Presentation from ECF Europe 2019: https://europe.ecampaigningforum.com
A chance to find out more about the emerging science of behavioural psychology - the study of why people do what they do. Behavioural scientist Alex will introduce some of the key concepts, studies and methodologies that are used to understand human behaviour, and the implications for campaigners and communicators who seek to influence people and change what they think and do.
2. Plan for this
session
WHY do we do what we do?
• Understanding behaviour
• Changing behaviour
HOW do we know this?
• Challenges with self-
report methods to
understand behaviour
• Basics of experiments
1 2
3. Why do people do what they do?
Understanding and changing behavior
9. How do we err?
Preferences
Present bias
Reference dependence
and loss aversion
Regret and other
emotions
Beliefs
Overconfidence
Over-extrapolation
Projection bias
Decision
making
Framing, salience and
limited attention
Mental accounting
and narrow framing
Inappropriate rules of
thumb
Persuasion and social
influence
Erta, K., Hunt, S., Iscenko, Z. & Brambley, W. (2013). Applying behavioural economics at the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Occasional Paper 1.
10. How do we err?
Preferences
Present bias
Reference dependence
and loss aversion
Regret and other
emotions
Beliefs
Overconfidence
Over-extrapolation
Projection bias
Decision
making
Framing, salience and
limited attention
Mental accounting
and narrow framing
Inappropriate rules of
thumb
Persuasion and social
influence
Erta, K., Hunt, S., Iscenko, Z. & Brambley, W. (2013). Applying behavioural economics at the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Occasional Paper 1.
12. 12
Was Ghandi younger than 65 when
he died?
How old was Ghandi when he died?
They said: 58
The real answer is: 78
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science, 185, 1124–1130.
13. How do we err?
Preferences
Present bias
Reference dependence and
loss aversion
Regret and other emotions
Beliefs
Overconfidence
Over-extrapolation
Projection bias
Decision
making
Framing, salience and
limited attention
Mental accounting and
narrow framing
Inappropriate rules of
thumb
Persuasion and social
influence
Erta, K., Hunt, S., Iscenko, Z. & Brambley, W. (2013). Applying behavioural economics at the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Occasional Paper 1.
14. A.Do you think the US should let communist
newspaper reporters from other countries
come here and send back to their papers the
news as they see it?
• YES = 36%
B. Do you think a communist country like
Russia should let American newspaper
reporters come in and send back to America
the news as they see it?
• YES = 66%
A. Do you think the US should let
communist newspaper reporters from
other countries come here and send
back to their papers the news as they
see it?
• YES = 90%
B.Do you think a communist country
like Russia should let American
newspaper reporters come in and send
back to America the news as they see
it?
• YES = 73%
1 2
15.
16. ”No man is an island, entire of itself; every
man is piece of the continent, a part of the
main." John Donne
17.
18. "The tendency to conformity in our society is
so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-
meaning young people are willing to call
white black. This is a matter of concern."
Solomon Asch, 1951
20. Intergroup bias – 3 theories why
Economic perspective
Groups develop prejudices about
one another and discriminate when
they compete for material
resources
Predicts prejudice + discrimination
should increase under difficult
economic conditions
Motivational perspective
Social identity theory – a person’s
self-concept and self-esteem derive
not only from personal identity and
accomplishments, but from the
status and accomplishments from
the various groups we belong.
In-group favouritism – boosting the
group’s status benefits us.
Cognitive perspective
Stereotyping inevitable from the
cognitive perspective because we
automatically categorize nearly
everything (helps us to simplify the
world).
It’s cognitively efficient, but can
lead to inaccurate and unfair
judgements and biased processing