Search Results (322)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organisations worldwide asked their employees to accept a temporary salary reduction to manage the financial consequences of the unprecedented event. In this paper, we use a CEO’s salary reduction announcement to all employees and investigate whether a behaviour change intervention using five selected Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) increases expat employees’ overall willingness to accept a temporary salary reduction. We use mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, including survey and experiment, to test our hypotheses and frame our results. The results show that, while the direction of impact was positive, respondents were overall not significantly more likely to accept a temporary salary reduction. However, a significant effect was found for the individual BCT ‘Modelling’. Participants were significantly more likely to accept a pay cut if they knew their senior management took a larger cut than asked of participants. The outcomes of this study suggest that the availability of a financial buffer and the strength of the employer–employee relationship play a, possibly more important, role in employees’ willingness to accept a pay reduction. In addition, leadership matters as this study shows that people are more willing to accept a salary reduction when senior management leads the way. Full article

We identify and present Brazil’s most common behavioral and heuristic biases in judicial decision-making. Through bibliographic and specific cases, we notice the occurrence of the representativeness heuristic, availability heuristic, anchoring heuristic (anchoring effect), confirmation bias, and affect heuristic bias in Brazilian judicial decisions. We also present the current state of Brazilian legislation and its amendments that aim at impartiality in the production, the assessment of evidence, and the judge’s conviction. Finally, we present the suggestions and initiatives that aim to mitigate biases and heuristics in judicial decision-making in Brazil, especially with awareness techniques, the replacement of judges by algorithms, and the review of judicial decisions by collegiate bodies. Full article

This study considers ways to increase the consumption of sustainable fashion given the significant environmental and social damages associated with the industry. A series of experiments were conducted examining the impacts of choice architecture (nudges) under field conditions in collaboration with one of Israel’s largest shopping centers. This study sought to identify which interventions at the retail level successfully motivate sustainable fashion behavioral change regarding purchases and willingness to pay more, along with agreement with several statements regarding the climate crisis and sustainable fashion. Among the types of nudges examined in this field study were providing information, increasing accessibility to sustainable alternatives and appealing to social identity in relation to demographics and green self-image. This study found that offering alternatives to consumers constituted the most effective way to “nudge” consumers toward more sustainable purchasing behavior. Nonetheless, this does not negate the contribution of providing information and strengthening social norms regarding sustainable fashion. Additionally, in all groups, most participants reported that they did not know how to distinguish between sustainable and non-sustainable fashion, nor did they believe that the clothes they purchased were actually sustainable. The findings emphasize the need for policies that will increase the accessibility of sustainable fashion. Full article

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the term “behavioural fatigue” became the centre of policy debates in Great Britain. These debates involved deciding when to go into lockdown and whether behavioural interventions could be effective. Behavioural interventions can only succeed where people’s Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivations to perform target behaviours are supported. Our retrospective data analyses examine the relationships between people’s Capabilities, Opportunities, Motivations, and Behaviours, i.e., adherence to lockdown guidelines. Our cross-sectional analyses include 17,962 unique participants in Great Britain who completed a survey over the initial 30 days of the first lockdown (April 2020). We examine trends in responses to each scale and then the relationships between the scales using Granger’s causality test with tests for stationarity and cointegration. A mixture of increasing and decreasing trends was identified for Capabilities and Opportunities. Decreasing trends were identified for Motivation and Behaviour. Granger’s causality tests found that Capability forecasts Opportunity and Behaviour and that Motivation forecasts Opportunity. The discussion reiterates that to realise and maintain Behaviour changes, policies surrounding people’s Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivations must continue to support target behaviours. Full article

This discussion describes an experimental behavioral economics class implemented in a service learning format. Students implemented two nudge interventions to influence public trash behavior, which is an issue throughout the Middle East/North Africa (MENA). The aim in one project was to encourage more use of trash bins in a multi-screen theater and in the other to sort plastic, glass, and paper when throwing trash in the public bins at a university. These two organizations paid the implementation costs, which were quite low, as common for most nudges. The class was co-taught by two university faculty and several personnel from governmental and UN offices responsible for building nudge capabilities in Kuwait. In each case, results in the student projects demonstrated that nudging resulted in a substantial improvement. Students gained strong competencies in applying sustainability principles to a specific problem and in carrying out a real-world project. They learned the importance of collaborating with stakeholders and got to see that their work was actually used in policy formation by the Kuwait government and the UNDP’s Kuwait office. Full article

Intertemporal decision making is the process by which individuals make judgments or choices regarding outcomes that occur at different times. Although intertemporal decision making is widely investigated, most studies explore it in terms of individual decision making, while neglecting group decision making, which holds more practical significance and adaptive value. This study recommends adopting a “two-process” approach that uses self-assessment questionnaires, audiovisual recordings, and visual decision-making tools to quantify interpersonal interaction processes and information processing in group intertemporal decision-making settings. In this way, studies can reveal the psychological and theoretical mechanisms of the group intertemporal decision-making process. At the level of interpersonal interaction processes, such an approach can identify the differential mechanisms between group and individual intertemporal decision making. In terms of information processing, it can reveal the mechanisms of the decision-making process in group intertemporal decision making. The findings of such work can provide a basis for interventions and nudges that encourage more visionary group intertemporal decision making. Full article

The non-burning rice straw (NBRS) strategy plays a crucial role in mitigating the climate impact of rice farming. This paper explores the factors influencing the efficacy of information nudges and proposes practical nudging strategies to promote NBRS. Experimental nudges were employed on participating farmers, followed by a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews to investigate clearer reasons for their adoption of non-burning practices, as well as the inclusion of participatory nudging design. Key factors influencing the efficacy of information nudges for NBRS among burning farmers showed that the perceived susceptibility and severity of burning could positively influence their adoption of non-burning practices, while rewards for burning were mostly found to be a significantly negative factor. Providing economic incentives helped the farmers to adopt non-burning practices because the monetary benefit was perceived. For those employing non-burning practices, self-efficacy was found to have a significant positive influence on the tendency to continue NBRS. The perceived cost of rice straw utilization (RSU) was mostly found to be a negative factor influencing RSU adoption. At first glance, the promotion of NBRS via demonstrating its ease and timeliness showed the practicality of information nudges, especially through leadership and farmers’ perception of success based on their direct experience. After testing each method, results indicate that if it fits the farmers’ context, making it seem social and attractive can build more confidence in RSU. Four main communication strategies for the nudging of NBRS include the following: (1) empower leading farmers as change agents through practical and visualized knowledge and skills training, continuous guidance and monitoring, and the providing of platforms to communicate the benefits of RSU to fellow farmers; (2) facilitate RSU and encourage farmers to practice integrated farming according to their local context; (3) elevate RSU among farmer groups to meet standardized and accepted levels; and (4) establish clear incentives for RSU and the systematic and collaborative managing of burning. Full article

The nudge theory has been applied to improve safety behavior in various industries. We implemented the nudge theory in the construction industry to improve worker safety. Nudges for construction safety were grouped into three categories and used in a project. The application of nudges improved workers’ safety behavior, particularly in highlighting control measures. The background analysis results reveal that the implementation of nudges did not vary by gender, nationality, or age, demonstrating its high universality. The results of this study offer a reference for stakeholders in the construction industry who are aiming to bolster worker safety. Full article

This paper presents a history of the development of channel codes in deep-space telemetry and aeronautical mobile telemetry. The history emphasizes “firsts” and other remarkable achievements. Because coding was used first in deep-space telemetry, the history begins with the codes used for Mariner and Pioneer. History continues with the international standard for concatenated coding developed for the Voyager program and the remarkable role channel coding played in rescuing the nearly-doomed Galileo mission. The history culminates with the adoption of turbo codes and LDPC codes and the programs that relied on them. The history of coding in aeronautical mobile telemetry is characterized by a number of “near misses” as channel codes were explored, sometimes tested, and rarely adopted. Aeronautical mobile telemetry is characterized by bandwidth constraints that make use of low-rate codes and their accompanying bandwidth expansion, an unattractive option. The emergence of a family of high-rate LDPC codes coupled with a bandwidth-efficient modulation has nudged the aeronautical mobile telemetry community to adopt the codes in their standards. Full article

In this work, we propose a multi-level protocol for routine theoretical studies of chemical reaction mechanisms. The initial reaction paths of our investigated systems are sampled using the Nudged Elastic Band (NEB) method driven by a cheap electronic structure method. Forces recalculated at the more accurate electronic structure theory for a set of points on the path are fitted with a machine learning technique (in our case symmetric gradient domain machine learning or sGDML) to produce a semi-local reactive potential energy surface (PES), embracing reactants, products and transition state (TS) regions. This approach has been successfully applied to a unimolecular (Bergman cyclization of enediyne) and a bimolecular (S_N2 substitution) reaction. In particular, we demonstrate that with only 50 to 150 energy-force evaluations with the accurate reference methods (here complete-active-space self-consistent field, CASSCF, and coupled-cluster singles and doubles, CCSD) it is possible to construct a semi-local PES giving qualitative agreement for stationary-point geometries, intrinsic reaction coordinates and barriers. Furthermore, we find a qualitative agreement in vibrational frequencies and reaction rate coefficients. The key aspect of the method’s performance is its multi-level nature, which not only saves computational effort but also allows extracting meaningful information along the reaction path, characterized by zero gradients in all but one direction. Agnostic to the nature of the TS and computationally economic, the protocol can be readily automated and routinely used for mechanistic reaction studies. Full article

Nudge theory proposes using subtle interventions to encourage individuals to make better decisions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Nudge theory in plaque control and assess caries experience among third-grade primary schoolchildren with refugee and immigrant backgrounds in Mashhad, Iran. Moreover, Afghan and Iranian schoolchildren were compared to assess differences in oral health outcomes. A quasi-experimental field trial was conducted in three public primary schools, comprising 309 participants approximately 9 years old. Interventions were randomly assigned to three schools: School I Messages based on Social Norms (MSN), School II Messages based on Fear of Negative Outcome (MFNO), and School III control group (C). MSN and MFNO received customized motivational video clips at baseline, while C only received Oral hygiene instruction (OHI). All participants received OHI, a brush, and toothpaste. Baseline plaque index (PI) and caries experience in primary and permanent dentition (dmft/DMFT) were recorded. PI was reassessed at two weeks, two months, and six months post-intervention. All data were subjected to statistical analysis. The mean PI decreased significantly in all three groups at the two-week follow-up (p < 0.01). The PI improvements declined over a six-month follow-up period in all groups, and the mean PI difference after six months compared to the pre-intervention was significant only in MSN and MFNO (p < 0.01), while C reverted almost to the pre-study level. Schoolchildren with at least one filled tooth or Iranian nationality showed a greater PI reduction (p < 0.01, p = 0.05). The overall mean ± SD dmft and DMFT were 4.24 ± 2.11 and 1.70 ± 1.24, respectively. Among all the examined participants, 32 (10.40%) individuals were caries-free. The mean dmft was statistically significantly higher in Afghan children than in Iranians (p = 0.01). MSN was more effective on PI reduction in the short term, while MFNO was more long-lasting. Using the Nudge theory via visual aids was more effective in motivating children to perform better oral self-care than solely traditional OHI. Full article

Recent advancements in computational technologies have enhanced the importance of meteorological modeling, driven by an increased reliance on weather-dependent systems. This research implemented a lightning data assimilation technique to improve short-term weather forecasts in South America, potentially refining initialization methods used in meteorological operation centers. The main goal was to implement and enhance a data assimilation algorithm integrating lightning data into the WRF model, assessing its impact on forecast accuracy. Focusing on southern Brazil, a region with extensive observational infrastructure and frequent meteorological activity, this research utilized several data sources: precipitation data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), lightning data from the Brazilian Lightning Detection Network (BrasilDAT), GOES-16 satellite images, synoptic weather charts from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), and initial conditions from the GFS model. Employing the WRF-ARW model version 3.9.1.1 and WRFDA system version 3.9.1 with 3DVAR methodology, the study conducted three experimental setups during two meteorological events to evaluate the assimilation algorithm. These included a control (CTRL) without assimilation, a lightning data assimilation (LIGHT), and an adaptive humidity threshold assimilation (ALIGHT). Results showed that the lightning data assimilation system enhanced forecasts for large-scale systems, especially with humidity threshold adjustments. While it improved squall line timing and positioning, it had mixed effects when convection was thermally driven. The lightning data assimilation methodology represents a significant contribution to the field, indicating that using such alternative data can markedly improve short-term forecasts, benefiting various societal sectors. Full article

Numerous studies have investigated healthy diets and nutrients. Governments and scientists have communicated their findings to the public in an easy-to-understand manner, which has played a critical role in achieving citizens’ well-being. Some countries have published dietary reference intakes (DRIs), whereas some academic organizations have provided scientific evidence on dietary methods, such as traditional diets. Recently, more user-friendly methods have been introduced; the Health Star Rating system and Optimized Nutri-Dense Meals are examples from Australia and Japan, respectively. Both organizations adopt a novel approach that incorporates nudges. This review summarizes the science communication regarding food policies, guidelines, and novel methods in Japan and other countries. In the food policies section, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the DRIs and food-based guidelines published by the government. Dietary methods widely known, such as The Mediterranean diet, Nordic diet, Japanese traditional diet, and the EAT-Lancet guidelines, were also reviewed. Finally, we discussed future methods of science communications, such as nudge. Full article

Studies have highlighted the importance of applying Behavioral Sciences interventions to develop equity in the prevention of chronic diseases in the public health domain. Our study aims to assess the evidence of this influence. We undertook a systematic review study using the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane, searching for work published between 2013 and 2023. The research analyzed the influence of Behavioral Sciences intervention studies on public health. This review was registered and published in PROSPERO, registration number CRD42023412377. The systematic search identified 2951 articles. The review analyzed 26 studies. The quality assessment of the articles showed an overall average of 74%, with the majority of studies being of high quality. The interventions with the best evidence for chronic diseases used framing messages, nudges and vouchers. Messages with incentives also showed satisfactory evidence. The most prevalent outcomes were related to screening tests and patient adherence to treatment. The current state of decision-making remains mainly at the patient level, with potential for further exploration of the roles of healthcare professionals and decision-makers in future research efforts. Limitations relate to the heterogeneity of the study sample, which hinders a more precise analysis of specific interventions and outcomes in chronic diseases. Full article

Targeting households with food waste reduction interventions represents a critical opportunity to meet global targets to halve food loss and waste. While the evidence base on the effectiveness of food waste interventions is growing generally, less is known about the outcomes of household-focused interventions. This mixed methods study explores how households experienced a behaviourally orientated nudge (the OzHarvest Use it Up Tape^TM) and examines its impact on food waste and behaviour change. The “Tape” served multiple functions for households—including as a visual prompt, a labelling device, a planning tool, and a communication tool—and was more effective for large families and for individuals who were disorganised when shopping and cooking. Significant reductions were also identified in participants’ fresh vegetable and fruit waste and in the total food amounts they wasted. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of behaviourally orientated nudges, like the Tape, in reducing food waste. Full article