefs relevant for sustainable consumption, this study may offer insights for policy makers and practitioners in maneuvering consumers' mindfulness and their sustainable behaviors to bring about change in their sustainable consumption behaviors.

Cognitive dissonance theory and selective information exposure literature postulate that individuals ignore preference-inconsistent information and selectively process new information. Previous studies on selective information exposure have shown that preference-inconsistent information is not persuasive for consumer decision making. Given the limited amount of past research about the effect of preference-inconsistent information on decision-making in broad domains of consumer behavior studies, the current study investigated how preference-inconsistent information can persuade consumers to switch to a sustainable product alternative. The purpose of this study is to investigate the process how preference-inconsistent sustainability-related information can be considered as important, consequently changing consumers' initial preference to green alternatives. A series of online experiments was conducted using a shampoo product category. Study 1 tested a baseline effect on whether consumers in the preference-inconsistent condition were persuaded to change their initial choice significantly compared to those in the preference-consistent condition. Study 2 tested the effect of preference-inconsistent sustainability-related information in the acceptance process, focusing on the role of brand commitment and information quality. Study 3 examined the effect of preference-inconsistent sustainability-related information in the evaluation process, investigating the impact of consumer environmental concern and PCE. Findings of Study 1 revealed that consumers in the preference-inconsistent condition were significantly persuaded to change choice to a sustainable alternative, which is not consistent with selective exposure literature. However, Study 1 findings were not sufficient to determine what specific factors influenced respondents to be persuaded, which provides justifications for Study 2 and Study 3. Findings in Study 2 and Study 3 conclusively demonstrated the importance of the credibility of preference-inconsistent information in the acceptance process. Also, findings suggested that the effect of credibility is stronger than that of brand commitment in the acceptance process. Regarding brand commitment, the results have shown that high commitment consumers had a higher acceptance of inconsistent information which is opposite to expectations. Further, the findings demonstrated the importance of environmental concern and the conditional effect of PCE in the evaluation process. Moreover, results supported that the relative weighting of sustainability attributes is driving the effects of environmental concern and PCE as a mediator on persuasion outcomes in the evaluation process. The current study contributes to understanding the process in which the preference-inconsistent information can be effective in influencing consumer choice. Moreover, findings from this research can provide implications for selective exposure literature and sustainable consumption literature. Practically, the results of the study provide implications to guide marketers and information providers in establishing effective ways to change consumers' behavior in sustainable consumption context.

The present study identifies processes contributing to variability in antisocial and prosocial behaviors in early adolescence. More specifically, we considered how perceived feedback from adults (i.e., adult praise) and peers (i.e., coolness) might account for some of the established associations between peer involvement in prosocial behaviors and an individual's engagement in prosocial and antisocial behaviors in the school context. Both adult praise and peer prosocial behavior are tested as predictors of school engagement and antisocial behavior in schools, with perceived feedback from peers (i.e., coolness) examined as both a mediator and moderator using multilevel analysis (MLM) in a statewide sub-sample (N=6,525) of 8th grade Middle School/Junior High students located in Southwestern United States. Results testing mediation indicate a significantly positive association between reports of peer prosocial behavior and individual's own involvement in prosocial behaviors, and a significantly inverse association between reports of peer prosocial behavior and individual's own antisocial behaviors. Perceived feedback from peers (i.e., coolness) only partially accounted for these associations. Conversely, results testing moderation indicated a significantly positive link between perceived feedback from adults (i.e., adult praise) and individual's own engagement in prosocial behaviors, and an inverse association between perceived feedback from adults (i.e., adult praise) and individual's own antisocial behaviors. No interaction effects were observed for perceived feedback from peers (i.e., coolness) on these associations. These findings extend literature regarding the processes through which peer involvement in prosocial behavior is linked to individual prosocial and antisocial behaviors. This study makes research advancements by considering the contributions of perceived feedback from both adults and peers that can both be significant during early adolescence. These results justify implications for practice and policy related to prevention/intervention efforts that include peer associations, since they matter for prosocial behavior.

Paternal support is often linked to lower levels of maternal distress. However, this link is less established among the increasing numbers of Mexican-American families with a romantic partner social (RPS) father, that is, mothers' partners who are not formally identified as stepfathers. This study applied a bioecological systems framework to test linkages between RPS father support and maternal depression and parenting stress above and beyond ecological stressors, and to consider whether nonresident biological father support and general instrumental support moderate this link. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we analyze a subsample of Mexican-American mothers (N = 76) with three-year-olds, who are involved in a relationship with a RPS father and maintain contact with the nonresident biological father. Findings indicate that mothers who reported greater support from RPS fathers also reported lower depressive symptomatology when they also reported greater support from nonresident biological fathers or reported being in a recent relationship with the RPS father; mothers from more established relationships reported more depressive symptoms. However, mothers with lower perceived instrumental social support reported high maternal depressive symptoms, even while receiving support from RPS fathers. Neither source of support significantly predicted maternal parenting stress. Overall, our results reveal complex, interactive associations between these combined sources of support and maternal mental health in these increasingly common family structures.