Behavioural Science Explained

Festinger's original 1954 work posits a fundamental human drive to evaluate one's opinions and abilities, often using social comparisons with similar others. Subsequent research, detailed in the Crusius et al. (2022) review, expands on this, examining the motivations behind social comparison (self-evaluation, enhancement, improvement), the selection of comparison targets, and the resulting effects on self-perception, emotions (like pride and envy), and behaviour. A popular psychology article summarises these core tenets, highlighting upward and downward comparisons and their potential benefits and drawbacks.

We discuss environmental psychology, examining the complex interplay between individuals and their surroundings. The first source, excerpts from Environmental Psychology by Gifford, Steg, and Reser, presents various theoretical perspectives on human-environment interactions, covering topics such as personal space, crowding, pro-environmental behaviour, and the psychological impacts of urban and work environments. The second source, excerpts from Environmental Psychology by Moser and Uzzell, provides a broader overview of the field, discussing its interdisciplinary nature, different spatial scales of analysis (from personal space to the global environment), key theoretical frameworks (determinism, interactionism, and transactionalism), and the importance of considering cultural and temporal factors in understanding human behaviour within environmental contexts. Both emphasise the transactional nature of the human-environment relationship, where individuals both shape and are shaped by their environments. Finally, both sources highlight the need for practical applications of environmental psychology to address real-world problems, such as sustainability and urban planning.

We explore consumer behaviour using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and its extensions. Several studies apply TRA to predict intentions and behaviours across various contexts, including health choices, food tourism, cross-border e-commerce, and aerobic activity adoption. Analyses often incorporate variables such as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived value, satisfaction, and perceived risk, examining their influence on intentions and actual behaviours. One study modifies the TRA to include consumer motivations like hedonic and self-expressive involvement, and introduces "eagerness" as an affective component alongside intention. Finally, a study investigates the determinants of Korean high school students' science track choices, highlighting the roles of attitudes, subjective norms, and self-concept in their decisions.

We explore sociocultural theories of learning and identity formation, primarily drawing upon the work of Vygotsky and Mead. Several sources examine Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) and its implications for dynamic assessment, contrasting this approach with traditional static methods. Other sources investigate how sociocultural contexts shape learning in educational settings, particularly in workplace-based assessment within medical education and second language acquisition. A further source contrasts Vygotsky's and Halliday's perspectives on language development, highlighting their shared emphasis on language as a cultural tool mediating social interaction and individual learning. Finally, one text examines how Mead's and Vygotsky's theories converge in their focus on the active internalisation of social meanings in identity formation, showcasing how identities are formed and transformed through participation in social practices.

We examine various aspects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). One systematic review investigates the demographic characteristics of participants in US-based MBI trials, revealing a significant lack of diversity and highlighting the need for greater inclusivity. Another review synthesises the effectiveness of MBIs for obesity, employing effect size calculations to assess their impact. A further study introduces an agent-based simulator designed to predict the effects of MBIs on job burnout, showcasing its accuracy through comparisons with real-world data. Finally, articles explore the conceptualisation of MBIs, proposing a novel threefold categorization based on concentration, ethics, and wisdom, and a realist review examines MBIs' mechanisms and outcomes in low socio-economic settings. A final systematic review assesses the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR)-based mindfulness training in improving mental health outcomes for adults.

We discuss Construal Level Theory (CLT), examining how individuals' mental representations of events shift based on temporal distance. Studies investigate how near-future events are perceived concretely, focusing on details and feasibility, while distant-future events are viewed abstractly, emphasising desirability and high-level goals. Research across various domains, including consumer choices, brand extensions, and environmental behaviours, demonstrates CLT's applicability in predicting preferences and choices. Furthermore, the texts discuss limitations of existing event semantics and propose alternative frameworks for analysing aspectuality, exploring how temporal construal influences the relative importance of different attributes in evaluations. Finally, the influence of cultural factors on the perception and application of CLT is also considered.

We examine the effectiveness of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) within mobile phone apps designed to improve health behaviours. One study focuses on physical activity apps in China, assessing their quality and the BCTs employed. Another investigates BCTs in self-harm apps for young people, identifying prevalent techniques and their theoretical underpinnings. A third study conducts a meta-analysis of interventions for increasing physical activity and healthy eating in adults, exploring which BCTs predict both short and long-term success. Finally, a fourth study analyses the effectiveness of BCTs in interventions to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among disadvantaged adolescents.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. We examine their influence on learning and performance in various contexts. One text details numerous classroom strategies designed to enhance intrinsic motivation by increasing student autonomy and providing opportunities for self-evaluation and goal setting. Another focuses on the complexities of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, particularly regarding rewards and their impact on creativity and achievement, proposing new models that integrate these seemingly opposing forces. A third source investigates data-efficient deep reinforcement learning, using deep dynamics models and curiosity-based intrinsic motivation to improve agent performance in high-dimensional environments. Finally, a fourth text introduces an inverse reinforcement learning approach to learning exploration bonuses from demonstrations, aiming to transfer human-like motivations to artificial agents.

We cover multiple sources to discuss Social Norms Theory. First source presents a qualitative study on online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) in the Philippines, revealing the prevalence, perpetrators, victims, and community norms that enable such activities. The second source explores entertainment-education (EE) initiatives globally, examining diverse approaches, methodologies (like the Sabido methodology), and the use of various media to achieve social and behavioural change. Both sources utilise social norms theory to explain the persistence of harmful behaviours and the potential of EE programmes to effect positive change. The studies highlight the importance of formative research, audience engagement, and collaboration between researchers, creatives, and communities. Key challenges and lessons learned in designing and evaluating effective EE interventions are discussed in detail.

We cover the application of self-regulation theory across various behaviours. One study examines its role in medication adherence, finding partial support and highlighting additional influential factors dependent on regimen complexity. Another investigates its predictive power regarding university students' binge drinking, demonstrating a significant influence of intention and habit. A third study uses self-regulation theory to explain bad news hoarding by competent managers, suggesting resource depletion under chronic stress. Finally, a fourth study examines how conscious and unconscious self-regulation influence Chinese young people's multi-screen online shopping habits.