Suggested News and Media

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  PUBLICATION AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN BEHAVIORAL POLICY

  For research that advances the rigorous application and development of behavioral/social science to policy and practice in public, private and non-profit sectors. Its goal is to encourage work that has potential to improve the quality of life of individuals and/or organizations. We will consider all research published, in journals or as books, in the years 2021-2024. The date must be the in-print date rather than the online date. Submit nominations to:

  https://behavioralpolicy.org/publication-award/

  The submission deadline is EOD March 31, 2024.
  Winners will be announced at BSPA’s Online Conference, May 2-3, 2024

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  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

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.