Nudges

Question 1

What is an Intervention?

Answer 1

A method uses to facilitate change in an individual

Question 2

What is a Nudge?

Answer 2

How we can change people’s environments to nudge their self-regulation

Question 3

Nudges don’t remove options, they?

Answer 3

Change the context to which they make options

Question 4

Give an example of a nudge

Answer 4

Moving a coke bottle out of the way of someone e.g. out of sight, out of mind, this means they still have that option but are less likely to reach for it

Question 5

Can Nudges change your behaviour?

Answer 5

Yes, but not if you are being rational e.g. if you are being rational about the coke bottle, you wouldn’t need to move it out of sight for you to ignore it

Question 6

Give 3 examples of the Power of Default options

Answer 6

1) More likely to keep watching the channel that’s already on
2) Buy food at eye level in the supermarket
3) Eat more in a large group than alone

Question 7

How do supermarkets take advantage of people’s Default biases?

Answer 7

Buy putting the most expensive food at eye level

Question 8

Name 3 other words for Impulsive Systems

Answer 8

Hot, Fast, Impulsive

Question 9

Name 3 other words for Reflective Systems

Answer 9

Cold, Slow, Controlled

Question 10

What is Priming?

Answer 10

Activating a concept (goal) in someones mind by external cues, which can affect information processing, a type of nudge

Question 11

Outline Bargh et al Priming Study using unscrambling words task

Answer 11

Participants were asked to unscramble a group of words either related to rudeness, politeness or neither, and were then measured the time it took them to interrupt the experimenter, and it was found that the group who were primed with words related to rudeness interrupted more frequently and quickly

Question 12

Outline Bargh et al Priming Study on elderly words

Answer 12

Participants primed with elderly words compared to neutral words, walked slower when leaving the lab

Question 13

Outline 2 Controversies with these Priming Studies

Answer 13

1) Failed to replicate the elderly words one
2) Experimenters who were blind to the condition and used infrared sensors as opposed to a stopwatch, found no effect of the prime, Bargh argued against these though

Question 14

Name 2 other ways or Priming people

Answer 14

Priming people with pictures of a library makes them talk quieter, Priming people with pictures of cleaning spray makes them more tidy

Question 15

What does Bargh’s Automotive Model say?

Answer 15

That we can pursue our goals unconsciously, as mental representations of goals are linked to representations of behaviours

Question 16

What do our perceptions of cues do?

Answer 16

Trigger behaviour e.g. habits

Question 17

What do environmental features do?

Answer 17

Automatically activate goals, which then automatically activates associated behaviours

Question 18

Name the 4 Horsemen of Automaticity

Answer 18

1) Lack of awareness
2) Lack of intention e.g. no decision
3) Lack of control e.g. more difficult
4) Efficiency e.g. takes up less cognitive resources

Question 19

What does Papie’s Model of Goal Priming say?

Answer 19

That a single concept is linked to other things e.g. feels, smells, this model is abstract which is a strength

Question 20

Name the 3 stages of Papie’s Model of Goal Priming

Answer 20

Situational cues e.g. sitting on the sofa on a Friday night, Situated Conceptualisation e.g. relaxing with friends, and Behaviour e.g. crisps and beer and takeaway

Question 21

What happens when we activate a concept?

Answer 21

We represent it in a relevant situation

Question 22

What else should Priming interventions consider, after learning about Papie’s model?

Answer 22

Not only the behaviour, but also the situation where the behaviour takes place and the cognitive processes that are typically triggered in that situation

Question 23

Making small changes in peoples environments can lead them to what?

Answer 23

Behave in ways that they were already wiling to, but might not have done without this nudge, which can happen without conscious awareness

Question 24

Outline an example of Situated Conceptualisation

Answer 24

If you are in your comfortable pjs, this may make you unmotivated as its associated with bedtime

Question 25

Name 3 nudges applied to self-regulation

Answer 25

1) Tend to go with the fast food side dish that’s a default option e.g. big fries as opposed to small (company makes more money)
2) Graphic labels on fag packets decrease smoking prevalence and increase quit attempts
3) In costa when they say “is that large?”, tend to go with large option even if you had no intention of ordering large

Question 26

Why are people susceptible to these nudges influencing their self-control?

Answer 26

Because people are behaving on auto-pilot

Question 27

Glasses marked with alcohol units improved the ability to estimate the unit content of drinks, but?

Answer 27

Did not decrease consumption

Question 28

People are influenced by the size of a package or plate as a reason to eat more, what did people say about this?

Answer 28

Most people were unwilling to acknowledge that they could be influenced by something so insignificant (only 2% admitted this)

Question 29

Name 3 problems with Brian Wansicks work?

Answer 29

1) QRPS 2) Misreporting 3) Sloppy Research

Question 30

What was wrong with Wansicks research on the bottomless soup bowl, resulting in people eating 73% more soup?

Answer 30

The summary data wasn’t plausible or mathematically possible

Question 31

Name 3 ways we can prime people to eat less

Answer 31

1) Smaller plates
2) Smaller portions
3) Wrap tempting food in foil

Question 32

What happened in Papie’s and Veling’s Study on priming healthy eating?

Answer 32

Participants primed with diet related words on the menu, increased the likelihood of them making a healthy choice, but only among people who were either dieting or who usually dieted

Question 33

What happens if you prime people with a story about an athlete?

Answer 33

More persistence on a self-control task

Question 34

Interventions can benefit self-regulation, but?

Answer 34

Won’t cause people to pursue a goal if they didn’t have that goal in the first place

Question 35

What is the Behavioural insights team?

Answer 35

AKA the Nudge unit, an organisation to apply nudge theory to improve government policy and save the government money

Question 36

What are the 4 ethical principles for Interventions?

Answer 36

1) Beneficence
2) Lack of harm
3) Respect for autonomy
4) Justice e.g. not inequality

Question 37

Why do companies nudge AKA sludge?

Answer 37

To maximise profits not welfare

Question 38

Why could positive nudges be viewed negatively?

Answer 38

Can lead to a halo effect e.g. making healthy side dishes the default can lead people to underestimate the total calories

Question 39

Why are intentions not translated ton behaviour?

Answer 39

Because situational cues trigger situated conceptualisations e.g. habits and impulses

Question 40

How can automatic habits and impulses be changed?

Answer 40

Either by changing situational cues e.g. priming, nudging, Or behavioural inhibition training and mindfulness training