Television has developed dramatically over the past six years in Afghanistan with a potential for providing extensive health information to its viewers, yet little is known about the coverage of health issues on Afghan television. Using the theories of agenda-setting and framing, and social norms approach this study explored what health-related topics were covered, how they were covered, and what sociocultural practices were broadcasted by the major Afghan private, national televisions. The study used a sample of six constructed weeks in 2010 of two leading private, national television networks. Firstly, the study found that priority health problems such as maternal and child health, communicable disease and mental health received very less coverage. Secondly, however, individual-level and societal-level causes were blamed equally for the health problems; individual behaviour solutions were the favourite choice of the media, turning a blind eye to government weakness and organizational solutions. Thirdly, self-prescription, religious and traditional health seeking behaviour, and gender inequity were routine practices reflected on television. As the first content analyses of the coverage of health-related issues in Afghanistan, the study provides public health professions, the Afghan media and policy makers a broad picture of health information available to the public on the leading Afghan television stations.

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between participation in park interpretive programs and attitudes, norms and behavior about theft of petrified wood at Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP). The Theory of Reasoned Action guided the research. Data collection included observation of theft behavior, on-site interviews and mailback questionnaires. Findings indicated that more time spent at interpretive centers and programs did not result in visitors; attitudes and norms about individual acts of wood theft being more negative. Also, attitudes and norms about petrified wood theft did not vary by type of interpretive programs judged most helpful in learning the park;s story and in learning the park;s rules and regulations. Tentative evidence suggests that the norm against taking a handful of wood was stronger among individuals who cited visitor centers as their most helpful source than it was for respondents who said the same about other national park interpretive programs. Similarly, the attitude variable that it is all right to take a piece of petrified wood as long as it is a small piece did vary for two categories of interpretive programs (other national park programs and all ranger programs). Ranger programs measured significantly higher than other national park programs. The rate of theft of petrified wood was not inversely related to the amount of interpretive programs participated in and did not vary by type of interpretation judged most helpful. Finally, attitudes and norms about petrified wood theft did not shape theft behavior. However, knowing visitors; attitudes helped to predict who would be a non-thief. / Master of Science

Social norms interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing problematic alcohol use on college campuses. However, not all interventions have been successful, and the campus environment may be responsible for the variable reactions that students have to these interventions. The following three articles investigate the nature and utility of social norms interventions in an environment where alcohol use is relatively low. The first article details an online social norms intervention implemented on a low-use campus. Results suggest that if adapted to the campus culture, a social norms approach to reducing alcohol use could be successful in this unique environment. The second article investigates the impact of social norms in the form of censuring alcohol use. Using the theory of reasoned action, the study shows how alcohol use differs for those exposed to different types of norms, and how attitude toward being censured may change whether exposure to a particular social norm is indicative of decreased alcohol use. The third article is a process evaluation of the social norms intervention in a unique environment. It reviews difficulties encountered in implementing an intervention as well as recommendations for future online approaches to intervention implementation.

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Sun protective attitudes and intentions were investigated in 2 experiments and 1 field study. Participants in the first experiment were female Caucasian university students between the ages of 17 and 35 years (N = 102). A 2 x 2 experimental design manipulated message frame and the normative context and measured the level of identification with the ingroup (university students) to examine intentions to engage in sun protective behaviour within the next fortnight and within the next month. To manipulate levels of ingroup normative support, participants studied bar graphs and testimonial statements showing ostensible information on the percentage of recreational sportswomen engaging in sun-protective behaviours in comparison to non-sporting women. To manipulate the message frame, messages were presented in either a gain or loss frame format. Regression analyses revealed significant effects for prior attitudes towards engaging in sun-protective behaviour in the next fortnight and also in the next month. Contrary to expectations, no interactive effects involving norms were found in the prediction of intentions. The lack of significant results were attributed to the unsuitability of the sample population (university students) in relation to sun-protective behaviours. To test third person perceptions, two measures of perceptions of influence were assessed. The first measure assessed perceptions of how much the target groups would be affected by the sun-protective advertisement and the second assessed perceptions of how much target groups would engage in regular sun-protective behaviour after reading the sun-protective advertisement. Results of the repeated measures mixed ANOVAS revealed reversed third person perceptions between self and other when participants were exposed to a supportive ingroup norms and a Sun-protective attitudes and behaviours vi classic third person effect when participants were exposed to a non-supportive ingroup norm. Similar patterns of results were found for perceptions between ingroup and outgroup members. It was concluded from study one that the manipulations due to ingroup norms may not have been effective for a sample of participants whose personal relevance for sun-protective behaviour was not strong. In study 2, sun protective attitudes, intentions and behaviour at a 2-week follow-up were investigated in an experimental study using a population more likely to engage in decision-making in relation to the target behaviour; Caucasian sportswomen between the ages of 17 and 35 years (N = 101). The 2 x 2 experimental design manipulated the normative context and image norms and measured the level of identification with ingroup (young recreational sportswomen). Ingroup norms were manipulated in a similar manner to study 1. Image norms were manipulated through the inclusion of a colour photograph featuring a sportswoman whose skin tone had been manipulated via a computer imaging program (Photoshop 6.0) to appear either pale or tanned. Regression analyses revealed a significant 2-way interaction for ingroup norm x identification on intentions. When decomposed, the interaction showed that participants who identified strongly with their ingroup had stronger intentions to engage in sun-protective behaviour in the next fortnight when exposed to a supportive ingroup norm. The findings lend support to the impact of social influence on intentions to engage in sun-protective behaviours. A trend was also revealed for the 2-way interaction for group norms x image norms on attitudes towards engaging in sun-protective behaviour in the next fortnight. The trend suggested that participants exposed to a pale image norm had more positive attitudes towards engaging in sun-protective behaviour when exposed to a supportive group norm in comparison to those exposed to a non-supportive group norm. Sun-protective attitudes and behaviours vii Thus, study 2 provided support for the interactive effects of ingroup norms and identification on intentions to engage in sun-protective behaviours suggesting that group norms, conceptualised from a SIT/SCT perspective, may be important in the sun-protective decision-making process. Study 2 also provided some support for the interactive effects of ingroup norm and image norms on attitudes towards engaging in sun-protective behaviours, highlighting the importance of investigating the effects of social influence factors in young sportswomen's sun-protective decision making processes. In study 3, participants were Caucasian women between the ages of 17 and 35 years (N = 123) who were visitors to beaches on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. A model based on the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) was developed incorporating additional normative factors (i.e., image norms, group norms and personal norms). The revised TPB model was then compared to two models previously tested in the context of health behaviours. The first comparative model was based on Jackson and Aiken's (2000) psychosocial model of sunprotection and, the second model was based on Gibbons, Gerrard, Blanton and Russell's (1998) prototype/willingness model. The models were examined using the EQS structural equation modelling program which revealed that the TPB-based model provided the most parsimonious fit to the data. The results support the inclusion of different sources of social influence (i.e., group norms and personal norms) in a TPB-based predictive model for sun-protective intentions and behaviours. Results revealed it is important to consider the impact of group norms, from a SIT/SCT perspective, on young women's sun-protective decision-making processes. Results also showed that it is important to consider the impact of young women's personal norms (i.e., internal moral rules and expectations about their own Sun-protective attitudes and behaviours viii behaviour) in the sun-protective decision-making process. Overall, the findings of the program of research suggested that it was specific referent norms that were important in the sun-protective decision-making process rather than more broad and general societal norms. Overall, the program of studies established the important role of social influence factors in young women's sun-protective decision making processes. The program of studies highlighted important theoretical and practical contributions that can aid in the development and implementation of more effective sun-protection messages to motivate young women to engage in sun-protective behaviours. The current program of research adds to the field of research by providing a comparison of the impact of various sources of social influence on attitudes and intentions to engage in sun-protective behaviour. The current research also empirically elucidates the core dimensions, mechanisms and relationships underlying the formation of sunprotective attitudes, intentions and behaviours.

Organizational culture is a comprehensive concept and is defined as norms, values and ideasof an organization. All organizations consist of management but what influences themanagement? What influences the orientation of activities? It could be interesting to reflecton which objectives the leadership form in the organization and which factors affect theformulation of the objectives. Could it be the underlying norms in the organization? Doesorganizational culture matter? Research shows that the police authority has a strongorganizational culture. The aim of this essay is to analyze the organizational culture andmanagement of the Swedish police authority. In order to gain a deeper insight into a policeorganization the police in Umeå will also be studied. In this paper organizational culture hasbeen operationalised as norms. The formal and informal organization of the police has beenstudied and thus the formal and informal norms. The questions of this essay are to investigatewhat characterizes the organizational culture and how the culture affects the management ofthe police. The methods in this graduation project are based on organizational analysis wherethe data collection has been done partly through literature review but also through interviews.The results show that different kinds of cultures occur in the Swedish police authority and theculture contains both formal and informal norms. The results also show that the cultureinfluences the objectives that are formulated, in particular with regard to a changing culturewhich requires other types of objectives. However the results indicate that the organizationalculture and the management are strongly correlated since the cultures themselves arecharacterized by objectives. The conclusions of this work are as previously mentioned thatthe culture is characterized by formal and informal norms. The culture must consist ofspecific norms in order for the police to fulfill their missions. Norms also arise morespontaneously in interaction with colleagues and the environment. Finally as previouslymentioned the organizational culture have an impact on the management.

Published Article / Modern philosophy left us with an unbridgeable divide between factual reality and the domain of values (normativity). This article first of all analyze modal norms, such as the principle of avoiding what is legally excessive. There are distinct but mutually cohering kinds of laws. The distinction between modal laws / norms and type laws / norms required an example from the domain of human society - John Locke and Adam Smith, whose ideas in practice gave birth to trade unionism and labour parties. The idea of an "invisible hand" (manifest in the "free market") operates with exact (natural) laws, such as supply and demand. When modal norms are distinguished from type norms it becomes clear that states and a business enterprises can act uneconomically by wasting their money although they ought to function in a way that is guided by economic considerations of frugality. As an example the well-known natural law of energy-conservation is explained as the embodiment of an analogical link between the physical aspect and the kinematic aspect which should rather be designated as the law of energy-constancy. Finally the problem of normativity is related to the coherence between the logical-analytical aspect and its coherence with the aspects of number and space - focused on the principle of the excluded middle and its implications for diverging schools of thought within twentieth century mathematics. The last subsection concludes with reference to the norms guiding technological developments and with an assessment of the meaning of technology.