Suggested News and Media

• 

  Online Workshop: Technology and Trust

  November 4, 2022 (12:30-3:45pm EST)
  In recent years, there has been unprecedented erosion of trust in emerging technologies, institutions, and each other. The Psychology of Technology Institute, Behavioral Science & Policy Association, and the USC Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making are teaming up to organize a conversation among leading experts on technology and trust. The workshop will focus on scientifically grounded approaches and policy recommendations for restoring trust in technology and trust in each other. This is an opportunity to hear from leading authorities and learn actionable solutions based on the latest research. We will offer serious solutions for serious problems in an accessible form.
  For more information and to register: https://behavioralpolicy.org/technology-trust-and-coordination/

• 

  Behavior Change for Climate Action Challenge 2022

  The Center for Behavior and Climate (CBC) is seeking applications for our Behavior Change for Climate Action Challenge 2022. The application is just 3 pages. To request application, email [email protected] Climate areas of interest include but are not limited to: energy conservation, public action (e.g., policy support, volunteering, protesting, voting for politicians supporting climate action), food choices, tree planting, soil restoration, blue carbon restoration, renewable energy, and electrification of cars, trucks, buses.

  Applicable evidence-based behavior change include, but are not limited to, the following: Make it easy, Nudges/Choice Architecture; Prompts; Justification; Instructions; Rewards; Feedback; Social Modeling (social norms, block leaders, community interventions); Cognitive Dissonance; Commitments; Setting Goals; Games; and Tools to Counter Cognitive Biases.

  CBC will select 3 nonprofits for this challenge. Each of the selected nonprofits will receive:
  1) free technical assistance to learn how to apply behavior change for climate action from the CBC (workshop and continued technical support);
  2) $4650 in funds to apply behavior change to an existing or new climate action project.
  https://climate.bds.com/behavior-change-for-climate-action-challenge: Applications accepted til Nov. 1, 2022

• 

  Thinking More Deeply About Positive Thinking

  People like feeling in control of where their lives are headed, and the pandemic has made it especially difficult to feel this way. There’s little we can do to change the harsh realities of the current crisis, but professor Arthur C. Brooks describes how we can adopt a more positive mindset to better cope with these realities in The Atlantic. Is positive thinking always the answer to our problems, or can it sometimes lead us astray? In SPSP’s Character and Context blog, professor Trysh Travis describes some of the less-known perils of positive thinking-- for example, someone who has uncritically internalized a belief in thinking positively may feel it’s their own fault if they remain marginalized from systemic racism. Finally, Annie Duke weighs in on the power of negative thinking.

• 

  The Psychological Burden of Remote Learning

  The pandemic has taken education out of its social context, and schools haven’t fully accounted for the psychological burden this imposes on students, writes psychologist Tess Wilkinson-Ryan for The Atlantic. Remote learning also exacerbates racial and economic gaps in achievement, reports the LA Times.

• 

  Twitter’s Proposed Solution to Digital Political Polarization

  In recent Congressional testimony, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey reviewed a “health” initiative for users, including how Twitter could serve as a space to reconcile political opposition. Yet Sociologist Christopher Bail (Duke) cautions against policy action to support Dorsey’s efforts. Bail’s work shows that Twitter may actually lead to further polarization.

• 

  Decision-Making as a Required Course in School?

  Behavioral science probably isn’t what comes to mind when you think of grade school curricula, but writer Steven Johnson is trying to change that. This week, Johnson makes the case for integrating decision-making courses into lower grades. Also, in the Behavioral Scientist, Tom Wein shows us how we can integrate behavioral science into “edutainment” to benefit people at different ages, from kids in school to adults making decisions for later in life.