Testing the lambent shopping handle display in a supermarket. Photo by Vaiva Kalnikaite 2011.

Testing the lambent shopping handle display in a supermarket. This device clips on to a supermarket trolley handle and allows shoppers to scan items and get product information, such as food miles, that is not obvious from labelling. It also shows how the average food miles of all the products in the trolley relate to a social norm. Photo by Vaiva Kalnikaite 2011.

How the lambent displays information about scanned products. Photo by Vaiva Kalnikaite 2011.

The LEDs on the lambent display light up in orange to indicate the food miles of a scanned product, and in green when the product is organic. From top to bottom: local (UK), not far (European), far away (rest of the World), and organic European. Photo by Vaiva Kalnikaite 2011.

Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink

An Interdisciplinary Workshop on the Efficacy and Ethics of Using Nudge Techniques to Change Behaviour

10.30 – 16.30 Wednesday 4 May, 2011

Meeting Room 1, Jennie Lee Building, The Open University, Milton Keynes

Recently, there has been much interest in how to nudge people to do a range of things, such as volunteer, go running, donate to a charity, and fill in tax forms. Rather than trying to change behaviour by influencing what and how people consciously think about an issue, the focus of ‘nudge’ techniques is to change the context in which people make decisions, given the influence of surrounding factors on people’s actions. The attraction for policy makers of this approach is that it might be both more effective than traditional information provision and more cost-effective. A joint report by the Institute for Government and the Behavioural Insights Team focuses on nine robust influences on human behaviour, identified by psychology research, that primarily work unconsciously, rather than through rational reflection. These include the use of incentives, norms and priming. Questions these raise, however, are how effective are they, how ethical and where is the evidence? The aim of the workshop is to address these questions and concerns.

Programme

10:00-10:30 Welcome and coffee
10:30-11:00 Jon Bird: What is in the MINDSPACE?
11.00-12:30 Keynote and discussion: Nick Chater, Professor in Behavioural Science, Warwick Business School
12.30-13.30 Lunch
13.30-14.30 Panel: “Will nudging really work?”
14:30-14:45 Tea break
14.45-15.30 Presentations (three 15-minute summaries of submitted position papers) plus Q and A sessions
14:45-16.15 Breakout session
16:15-16:30 Round-up and discussion

Panel members

Chair:
Yvonne Rogers, Pervasive Interaction Lab, The Open University

Proponents:
Alex Taylor, Researcher, Microsoft Research Limited
Paul Sparks, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and Health, Sussex University

Opponents:
Ben Colburn, Philosophy Lecturer, Glasgow University
Tom Rodden (TBC), Professor of Interactive Systems, University of Nottingham

Attendance

Attendance is FREE and lunch will be provided. If you are interested in attending the workshop then please contact Simone Arthur at the Open University s.arthur@open.ac.uk . Attendees should send a short position paper, up to 2 pages long, describing their interest in behavioural change.

The deadline for submission of position papers is Monday 18th April 2011.

The event is being organized by the CHANGE project and is funded by the EPSRC in collaboration between Goldsmiths, Nottingham University, Sussex University and The Open University.