Mechanisms of Legal Effect: Perspectives from the Behavioral Sciences

A large portion of public health is based on behavioral and sociological theory, ranging from the individual to interpersonal to population level perspectives. These theories contribute to public health law research by offering causal mechanisms for how the law does and can potentially influence health behaviors. The presentation will review the diverse set of mechanisms by which law can affect population health that emerge from psychology, social psychology and sociology, including social learning and socio-ecological theories. Intrapersonal-level theories focus on how characteristics of the individual, particularly their overall competence/skills and self-determination, determine their self-efficacy regarding laws related to specific health behaviors. Interpersonal theories focus on how interactions with one's family, peers, and community influence the development of normative beliefs about specific behaviors, and how these mediate the effects of laws on health behaviors. Social ecological theories focus on the influence of a broad array of social and cultural influences in the greater society, including the mass media and laws, and how these help determine people's attitudes towards specific behaviors. Self-efficacy, normative beliefs and attitudes all mediate the influence of laws on behavior. A comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates many of these theories, the theory of triadic influence, will be offered.