Behavioral Science Perspective Research Articles

Will Student Contracts Keep Campuses Safe From COVID-19? A Behavioral Science Perspective.

Will Student Contracts Keep Campuses Safe From COVID-19? A Behavioral Science Perspective.

The Role of Behavioral Science in Personalized Multimodal Prehabilitation in Cancer.

Multimodal prehabilitation is increasingly recognized as an important component of the pre-operative pathway in oncology. It aims to optimize physical and psychological health through delivery of a series of tailored interventions including exercise, nutrition, and psychological support. At the core of this prescription is a need for considerable health behavior change, to ensure that patients are engaged with and adhere to these interventions and experience the associated benefits. To date the prehabilitation literature has focused on testing the efficacy of devised exercise and nutritional interventions with a primary focus on physiological and mechanistic outcomes with little consideration for the role of behavioral science, supporting individual behavior change or optimizing patient engagement. Changing health behavior is complex and to maximize success, prehabilitation programs should draw on latest insights from the field of behavioral science. Behavioral science offers extensive knowledge on theories and models of health behavior change to further advance intervention effectiveness. Similarly, interventions developed with a person-centered approach, taking into consideration individual needs and preferences will increase engagement. In this article, we will provide an overview of the extent to which the existing prehabilitation literature incorporates behavioral science, as well as studies that have explored patient's attitudes toward prehabilitation. We will go on to describe and critique ongoing trials in a variety of contexts within oncology prehabilitation and discuss how current scientific knowledge may be enhanced from a behavioral science perspective. We will also consider the role of “surgery schools” and detail practical recommendations that can be embedded in existing or emerging clinical settings.

Into Hyperspace: A Critique of Hypernudge

The term “hypernudge” has been offered by legal scholar Karen Yeung (2017) as a name for a growing phenomenon which sits at the intersection of behavioural science and computer science. Hypernudges are frequently described as personalised nudges, Big Data nudges, or data-driven nudges. Yet, at present, the concept of hypernudging has not robustly been integrated into the taxonomy of nudging described by nudge theory and behavioural science at-large. In this paper, I offer a critique of the hypernudging concept from a behavioural science and nudge theory perspective. The primary intention of this critique is to situate hypernudge as a distinct category within the existing nudge theory taxonomy, as well as to relate several ideas given by Yeung (2017) and associated authors to contemporary nudge theory. In doing so, I argue hypernudges produce, or at the very least magnify, three burdens which a decision-maker must overcome: the burden of avoidance, the burden of understanding, and the burden of experimentation. The burden of avoidance captures the costs facing a decision-maker who does not want to follow the hypernudge. The burden of understanding captures the costs facing a decision-maker who wishes to understand the dynamics of a hypernudge. Finally, the burden of experimentation captures the costs facing a decision-maker when merely interacting with a hypernudge, given the technical dynamics of the hypernudge. I argue that these three burdens can be understood through two concepts derived from nudge theory. The first of these concepts I call the assumption of error, whereby all decisions are assumed to be subject to some error which might be reduced through more nudging and more personalised nudging. The second of these concepts I call behavioural logic, which describes a system of logic – emergent from the assumption of error – which justifies various hypernudging practices. While I do not argue that either the assumption of error or behavioural logic are correct, I argue that insofar as a choice architect may believe them to be correct, they serve as a robust rationale for understanding the nature of hypernudges.

Maladaptive Cognitive Bias in the New Normal Period: An Analyses from a Behavioural Science Perspective in the Time of Covid-19

The limited number of effective medical interventions to combat Covid-19 to date has resulted in government institutions focusing on preventive behaviours believed to minimize virus transmission. The Indonesian government has launched a ‘new normal’ campaign whereby outdoor activities are restricted by various health protocols established by health authorities, such as wearing a mask, habitual hand washing and social distancing. However, these protocols have not been implemented with a thorough understanding of human behaviour. The result is numerous violations of the protocol, which subsequently lead to the persistence of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia. Behavioural science as an approach can provide important insights regarding the systematic errors of thought that contribute to non-compliance with Covid-19 health signs. This article will elaborate on the different types of systematic errors, known as cognitive biases, that plays a role in Covid-19 protocol compliance and suggest the corresponding solutions deemed most effective to overcome these obstacles. Understanding of the dynamics paired with the application of behaviourally informed strategies will hence contribute to the attempt to flatten the Covid-19 curve.

Plastics and the coronavirus pandemic: a behavioral science perspective

With the coronavirus outbreak, new and strengthened norms of plastic dependency emerged in the Middle East and North Africa region through the desperate demand for products like face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), highlighting the tradeoffs between health and the environment. While the rise in demand has been considered as temporary, behavioral barriers and misperceptions might make these norms particularly sticky and hinder society’s ability to transition to a circular economy. Fortunately, behavioral science offers valuable insights about why the current pandemic can actually be a catalyst to create new eco-conscious behaviors. As some behaviors are often strenuous to change and require enforcement through traditional policy solutions (e.g. regulations), behavioral science offers complementary tools that will make policies more effective. We have an opportunity to start thinking about ways to leverage behavioral insights to create new norms that promote a circular economy while ultimately ensuring proper adherence to hygiene practices to curb the spread of the virus.

Improving Risk Counseling for Kidney Transplant Candidates Offered Deceased Donor Kidneys

Improving Risk Counseling for Kidney Transplant Candidates Offered Deceased Donor Kidneys

Obesity prevention in the early years: A mapping study of national policies in England from a behavioural science perspective.

Evidence indicates that early life is critical for determining future obesity risk. A sharper policy focus on pregnancy and early childhood could help improve obesity prevention efforts. This study aimed to systematically identify and categorise policy levers used in England with potential to influence early life course (pregnancy, 0-5 years) and identify how these interface with energy balance behaviours. The objective is to identify gaps and where further policy actions could most effectively focus. A behavioural science approach was taken using the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) framework. The key determinants of energy balance in the early years were identified from the Foresight Systems Map. Policy actions were scoped systematically from available literature, including any health or non-health policies which could impact on energy balance behaviours. Foresight variables and policy actions were considered in terms of COM-B and the BCW to determine approaches likely to be effective for obesity prevention and treatment. Existing policies were overlaid across the map of key risk factors to identify gaps in obesity prevention and treatment provision. A wide range of policy actions were identified (n = 115) to address obesity-relevant risk factors. These were most commonly educational or guidelines relating to environmental restructuring (i.e. changing the physical or social context). Scope for strengthening policies relating to the food system (e.g. the market price of food) and psychological factors contributing to obesity were identified. Policies acted via all aspects of the COM-B model, but there was scope for improving policies to increase capability through skills acquisition and both reflective and automatic motivation. There is substantial policy activity to address early years obesity but much is focused on education. Scope exists to strengthen actions relating to upstream policies which act on food systems and those targeting psychological factors contributing to obesity risk.

Mediators of the association between COVID-19-related stressors and parents’ psychological flexibility and inflexibility: The roles of perceived sleep quality and energy

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced parents across the United States to quickly transition to a new way of living. These transitions present new stressors, including the stress associated with physical health, with the demands of social distancing placed on families, and with the possibility of losing a job or not being able to pay bills. Such stressors have the potential to disrupt basic functioning, such as sleep and daily energy levels. Furthermore, the impact of stress might have repercussions on parents' capacities to be psychologically flexible, thus putting their psychological functioning at risk. Drawing upon a contextual behavioral science perspective, the current study sought to examine links between COVID-19-related stressors and psychological flexibility/inflexibility through such basic processes as parents’ perceived sleep quality and daily energy level. MethodsA total of 1003 parents (97% from the US; 74% female; M = 40.9 years old, SD = 8.5) of children (ages 5–18) completed an online survey from the end of March to the end of April of 2020. ResultsPath analyses suggested that, after controlling health-related stress and the stress of work and parenting demands due to the pandemic directly predicting greater inflexibility and lower inflexibility, two mediation paths emerged. Specifically, higher levels of health-related stress were associated with lower levels of energy, which, in turn predicted lower levels of psychological flexibility. In addition, higher levels of health-related stress were associated with lower perceived sleep quality, which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of psychological inflexibility. In secondary analyses on the specific dimensions of flexibility and inflexibility, results suggested that lower energy levels indirectly linked health-related stress to lower levels of all 6 dimensions of flexibility and poorer sleep quality indirectly linked health-related stress to higher levels of self-as-content, fusion, and inaction. ConclusionsThe stressors associated with COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to disrupt parents’ perceived sleep quality and daily energy levels, reducing their abilities to respond to difficult or challenging experiences in a flexible manner and instead promoting more reactive and inflexible responses.

The Dynamics of Fear at the Time of Covid-19: A Contextual Behavioral Science Perspective.

COVID-19 is the relevant disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmitted via close contact between persons. On March 12th, 2020, WHO announced COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, in view of its worldwide escalation. As the pandemic disease explodes, a parallel outbreak of fear and worry is also spreading. We react to fear symbolically, by arbitrarily relating it to other objects and events through derived verbal relations, so language may alter the way we experience events and consequently affects how we are functionally or dysfunctionally oriented to the world around us. In this paper we will outline the different human learning processes connected to fear responding, from the simplest type to the more complex cognitive ones, approaching them from the point of view of contextual behavioral science, a modern form of behavioral thinking. We will outline a model of intervention to foster psychological flexibility and more functional value-based actions. We will argue that in a pandemic and in the post-pandemic phase it could be a key for adapting to new and changed circumstances.

Changes in psychological inflexibility as a potential mediator of longitudinal links between college students’ sleep problems and depressive symptoms

BackgroundSleep problems and depressive symptoms, including suicidal ideation, are strongly associated among undergraduate students. Although upwards of 60% of college students report sleep problems, the mechanisms through which sleep might be linked with students' depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation in particular, would benefit from further clarification. Drawing upon a contextual behavioral science perspective, the current study sought to examine how changes in psychological flexibility/inflexibility might act as potential mediators between changes in college students’ sleep quality and depressive symptoms, including suicidal ideation. MethodsThe longitudinal (baseline and 2-month follow-up) online sample of 385 undergraduates (M = 20.0, SD = 1.6) was collected through a multi-site study during the Spring semester of 2019. ResultsAnalyses using the PROCESS macro to examine potential mediation mechanisms suggested that residual increases in sleep disturbance (assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) were associated with residual increases in global psychological inflexibility (assessed with the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory), which, in turn, were associated with residual increases in both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9) over the two months of the study. Subsequent analyses (i.e., secondary models) examining specific dimensions of inflexibility as possible mechanisms of change in depressive symptoms suggested that residual change in self-as-content, fusion, lack of contact with values, and inaction each helped to explain the links between changes in sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. In contrast, only changes in fusion helped to explain the association between changes in sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation. ConclusionsUndergraduates' sleep disturbance was a significant predictor of their depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation via changes in their levels of psychological inflexibility. In addition to addressing students' sleep problems directly, it appears to be advantageous to decrease students’ levels of psychological inflexibility to attenuate the potential association between mental health problems and sleep disturbances typically experienced during college.

How a Few Individuals Brought about a Cultural Cusp: From a Mexican Mural Program to a Movement.

Significant cultural change often results from the interlocking behavior of a few individuals. The phenomenon is nonreplicable because a considerable portion of the major players' interactions are nonrecurring and driven by unique circumstances. Yet, these interactions can be analyzed from a behavioral science perspective. As an example, I describe how five individuals made possible the cultural cusp that created an unprecedented social revolution through public murals in Mexico. I analyze how their repertoires complemented each other, the circumstances that brought them together, and the values that united them. Their unique interactions coalesced with recurring interlocking behavioral contingencies that created the movement. The example could shed light on the understanding of other cultural phenomenon with similar properties.

Torture and Its Definition in International Law—An Interdisciplinary Approach, by Metin Başoğlu

Torture and Its Definition in International Law—An Interdisciplinary Approach was edited by Metin Başoğlu, and written by him and another sixteen experts in the medicolegal aspects of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDT/P). The book has 506 pages and 16 chapters, which are organised into four parts: “Behavioral Science Perspectives”; “International Law Perspectives”; “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques: Definitional Issues”; and “Discussion and Conclusions”. The book is for health, legal and human rights professionals, beyond just those just working with victims of torture and CIDT/P, and is of interest to those who work with victims of other violent crimes, such as child abuse, interpersonal abuse, and forced displacement. The book raises many important questions.

The Values Compass: Helping Athletes Act in Accordance With Their Values Through Functional Analysis

From a contextual behavioral science perspective, the form of behavior is less important than its context and consequences. Experiential avoidance occurs when athletes’ behaviors serve to reduce personal discomfort. Experiential acceptance occurs when athletes are willing to experience their inner life and use this willingness to remain focused on the task at hand. The Values Compass is a model that can be used as a tool for analyzing the function of athletes’ behavior. Through a seven-step process, the sport psychology practitioner guides the athletes towards increased awareness, and helps them take steps towards the life they value.

Current Status and Perspective of Behavioral Science in Social Medicine

The term behavioral science was coined in 1946 by a research group at the University of Chicago led by Miller. It is defined as "science that systematically reveals the rules of human behavior". To elucidate human behavior, they proposed combining biological science and social science. In Japan, achievements in behavioral science research have accumulated and have been applied in health education and health policy. In this paper, we describe the current status and future approaches in social medicine through an overview of behavioral science research in Japan with regard to the following five points: 1) representative theories and techniques in health behavior, 2) differences in health awareness, 3) a new approach of behavioral science based on the dual process theory, behavioral economics, and zero-order prevention, 4) diversity in behavioral changes and 5) experimental research in behavioral science.

How scientific researchers form green innovation behavior: An empirical analysis of China's enterprises

The green innovation behavior of scientific researchers is the premise of green development, but research on the mechanism of green innovation behavior of scientific researchers has been neglected. This study aims to analyze the main internal and external factors that influence the green innovation behavior of researchers and reveal the interaction between them. To this end, based on behavioral and innovation theories, a theoretical model for the formation of green innovation behavior among scientific researchers was established. A large number of data were obtained from multiple industrial cities and different industries in China. The model was tested using hierarchical regression analysis methods. This study, therefore, provides evidence on the mechanism of how both internal and external drivers drive researchers to form the green innovation behavior. The results delicate that endogenous attitude, exogenous attitude, the injunctive norm of green innovative behavior, and the control ability of green innovation have a remarkably positive impact on green innovative intention, while descriptive norm and self-efficacy have no significant impact on green innovative intention. On the contrary, in the transition from green innovative intention to behavior, tacit knowledge commons plays the main moderating role. When the level of knowledge commons is high, it has a strong positive influence on the transition of researchers' green innovative intention to behavior. Different from the qualitative and isolated tendencies in previous research, this study sheds systematic light on the formation mechanism of green innovation behaviors of researchers from the perspective of behavioral science, and also helps to make constructive suggestions on promoting the green innovation behaviors of scientific researchers for enterprises and government.

Scaling-up assessment from a contextual behavioral science perspective: Potential uses of technology for analysis of unstructured text data

With technological advancement, we have increased access to unstructured text data and the means to analyze it. Such information is available from electronic health records, blogs, social media posts, and other sources and is being used in business applications and social science research. These approaches can open up new areas for analysis, summarize massive amounts of information, and provide rapid feedback. Contextual behavioral science research in this area remains extremely limited. This manuscript provides an overview of techniques suitable for beginners interested in such analyses, potential applications, and resources for learning more.

A Study on the Control and Guidance Strategy of the Diaolou Style Building of Qiang People Based on Behavioral Analysis

Diaolou style building is an important residential building of Qiang people. In recent years, Qiang people’s own cultural identities and behavioral awareness have transformed. Due to the lack of attention to the inheritance of original architectural style and the absence of a detailed scientific protection of the landscape, the architectural style of Diaolou style building gradually loses its vitality. It is difficult to control and guide it effectively. And tourism economy which enjoys a direct link with the architecture has been confined to further development. From the perspective of behavioral science, this study innovatively analyzes the Diaolou style building of Qiang people by combining the methodology of Lew in metal of behavior and Analytic Hierarchy Process. Firstly, 32 symbols are chosen as Diaolou architectural style factors from the selection of more than 100 Diaolou architectural decorative symbols. Then by measuring their weight coefficients through the Analytic Hierarchy Process, eight main style factors have been screened out. After field research, we analyze the actual use of the style factors of the six typical villages such as Gina. On this basis, this paper analyzes the behavioral factors of Diaolou style building of Qiang people, deconstructs its use and puts forward a concept which takes style control as a guidance and behavior guidance as a strategy to protect and develop Diaolou style building of Qiang people. It is also proposed that a control and guidance strategy of inheritance and development of Qiang Diaolou architectural style, including master the influencing factors as a whole, follow the principle of people-oriented, compound function, dynamic development and highlighting national aesthetics, based on its style system, and grasp the trend of architectural style, etc. The study provides an effective guarantee for the further development of rural tourism, and a necessary theoretical and technical guidance for the government to adopt targeted steps.

What Factors Influence SNAP Participation? Literature Reflecting Enrollment in Food Assistance Programs From a Social and Behavioral Science Perspective

ABSTRACTSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation has been demonstrated to improve household food insecurity, yet not all those who are eligible for the program participate. This article describes findings from both peer-reviewed and grey literature pertaining to factors that influence SNAP participation. SNAP participation has demonstrated benefits for low-income individuals and families for improving dietary intake, reducing food insecurity, and ultimately providing one strategy to alleviate poverty. The findings are described with a social science and behavioral lens in order to glean public health implications and recommendations from a broad array of literature. Factors influencing SNAP participation across the social–ecological model are discussed. Macro- and microlevel recommendations are made and actions applicable in targeted outreach, program, and organizational strategies are recommended.

Reimagining Accountability in K-12 Education: A Behavioral Science Perspective

The primary lever American policymakers have used to improve school performance is “accountability” in the form of high-stakes testing. But the behavioral literature, overlooked in the education policy debate, shows that accountability exists in a variety of forms that evoke different psychological mechanisms and can have positive or negative effects. Examining the psychological/behavioral literature alongside the education literature, we identify four forms of accountability relevant to K-12 schooling: outcome-based (high-stakes testing), rule-based, market-based, and professional accountability. Promoting continuous improvement in schools is likely to require multiple forms of accountability that not only offer rewards and sanctions but also increase the transparency of educational practice and provide mechanisms for improving practice. This suggests that professional accountability — which has historically been underutilized in schools — merits particular attention.

The two-layer model of ‘kawaii’: A behavioural science framework for understanding kawaii and cuteness

Abstract ‘Kawaii’ is one of the most popular words in contemporary Japan and is recognized as representative of Japanese pop culture. It is often translated into English as ‘cute’, but a subtle difference of nuance seems to exist between the two words. In this article, a framework for research on kawaii from a behavioural science perspective is put forward. After introducing the dictionary definition, history and current usage of kawaii, this article reports survey results of Japanese students and office workers about their attitudes towards kawaii. These findings and past psychological and behavioural science research lead to a two-layer model that consists of kawaii as an emotion and kawaii as a social value. This model postulates that the basis of kawaii is a positive emotion related to the social motivation of watching for and staying with preferable persons and objects, which is typically observed in affection towards babies and infants, but not limited to them. This culturally non-specific, biological trait has been appreciated and fostered in Japan by certain characteristics of Japanese culture. Because previous research on cuteness has been almost exclusively associated with infant physical attractiveness and baby schema, using the relatively fresh, exotic word ‘kawaii’ may be helpful to describe this broader psychological concept.