Validating the pro-environmental behavior task in Chinese context

In recent years, research on pro-environmental behavior has been predominantly grounded in self-report methodologies. Although experimental paradigms can offer more controlled insights into environmental behavior, their development has been constrained by a lack of standardized, validated tools. The Pro-Environmental Behavior Task (PEBT), validated in Belgium and Japan, offers a promising approach, but cross-cultural evidence remains scarce and its long-term temporal stability has not been thoroughly assessed. This study aimed to evaluate the PEBT in a Chinese university sample (N = 299) by adapting task parameters to better reflect cultural response tendencies-specifically, increasing wait time differences and reducing trial numbers. Results showed that participants' choices were systematically influenced by behavioral cost (wait time) and environmental consequence (CO₂ emissions), indicating that participants took the consequences implemented in the PEBT seriously. Furthermore, PEBT behavior correlated with self-reported environmental propensity and real donation behavior. A four-month follow-up revealed moderate test-retest reliability (r = .60; ICC = .56), indicating temporal stability. Together, these findings support the PEBT's cross-cultural applicability and its potential as a context-sensitive behavioral indicator of environmental propensity for use in laboratory-based research.