Gretchen Chapman's presentation to Action Design NYC in April 2014 on the psychology of judgment and decision making applied to technology.

1. Judgment & Decision Making
+ Technology .
Behavior Change
Gretchen Chapman
Department of Psychology
School of Arts & Sciences, Rutgers University

2. 2 Modes of Decision Making
With your mind:
Deliberative
With your gut:
Intuitive

3. System 1 System 2
Fast
Parallel
Automatic
Effortless
Associative
Slow-learning
Emotional
Slow
Serial
Controlled
Effortful
Rule-governed
Flexible
Neutral

6. Psychology of Decision Making
• Normative Models: Rational or
normative models of decision making
– e.g. economic theory
• Descriptive Models: How people
actually make decisions
– e.g., behavioral economics
• Decision biases = systematic
differences between the two

7. Framing Effects
Imagine that the U.S. is preparing for
outbreak of an unusual disease, which is
expected to kill 600 people. Two
alternative programs to combat the
disease have been proposed. Assume
that the exact scientific estimates of the
consequences of the program are as
follows:
• Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. (1984). Choices, values, and
frames. American Psychologist, 39, 341-350.

8. Gain Frame
If Program A is adopted, 200 people will
be saved. (72%)
If Program B is adopted, there is a one-
third probability that 600 people will be
saved and a two-thirds probability that no
people will be saved. (28%)

9. Loss Frame
If Program A’ is adopted, 400 people will
die. (22%)
If Program B’ is adopted, there is a one-
third probability that nobody will die and a
two-thirds probability that 600 people will
die. (78%)

10. Perception is driven by change (or comparison)

11. Can we use technology to
harness decision psychology to
encourage good behavior?
be healthy

12. Pedometers
• Encourage walking
• Track progress
• Provide feedback
Research Question
• Is feedback more motivating when it is
compared to a reference point?
Chapman, Colby, Convery, & Coups (in prep)
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

13. 2 weeks of active phase with open pedometer
1 week of baseline with sealed pedometer
Random assignment to a personal goal
Baseline average
+ 10%
Baseline average
+ 50%
Baseline average
+ 100%
Study 1 (goal magnitude)

14. Walking Goals Study (N=145)

15. 6956
7664
6687
8308
8862
10220
7651
11483
13373
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
Low (n=49) Medium (n=49) High (n=50)
LSMeanStepsPerDay
Experimental Goal Condition
Baseline Period
Intervention Period
Goal

16. 2 weeks of active phase with open pedometer
1 week of baseline with sealed pedometer
Random assignment to condition
Control Social Comparison
Study 2 (social comparison)

17. Social Comparison Study (N=64)
Control Group
• Daily web log
• Personal feedback only
• Twice weekly reminder
emails
Social Comparison Group
• Daily web log
• Personal feedback +
social comparison¥
• Twice weekly social
comparison emails
Web log compliance:
75% 88%*
¥(Today’s steps – baseline average) as a percentile
relative to performance by Study 1 participants.

19. 6556
73547388
8508
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
Control (n=31) Social Comparison (n=33)
LSMeanStepsPerDay
Experimental Condition
Baseline Period
Intervention Period

20. 2 weeks of active phase with open pedometer
1 week of baseline with sealed pedometer
Random assignment to condition
Count Up
•Pedometer starts at 0
•Counts up to goal
Count Down
•Pedometer starts at goal
•Counts down to zero
The Study That Never Was
(counting up or down)

21. Counting Up vs. Down
• The up/down pedometers were not
accurate
• Participants (N=14) complained
• Study discontinued

23. Walking Study
• People walk more with a goal
• Higher goals are better
• Social comparisons act like a goal
• Results are in line with theories of
reference points

25. The power of social norms

27. Prosocial Motivation

28. Protect yourself from the flu.
If you aren’t vaccinated, your children or other household members could
spread the flu to you. Don't let someone else's sneeze infect you!
Getting a seasonal flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the flu. Also,
eligible Vitality™ members can earn Vitality Points™ for prevention activities,
including the flu shot.*
What are you waiting for? Now is the time to get this year’s flu vaccine! Getting
your seasonal flu vaccine with Vitality has never been easier.

29. Protect your children from the flu.
If you aren’t vaccinated, you could spread the flu to your children or
other household members. Make sure you don’t spread the flu to
your child!
Getting a seasonal flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the flu.
Also, eligible Vitality™ members can earn Vitality Points™ for prevention
activities, including the flu shot.*
What are you waiting for? Now is the time to get this year’s flu vaccine!
Getting your seasonal flu vaccine with Vitality has never been easier.

30. Hand hygiene
prevents you from
catching diseases
Hand hygiene
prevents patients
from catching
diseases
Grant & Hoffman, 2011

31. Conclusions
• Technology provides, information, feedback, &
prompts
• Psychological principles can be harnessed to
make those more effective
– Reference points
– Social comparisons & social norms
– Prosocial motives?
• We need field experiments to find out if these
interventions really work

32. Thank you
Gretchen Chapman
Department of Psychology
School of Arts & Sciences
Rutgers University
gretchen.chapman@rutgers.edu