Information Ability, Anchoring-adjustment And Behavioral Transition Of Vegetable Farmers’ Pesticides-Use

The quality safety of agricultural products has become a focus and hotspot of the whole society. Vegetable farmers use banned pesticides which generating pesticide residues have caused a serious social problem. To change the use of pesticides and improve the pesticides usage level of vegetable farmers is beneficial to reduce pesticide residues and reduce the pesticide pollution to soil and water quality hence to improve the quality and safety of agricultural products and the international competitiveness of agricultural products. Psychological varable is an important factor of behavior Transition, but previous studies appeared to ignore this perspective. Under the research paradigm of behavioral economics, this study, beginning with the phases of information acquisition and anchoring adjustment during the decision-making process of pesticides’ use, try to investigate and verify the functional mechanism of the behavior Transition of vegetable farmers’ pesticide which caused by the impact of information acquisition and anchoring adjustment.This study consists of seven chapters, chapter three to six are the core, and mainly researching can be summarized as follows:(1) Theoretical analysis. The first is to analyze the behavior-Transition motive of vegetable farmers’ pesticides use by psychological motivation theory. The second is to make the economics interpretation on the behavior Transition of vegetable farmers’ pesticides according to advanced microeconomic theory and evolutionary game analysis. The last is to reveal the Transition mechanism of the vegetable farmers on the basis of comprehensive information theory, anchoring adjustment model and the classic behavioral economics theory.(2) Empirical analysis. Based on the survey data of 306 farmers in weifang city, zibo city, dongying city, yantai city, qingdao city, laiwu city and rizhao city of Shandong province, this study has measured the levels of farmers’ information consciousness, information demand, information cognition, information acquisition, information utilization and information source or channel and found the significant influencing factors; Secondly, vegetable farmers’ cognitive anchoring and cognitive adjustment have been gauged and the impact of information ability to the cognitive adjustment, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control also been verified; Finally, using the structural equation model, this study has verified the behavior-Transition mechanism.The main findings of this study are as follows:First, the levels of information consciousness, information demand, information cognition, information acquisition and information utilization are relatively high. Among the affecting factors, the training experiences are significant. Farmers’information sources and channels are single and mainly traditional channels, through the introduction of the sales staff. As to choosing what kind of pesticide for prevention and control of plant diseases and insect pests, farmers mainly depend on their own experience. The previous experience, whether attending cooperatives and the training experiences are major factors deciding whether farmers rely on own experience when selecting pesticides. The more experience farmers have, the more they tend to rely on experience rather than other channels. Training experience as a confounding variable of age and information channels affecting farmers to make decision.Second, vegetable farmers have a high level of cognitive anchoring for the purchasing quantity and place of pesticides, using intervals and waste after use. Influenced by the outside information, great cognitive changes of pesticide residues, impact to health and the environment have been perceived by the vegetable farmers. Training experience played a regulatory role in the first place of cognition anchor, and then reinforced it. The vegetable farmers’information ability affects anchoring adjustment, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. The improvement of information ability of vegetable farmers has a positive significant effect on cognitive adjustment, subjective norm and perceived behavior control.Third, a medium affecting exists in the influence of the information ability to behavior Transition of pesticides use. The information utilization directly influences farmers’behavior Transition of pesticides use and the information acquisition influences the behavior Transition indirectly. Training experience as a moderator variable affects the transformation paths of farmers to use pesticides.This study has the following traits:First, this study has verified that the study on transformation mechanism of vegetable farmers’pesticides-use behavior, not only studying on the research of the pesticides-use behavior. Only when the behavior changed, can the vegetable safety be guaranteed from the production source.Second, (1) Based on the information theory of information science, this study has measured and calculated the levels of information consciousness, information demand, information cognition, information acquisition and information utilization;(2) The study has verified the functional mechanism of information ability affecting anchoring adjustment on the basis of anchoring psychological model and anchoring adjustment model;(3) This study from three perspectives has verified the partial mediation effect of information acquisition influencing the pesticides-use behavior transformation, which are the effect of information ability through cognitive adjustment, the effect of information ability through cognitive adjustment, subjective norms and the effect of training experience as an moderator variable influences the information ability affecting behavior transformation.Third, this study is based on behavioral economics research paradigm, introducing the relevant theories of information science and psychology to analyze the pesticides-use behavior transformation of farmers. This study has detailed expounded the effects of information acquisition and anchoring adjustment on the change of farmers’ pesticides-use behavior.