PSYC FPX 2520 Assessment 1 Age Restrictions for Alcohol Consumption

PSYC FPX 2520 Assessment 1

Age Restrictions for Alcohol Consumption

Student Name 

PSYC FPX2520

Capella University

 Peof. Name

Submission Date

Introduction

The alcohol consumption age-related limits are one of the main elements of the social policy that should ensure health and safety. These policies govern the legal age at which one can buy, keep, or use alcoholic drinks. Countries have a legal drinking age, although in most cases it is 18 or even 21, in an attempt to cut down harm caused by alcohol, which may be accidents, violence, and long-term health problems. According to scientific evidence, young people are more susceptible to alcohol-related problems since their brains are more exposed to its adverse effects (Goede et al., 2021). Law enforcement is attempting to prevent underage drinking, and the health professionals of the general population educate everyone about the dangers of alcohol through awareness programs. With time, the age restriction has also been changed according to the changing societal attitudes and emerging facts regarding the effects of alcohol on the youth development, mental health, and physical health.

Presentation of Self and Alcohol Consumption Policy Stance

Impression management involves controlling how others perceive us, aiming for a favourable image.

Influence on Alcohol Consumption Policy: The fear of losing a hardcore appearance may make some people or those with a high profile support the argument that the age limit should be raised to drink, when the reality may indicate that education and harm reduction can be more effective (Lesch & McCambridge, 2021).

Example: Politicians can go on record advocating the raising of the drinking age or more severe punishment of underage drinking to be perceived as tough on matters of social security, but research may show that prevention and education may be more effective in its results.

Biases and Policy Effectiveness

Impact of Biases: The biases based on cognitive shortcuts and impression management may influence the perceptions about alcohol consumption and age limits among the population and impact policy decisions.

Policy Outcomes: These prejudices frequently become the basis of supporting a stricter age limit or punitive action, when the evidence shows that properly designed public health campaigns and educational efforts can do more to curb underage drinking and its negative effects.

Social Cognition Concepts Leading to Resistance: Attribution Theory and Age Restrictions for Alcohol Consumption

Attribution theory explores how individuals assign reasons to behaviors, differentiating between internal (dispositional) and external (situational) factors.

Impact on Alcohol Consumption Policies: Individuals might oppose the regulations on age limit to alcohol consumption provided they view underage drinking as an individual failure or the consequence of improper upbringing, as opposed to a multi-dimensional problem that is predetermined by social, environmental, and psychological variables (Caluzzi et al., 2021).

Consequences: The belief may cause negative views towards more permissive or education-based methods. To illustrate, the perception of underage drinking as a consequence of personal irresponsibility can cause resistance against the preventative, educative, and rehabilitative policies.

Cognitive Heuristics and Public Perception

Cognitive heuristics are mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making but can lead to biases.

Availability Heuristic: This heuristic causes people to judge the frequency of events based on how easily examples come to mind.

Media Influence: Entering such extensive media coverage of alcohol-related accidents or crimes may lead to an overestimation of the prevalence of underage drinking, which may affect the support of the population in favor of the stronger age limit or more severe sanctions against breaking it, although they may not be the most effective. 

Using Dual Process Models of Persuasion

The Dual Process Model of Persuasion distinguishes the two principal strategies, namely the central and peripheral routes, namely thorough analysis of arguments and superficial cues, respectively. The central route is particularly efficient in cases when individuals are motivated and capable of thoroughly assessing detailed information. The central route is highly convincing when it becomes the tool to persuade on the issue of the age limit of alcohol consumption (Maksim & Śpiewak, 2022). The approach involves making substantiated claims on the advantages of such policies, including minimizing alcohol-related harm, improving the population health, and underage drinking. An awareness campaign to the population may involve research facts, expert recommendations, and testimonials to show the effectiveness of age limits and make people interested in the information, and convinced by the facts.

Encouraging Compliance through the Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Foot-in-the-door method is based on a small initial request to acquire preliminary acceptance and proceed with a bigger and related request (Maksim & Śpiewak, 2022). The principle involved in this approach is commitment and consistency. To promote compliance with age limits on alcohol consumption, begin with small steps, that is, attending alcohol education programs or supporting local organizations to prevent underage drinking. By doing these smaller commitments, the individuals would have more chances in supporting bigger change in policy and they would also engage in community enforcement. As an example, establishing an awareness campaign to get the community to sign petitions or, take part in community-based alcohol prevention programs can create a following. This gradual system is more likely to end up getting people to ultimately adhere to more general age restriction policies.

Psychology’s Role

Psychology is instrumental in influencing the policy of the masses through providing an insight into the human behaviour and decision-making process. It enables policymakers to develop initiatives, which fit social norms and opinions of the population, making them more effective (Jackson & Bartholow, 2020). As an illustration, persuasive messages and behavioural approaches that may enhance age regulations against taking alcohol can be developed using psychological concepts. Also, psychology can be used to maximize communication so that these policies can be well grasped and are accepted by many people. Finally, psychological research would help to make the policies of age restriction more specific, effective, and influential to make people support and follow them.

Research Findings from the Article

The study on age limits of alcohol consumption reveals that psychological concepts of social influence, persuasion, and compliance play a big role in influencing the masses to comply with these laws. Jackson & Bartholow, (2020), state that regulatory messages which incorporate the use of central route persuasion, whereby they include logical and well-constructed arguments by credible sources are especially effective when it comes to changing the mindsets of the population. An example is where messages that focus on the dangers of underage drinking, including the health consequences over the long-term and poor judgment, backed by science, have been reported to enhance the obedience of the people to the age limits. Bartholow and Jackson, (2020) also highlight the usefulness of the foot-in-the-door technique in persuading compliance to alcohol policy. When smaller regulatory demands, like the encouragement of local efforts to increase the awareness of the risks of underage drinking, are undertaken first, it will become possible to make people more accepting of the more severe actions, such as the increase in legal drinking age. This incremental strategy assists in cultivating a feeling of dedication towards the policy and extends the community to be in support of it.