Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Nudge theory
What is nudge theory and how is it used to motivate behaviour change?
Overview
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Case study: The fly in the urinal (Figure 1)
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Nudge theory, a concept derived from behavioural economics Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
, proposes to change small, subtle aspects in an environment to influence the behaviour or decision-making of groups or individuals, often leading to more desirable outcomes without limiting their freedom of choice. The theory was popularised by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their 2008 book- Addressing cognitive bias
- Traditional methods for influencing behaviour
- Effective and scalable solutions/wide ranging applications
- Consideration regarding ethics
In this page, we
will explore what Nudge Theory is, how it works, and how it is used to motivate behaviour change in various contexts - including human resources, healthcare and beyond.- Describe outcomes of the case study, including implications in other settings or environments
Focus questions:
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Fundamentals of Nudge Theory
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Origins and development
edit- Origin from Thaler and Sunstein in the 2008 book
- Influence from other psychology theories (cognitive, heuristics and biases)
- Behavioural economics challenging the view that people always make rational decisions (Gradinaru, 2014)
- Global influence
Key concepts
edit- Psychological principles including libertarian paternalism (Lin et al., 2017)
- Cognitive biases - such as leveraging natural human tendencies
- Techniques such as default settings, strategic placement, social proof (Kuyer & Gordijn, 2023)
Applications of Nudge Theory
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Healthy eating for children
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Case Study: Encouraging Healthy Eating in a School Cafeteria
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Environmental stability
edit- Comparison of energy bills
- Promoting energy efficiency
- Reducing water usage
(Wee et al., 2021)
Financial decision-making
edit- Improved retirement savings
- Reminders for paying bills on time
- Reducing financial overwhelm by breaking information into understandable chunks
Human resources
editEncouraging positive workplace behaviours Nudges can be particularly effective in encouraging behaviours which overall contribute to a more positive workplace culture. For example, openly discussing mental health can encourage others to feel safe to discuss their health or concerns. Similarly, using social proof - such as statistics on how many people participate in employee assistance programs - can nudge others to access similar supports.
Case study: Responding to employee complaints with Nudge Theory
Scenario: A organisation is facing high employee turnover. Following an analysis of exit interviews, many employees felt undervalued and unrecognized for their contributions. To address this, the HR department proposes to implement a series of nudges. |
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Successful implementation of nudges can see a reduction in turnover and an improvement in overall employee satisfaction.
Challenges and ethical considerations
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Criticisms of Nudge Theory
edit- How effective is it actually?
- Are nudges short-lived? What do some differing studies say? (Lin et al., 2017)
- Nudge overuse/fatigue
Manipulation concerns
edit- Exploitation as suggested by Hausman & Welch (2010)
- Autonomy and Freedom of Choice
- Ethical dilemmas
Case studies
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Organ donation
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Countries have seen an increase in organ donation by moving to an opt-out system
- Implication of this change - improvement in outcomes for those requiring donations
Healthy eating initiatives
edit- (Laiou et al., 2021)
- Supermarkets and cafeterias implement nudges by placing healthier food options at eye level.
- Long term outcome is an increase in consumption of healthier foods and reduction in calorie intakes.
- Talk about strategic placement and portion control being popular.
Conclusion
edit- Summarise nudge theory
- Consider effectiveness across domains - does this do what we intended on doing?
- Discuss misuse of nudges and ways to consider addressing or minimising these
- Future directions
Check your knowledge: Provide responses from within the chapter to the below:
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See also
edit- Wikipedia - Nudge_theory (Wikipedia)
- Wikiversity - Behavioural Economics and Motivation (Book chapter, 2022)
- Wikiversity: Nudge theory and sedentary behaviour: How can nudge theory be used to reduce sedentary behaviour? (Book chapter, 2023)
References
editGradinaru, A. (2014). The Contribution of Behavioral Economics in Explaining the Decisional Process. Procedia Economics and Finance, 16, 417–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(14)00821-1
Hausman, D. M., & Welch, B. (2010). Debate: To Nudge or Not to Nudge. Journal of Political Philosophy, 18(1), 123–136.
Johnson, E. J., & Goldstein, D. G. (2003, November 21). Do Defaults Save Lives? Papers.ssrn.com. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1324774
Kuyer, P., & Gordijn, B. (2023). Nudge in perspective: A systematic literature review on the ethical issues with nudging. Rationality and Society, 35(2), 104346312311550. https://doi.org/10.1177/10434631231155005
Laiou, E., Rapti, I., Schwarzer, R., Fleig, L., Cianferotti, L., Ngo, J., Rizos, E. C., Wetle, T. F., Kahlmeier, S., Vigilanza, A., Tsilidis, K. K., Trichopoulou, A., Serra-Majem, L., Brandi, M. L., & Ntzani, E. E. (2021). Review: Nudge interventions to promote healthy diets and physical activity. Food Policy, 102, 102103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102103
Lin, Y., Osman, M., & Ashcroft, R. (2017). Nudge: Concept, Effectiveness, and Ethics. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 39(6), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2017.1356304
Marcano‐Olivier, M. I., Horne, P. J., Viktor, S., & Erjavec, M. (2019). Using Nudges to Promote Healthy Food Choices in the School Dining Room: A Systematic Review of Previous Investigations. Journal of School Health, 90(2), 143–157. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12861
Wee, S.-C., Choong, W.-W., & Low, S.-T. (2021). Can “Nudging” Play a Role to Promote Pro-Environmental Behaviour?. Environmental Challenges, 5(1), 100364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100364
External Links
edit- Nudge theory: what 15 years of research tells us about its promises and politics (The Conversation)
- What is Nudge Theory | Explained in 2 min (Youtube)
- Nudge Theory - Dr Amit K Lal (Youtube)