How precise are the specifications of a psychological theory? Comparing implementations of lindenberg and steg’s goal-framing theory of everyday pro-environmental behaviour

Abstract

This chapter compares four implementations of (Lindenberg and Steg, J Soc Issues 63(1):117-137, 2007) Goal-Framing Theory of everyday pro-environmental behaviour. Two are from different versions of CEDSS (Community Energy Demand Social Simulator, versions 3.3 and 3.4); the other two are different versions of a completely different model that also draws on Goal-Framing Theory (Rangoni and Jager, Modeling social phenomena in spatial context. Lit Verlag, Zürich, Switzerland, 2013). We find that despite some similarities in the models, the implementations are different in a number of important ways, driven in part by the case studies to which they are applied, but also by areas where Goal-Framing Theory doesn’t specify any mechanism. We anticipate that as more and more agent-based models draw on social theories, comparisons such as that herein will enable advances in both modelling and the social sciences.