This document discusses how technology can influence human behavior. It begins by reviewing McLuhan's view that technology extends human senses. It then discusses how technologies have certain affordances and qualities that make actions easier. Persuasive technologies are designed to influence behavior using the EAST framework of making things Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely. The document explains how technologies can act as extensions that amplify existing human effects through increased uncertainty online or anxiety with multiple audiences. It also discusses how technologies can shape behavior through choice architecture, defaults, constraints, rewards and by applying social rules to interactions with computers.
1. Technology and Behaviour Change
Adam N Joinson
Professor of Behaviour Change
Behavioural Research Lab & Bristol Social
Marketing Centre
Bristol Business School
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12. Extension
• Based on McLuhan’s definition of
media
• Technology and tools…
• Make things faster, easier, more
efficient.
• Remove barriers to completing an
action – ease of completion
• Makes new actions possible
• Changes the reward structure
14. Amplification
• Use of the tool amplifies an existing effect.
• E.g. Uncertainty Reduction Theory (Berger,
1979)
• Online interaction amplifies uncertainty,
and reduction behaviour (Tidwell &
Walther, 1992; Gibbs, Eliison & Lai, 2011)
• E.g. Multiple audiences and anxiety
(Goffman, 1959)
• Marder, Joinson & Shankar (in prep) –
impact of multiple audiences on Facebook.
21. Computers as Social Actors
• Reeves and Nass (1996): people apply
social rules to interaction with objects,
computers.
• E.g. reciprocity (Moon, 2000),
politeness (Fogg and Nass, 1997)
• Amplification can occur via application
of social rules to interaction with a
tool…
22.
23. Shaping
• Choice architecture / nudges plus
perceived (and real) affordances.
• “we shape our buildings, and
afterwards our buildings shape us”
(Churchill, 1943)
• Power of defaults (e.g. opt-out organ
donation, pensions etc)
The basis of social proof is quite simple – we look to others for guidance, especially when we are uncertain. There are three components to social proof – scale (how many), similarity (how similar to us they are) and ambiguity
Social proof online?
We want to appear consistent to the outside world, and internally. Technology can be used in both ways. QBE etc
We can shape behaviour through use of biased decision making. E.g. Anchoring – the tendency to evaluate the worth of something to be influenced by prior, unrelated information such as pre-sale prices. The contrast effect is the tendency to allow peripheral information influence the evaluation of the attitudinal object – something found for example in auctions – especially when there is time pressure. Scarcity – we evaluate things more positively if they are in short supply…
Attentional bias - where’s the ‘skip this step’
Attentional bias again – which option stands out?
We use constraints all the time – think of retreats and spas…. What about time constraints?
Of course, a final note worth making is this. Although I’ve argued that we can use technology to change behaviour, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that people are also remarkablly adept at working round technology itself.