Pay Your Taxes! Stay Behind the Yellow Line!: Testing the Normative Appraisal Scale

Abstract

Our attention is constantly drawn by messages that propose to us what should (not) be done in a specific place. According to theEvaluative Model of Normative Appeals (EMNA), we perceive them through a process (normative appraisal) that is structuredin three dimensions, and assesses the degree to which the proposal (a) comes from an institution that ensures compliance, (b)avoids physical or psychological damage, and (c) affords the performance of the main intended action. We review the theoreticalunderpinnings related to these three dimensions, create a scale tomeasure them (Normative Appraisal Scale, NAS), and validate itin two studies. Specifically, 2376 citizens in eight countries completed theNAS regarding the norms of paying taxes and not drinkingon the street (Study 1), and 1544 subway users completed it regarding two transport norms (Study 2). The analyses supportedthe three-dimensional structure of the NAS. Furthermore, the NAS increased the prediction when included along with otherpredictors: sociological variables; social axioms and values (Study 1); and descriptive norm, injunctive norm, personal control,and formal sanction (Study 2).We suggest that the NAS is useful to assess the actual perception of specific normative appeals andanticipate their effectiveness in influencing peoples’ decisions.