How to Measure Behavioral Spillovers: A Methodological Review and Checklist.

Matteo M Galizzi,Lorraine Whitmarsh

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00342

Matteo M Galizzi, Lorraine Whitmarsh

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00342

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Abstract

A growing stream of literature at the interface between economics and psychology is currently investigating ‘behavioral spillovers’ in (and across) different domains, including health, environmental, and pro-social behaviors. A variety of empirical methods have been used to measure behavioral spillovers to date, from qualitative self-reports to statistical/econometric analyses, from online and lab experiments to field experiments. The aim of this paper is to critically review the main experimental and non-experimental methods to measure behavioral spillovers to date, and to discuss their methodological strengths and weaknesses. A consensus mixed-method approach is then discussed which uses between-subjects randomization and behavioral observations together with qualitative self-reports in a longitudinal design in order to follow up subjects over time. In particular, participants to an experiment are randomly assigned to a treatment group where a behavioral intervention takes place to target behavior 1, or to a control group where behavior 1 takes place absent any behavioral intervention. A behavioral spillover is empirically identified as the effect of the behavioral intervention in the treatment group on a subsequent, not targeted, behavior 2, compared to the corresponding change in behavior 2 in the control group. Unexpected spillovers and additional insights (e.g., drivers, barriers, mechanisms) are elicited through analysis of qualitative data. In the spirit of the pre-analysis plan, a systematic checklist is finally proposed to guide researchers and policy-makers through the main stages and features of the study design in order to rigorously test and identify behavioral spillovers, and to favor transparency, replicability, and meta-analysis of studies.

Highlights

What Does Spillover Offer?Academic and policy interest in ‘behavioral spillover’ has grown considerably in recent years (e.g., Austin et al, 2011; Truelove et al, 2014; Nilsson et al, 2016)
A behavioral spillover is empirically identified as the effect of the behavioral intervention in the treatment group on a subsequent, not targeted, behavior 2, compared to the corresponding change in behavior 2 in the control group
We have proposed a consensus mixedmethod approach which uses a longitudinal between-subject design together with qualitative self-reports: participants are randomly assigned to a treatment group where a behavioral intervention takes place to target behavior 1, or to a control group where behavior 1 takes place absent any behavioral intervention

Summary

Introduction

What Does Spillover Offer?Academic and policy interest in ‘behavioral spillover’ has grown considerably in recent years (e.g., Austin et al, 2011; Truelove et al, 2014; Nilsson et al, 2016). Spillover is where the adoption of one behavior causes the adoption of additional, related behaviors. We assume that the initial behavior change is due to an intervention, other definitions of behavioral spillovers do not assume this (Nash et al, 2017). From a policy or practitioner perspective, the notion of behavioral spillover is attractive because it appears to hold the promise of changing a suite of behaviors in a cost-effective manner with little regulation which might be politically unpopular. For many pressing social issues, such as climate change or obesity, spillover is a promising method of achieving the scale of lifestyle change required to address these, in contrast to the typically. How to Measure Behavioral Spillovers small-scale behavioral changes achieved from most individually focussed interventions (Capstick et al, 2014). Spillover is intriguing because it sheds new light on the process of lifestyle change: rather than examining behavior change from the perspective of individual behaviors in isolation, spillover draws attention to the holistic relationships between behaviors within and between contexts, and refocus the researchers’ perspective on the complex behavioral ecologies that represent lifestyles (Geller, 2001; Schatzki, 2010)

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