Extending the Return Potential Model With a Descriptive Normative Belief Measure

Norm research continually informs our understanding of the relationships between societies and natural resources. This research note presents an operationalization of descriptive beliefs within the return potential model (RPM) framework. We observed significant differences between a traditional RPM measure of approval and a descriptive measure of commonness in the context of boaters’ aquatic invasive species mitigation behaviors. These results provide empirical evidence of two normative belief dimensions manifesting with different structure and characteristics within the same natural resources setting. The implications of these results are twofold: (1) they demonstrate the utility and added value of an RPM that conceptualizes and operationalizes multiple normative belief dimensions and (2) provide researchers and managers with a methodology that is complementary to established methods but improves the comprehensiveness of applied norm research within natural resource settings.规范研究（Norm research）持续深化我们对社会与自然资源间关系的认知。本研究简报阐述了回报潜力模型（Return Potential Model, RPM）框架下描述性信念的操作化路径。我们发现，在船民的水生入侵物种减缓行为场景中，传统RPM认可度量与描述性常见度度量之间存在显著差异。上述结果为同一自然资源场景下两种结构与特征各异的规范信念维度提供了实证依据。本研究结果的启示包含两方面：其一，证实了同时概念化并操作化多维度规范信念的RPM模型的实用性与附加价值；其二，为研究人员与管理者提供了一套与既有方法互为补充的方法论，可提升自然资源场景下应用规范研究的全面性。