Welcome to the inaugural issue of Behavioral Science & Policy. We created BSP to help bridge a significant divide. The success of nearly all public and private sector policies hinges on the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations. Today, such behaviors are better understood than ever thanks to a growing body of practical behavioral science research. However, policymakers often are unaware of behavioral science findings that may help them craft and execute more effective and efficient policies. In response, we want the pages of this journal to be a meeting ground of sorts: a place where scientists and non-scientists can encounter clearly described behavioral research that can be put into action. Mission of BSP
By design, the scope of BSP is quite broad, with topics spanning health care, financial decisionmaking, energy and the environment, education and culture, justice and ethics, and work place practices. We will draw on a broad range of the social sciences, as is evident in this inaugural issue. These pages feature contributions from researchers with expertise in psychology, sociology, law, behavioral economics, organization science, decision science, and marketing. BSP is broad in its coverage because the problems to be addressed are diverse, and solutions can be found in a variety of behavioral disciplines.
This goal requires an approach that is unusual in academic publishing. All BSP articles go through a unique dual review, by disciplinary specialists for scientific rigor and also by policy specialists for practical implementability. In addition, all articles are edited by a team of professional writing editors to ensure that the language is both clear and engaging for non-expert readers. When needed, we post online Supplemental Material for those who wish to dig deeper into more technical aspects of the work. That material is indicated in the journal with a bracketed arrow.
This first issue is representative of our vision for BSP. We are pleased to publish an outstanding set of contributions from leading scholars who have worked hard to make their work accessible to readers outside their fields. A subset of manuscripts is clustered into a Spotlight Topic section that examines a specific theme in some depth, in this case, Challenging Assumptions about Behavioral Policy.
Our opening essay discusses the importance of behavioral science for enhanced policy design and implementation, and illustrates various approaches to putting this work into practice. The essay also provides a more detailed account of our objectives for Behavioral Science & Policy. In particular, we discuss the importance of using policy challenges as a starting point and then asking what practical insights can be drawn from relevant behavioral science, rather than the more typical path of producing research findings in search of applications.
Our inaugural Spotlight Topic section includes four articles. Wilson and Juarez challenge the assumption that intuitively compelling policy initiatives can be presumed to be effective, and illustrate the importance of evidence-based program evaluation. Cialdini, Martin, and Goldstein challenge the notion that large policy effects require large interventions, and provide evidence that small (even costless) actions grounded in behavioral science research can pay big dividends. Sunstein challenges the point of view that providing individuals with default options is necessarily more paternalistic than requiring them to make an active choice. Instead, Sunstein suggests, people sometimes prefer the option of deferring technical decisions to experts and delegating trivial decisions to others. Thus, forcing individuals to choose may constrain rather than enhance individual free choice. In the final Spotlight paper, Loewenstein, Bryce, Hagmann, and Rajpal challenge the assumption that behavioral nudges, such as strategic use of defaults, are only effective when kept secret. In fact, these authors report a study in which they explicitly inform participants that they have been assigned an arbitrary default (for advance medical directives). Surprisingly, disclosure does not greatly diminish the impact of the nudge.
This issue also includes four regular articles. Goh, Pfeffer, and Zenios provide evidence that corporate executives concerned with their employees health should attend to a number of workplace practicesincluding high job demands, low job control, and a perceived lack of fairnessthat can produce more harm than the well-known threat of exposure to secondhand smoke. Knoll, Appelt, Johnson, and Westfall find that the most obvious approach to getting individuals to delay claiming retirement benefits (present information in a way that highlights benefits of claiming later) does not work. But a process intervention in which individuals are asked to think about the future before considering their current situation better persuades them to delay making retirement claims. Larrick, Soll, and Keeney identify four principles for developing better energy-use metrics to enhance consumer understanding and promote energy conservation. Finally, Manary, Staelin, Boulding, and Glickman provide a new analysis challenging the idea that a hospitals responses to the demographic traits of individual patients, including their race, may explain disparities in quality of health care. Instead, it appears that this observation is driven by differences in insurance coverage among these groups. Hospitals serving larger numbers of patients with no insurance or with government insurance receive less revenue to pay for expenses such as wages, training, and equipment updates. In this case, the potential behavioral explanation does not appear to be correct; it may come down to simple economics.
This publication was created by the Behavioral Science & Policy Association in partnership with the Brookings Institution. The mission of BSPA is to foster dialog between social scientists, policymakers, and other practitioners in order to promote the application of rigorous empirical behavioral science in ways that serve the public interest. BSPA does not advance a particular agenda or political perspective.
We hope that each issue of BSP will provide timely and actionable insights that can enhance both public and private sector policies. We look forward to continuing to receive innovative policy solutions that are derived from cutting-edge behavioral science research. We also look forward to receiving from policy professionals suggestions of new policy challenges that may lend themselves to behavioral solutions. Knowledge in the service of society is an ideal that we believe should not merely be espoused but, also, actively pursued.
Craig R. Fox & Sim B. SitkinFounding Co-Editors
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Journal Behavioral Science & Policy Association
- Dan Ariely: It’s OK to cheat and steal (sometimes) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Full Sail Behavioral Science Leadership Podcast - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Full Sail Behavioral Science Passion - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- 13H Refutes CCHR: Industry of Death (Behavioral Science) - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- College of Social and Behavioral Science - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- GB: Behavioral Science Bill For Propaganda - August 29th, 2011 [August 29th, 2011]
- Criminal Minds - The Behavioral Science Part 2 - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Santhula Hospital - A clinical and research center for Nuero-behavioral Science - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Behavioral Science Self-Assesment Project - September 2nd, 2011 [September 2nd, 2011]
- Behavioral Science: OPTIMAN - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- Forget the Cinderella effect: stepparents are just as likely to kill their biological children as their stepchildren - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- The Behavioural Science Blog in 2010 - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- introduction to behavioral science - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- CSU's Behavioral Sciences Building - September 5th, 2011 [September 5th, 2011]
- Criminal Minds Season 2 - Backstage - Behavioral Science Real-life Criminal Minds (1 of 2) - September 6th, 2011 [September 6th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science: Goldielocks - September 6th, 2011 [September 6th, 2011]
- Dean Welcome Message - CalSouthern School of Behavioral Sciences - September 7th, 2011 [September 7th, 2011]
- Criminal Minds - The Behavioral Science Part 1 - September 9th, 2011 [September 9th, 2011]
- TEDx Bandung-Roby Muhamad-Socio Behavioural Science - September 14th, 2011 [September 14th, 2011]
- How Behavioral Science Applies to Marketing - Jason Anello - September 14th, 2011 [September 14th, 2011]
- Public Health Behavioral Science - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- Full Sail Behavioral Science Video - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- Introduction to Behavioural Science - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Commencement Speech - September 17th, 2011 [September 17th, 2011]
- Introduction to Behavioral Sciences OSPE - September 17th, 2011 [September 17th, 2011]
- Get to know NAU's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences - September 20th, 2011 [September 20th, 2011]
- 3 Minute Thesis 2010 runner-up - Will Harrison, Faculty of Social - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- New Behavioral Sciences Building at Colorado State University - September 27th, 2011 [September 27th, 2011]
- Intro to Psych Statistics - September 28th, 2011 [September 28th, 2011]
- Why Do Voles Fall in Love? - September 29th, 2011 [September 29th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science: What problems do you have in your life? - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Behavioral Solutions for Climate - October 3rd, 2011 [October 3rd, 2011]
- College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) 2010 Senior Celebration - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Enhance Student Teaching Podcast - Full Sail University Behavioral Science Class - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Music and the Brain: Depression and Creativity Symposium - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Experiment Test - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Helen Palmer and The Enneagram - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Rapid Learning: Behavioral Science And Patient Treatment - Behavioral Physiolgy - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Meet Nicole in the Colorado State University Behavioral Sciences Building - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Life As A Full Sail Student Ep. 5 (Behavioral Science) - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Happy holidays from your friends in the College of Business and Behavioral Science - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science Jumping Hurdles Full Sail University - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Dr. Meera Narasimhan on Mental Illnesses - Part 1 - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Science needs you: Test your word power on iPhone / iPad with Science XL free app - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- Definition of Culture - October 5th, 2011 [October 5th, 2011]
- OSP Presentation: Bou's Clues (University of Santo Tomas, Behavioral Science) - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Behavioral Sciences OSPE Part 7: Informational Care - October 6th, 2011 [October 6th, 2011]
- Criminal Minds Season 2: Behavioral Science - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science - York College CUNY - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Miswakology Behavioral Sciences - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Criminal Minds Season 2 - Backstage - Behavioral Science Real-life Criminal Minds (2 of 2) - October 11th, 2011 [October 11th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science (A Lesson In Self Control) - October 12th, 2011 [October 12th, 2011]
- BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE LECTURE 1 - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- TEDxGoodenoughCollege - Jan-Emmanuel De Neve - The Genetics of Happiness - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- Using Denial to Cope with Grief and Depression - Winifred Gallagher - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- How To Survive Full Sail University - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- Life Positive Expo 2008 Appreciate Inquiry with Dr. Wasundhara Joshi and R Sankarasubramanyan - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- Dr. Meera Narasimhan on Mental Illnesses - Part 3 - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- Learning and Memory - Video - October 16th, 2011 [October 16th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science Proposal - Video - October 17th, 2011 [October 17th, 2011]
- 13H Refutes CCHR: IOD (Chapter 7) Psychosurgery (1/2) - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- 13H Refutes CCHR: IOD (Chapter 8) Psychiatric Drugs (1/2) - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- OUTDATED : Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- CSUDH College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Behavioral science project. ( just one part of it) - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Ramp Modeling for Dickies (UST- Behavioral Science Presentation) - Video - October 24th, 2011 [October 24th, 2011]
- Search in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences - PSCY 2301 - Video - October 25th, 2011 [October 25th, 2011]
- Forgiveness: Jesus vs Behavioral Science - Video - October 25th, 2011 [October 25th, 2011]
- PsyD Graduate Discusses her Learning Experience at CalSouthern School of Behavioral Sciences - Video - October 25th, 2011 [October 25th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science Statistics: One Sample and Dependent t-te - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- Full Sail University Behavioral Science Self-Awareness Exercise - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- FBI Behavioral Science Unit Interview - Part 2 - Video - October 26th, 2011 [October 26th, 2011]
- Full Sail BS Lab 2 Proposal - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Full Sail University-Behavioral Science- Jumping Hurdles Project - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Being Human - Behavioral Science Project - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Behavioral Sciences OSPE Part 3: Compliance - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Behavioral Science Film Fest feat. BSA1D '09 - Video - October 28th, 2011 [October 28th, 2011]
- Dan Pink Plenary Speaker Landsdowne Residency, March 2010 - Video - November 7th, 2011 [November 7th, 2011]
- Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection - Video - November 8th, 2011 [November 8th, 2011]