An Experimental Analysis Of Non-acting and Acting Cues: Using The Automated Operation Span Task To Assess Light Regulation As Energy Saving

Abstract

In 2015, the Paris Agreement emerged as a global initiative from the notion that contemporary environmental challenges are caused by unsustainable patterns of human activity. Subsequent behaviour change interventions were focused on promoting individual pro-environmental behaviours from a rational-actor paradigm. They viewed behaviour is determined by reasoned choices, motivation, and conscious intent. Many cases of energy consumption behaviours that are ought to be changed are rather habitual. Their formation serves an adaptive purpose of reducing demand on one’s attention and memory processing and may then lead to stubborn patterns of behaviour that are hard to change. One such example concerns non-acting habits, whereby individuals refrain from performing an energy saving action because it became part of their behavioural routine. The present study sought to explore the effects of frequent non-acting for energy saving action omitted in an adapted version of the Automated Operation Span Task. 73 Participants took part in the online experiment. The results indicated that there was no difference between frequent and less frequent non-acting for the amount of energy saving actions omitted. Instead, the current research offers a challenge for the rationale behind pro-environmental behaviours. Future research is addressed, and the newly developed paradigm is discussed