How behavioral decision research can enhance consumer welfare: From freedom of choice to paternalistic intervention

Ratner, Rebecca K.; Soman, Dilip; Zauberman, Gal; Ariely, Dan; Carmon, Ziv; Keller, Punam Anand; Kim, B. Kyu; Lin, Fern; Malkoc, Selin A.; Small, Deborah A.; Wertenbroch, Klaus

doi:10.1007/s11002-008-9044-3

Cited by 64 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…One feature of easy-to-visualize information is that people can more readily see whether they have fallen short of doing what is required. In that sense, an easy-to-visualize guideline can make it easier to get the needed feedback about whether the desired action has been obtained (52).…”

Section: Characteristics That Promote Actionabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating science-based recommendations with memorable and actionable guidelines

Ratner

Riis

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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For many domains of basic and applied science, a key set of scientific facts is well established and there is a need for public action in light of those facts. However, individual citizens do not consistently follow science-based recommendations, even when they accept the veracity of the advice. To address this challenge, science communicators need to develop a guideline that individuals can commit to memory easily and act on straightforwardly at moments of decision. We draw on research from psychology to discuss several characteristics that will enhance a guideline's memorability and actionability and illustrate using a case study from the US Department of Agriculture's communications based on nutrition science. We conclude by discussing the importance of careful research to test whether any given guideline is memorable and actionable by the intended target audience.cognitive psychology | consumer behavior | social psychology I n many domains of basic and applied science, a key set of scientific facts is well-established, and there is a need for public action in light of those facts. And yet, individual citizens do not consistently follow science-based recommendations, even when they accept the veracity of the advice. The complexity of daily life and the limited capacity of the human mind prevent important science-based recommendations from getting the intended behavior change. To address this challenge, we argue that a specific type of communication tool is needed to promote a scientific field's most important recommendations. In this review paper, we refer to this tool as the memorable and actionable guideline.Because of the cognitive limitations of memory and attention that we review in this article, science-based recommendations must be focused on influencing the moments when key consumer decisions are likely to be made. People do what they do in their daily lives, and communications should be structured so that they can influence particular key moments, whether it is food choices at mealtime, energy use at home in the evening, intervening when you see a friend about to do something dangerous, etc. Recommendations must be memorable at those key moments and must be usable/actionable at those key moments.The challenge of getting people to take action is one that has interested psychologists and communications experts for decades. Research on attitude change demonstrates that persuasive communications need to convince people that the scientific facts are credible and that the science-based recommendations are sound. However, even once the audience is convinced that the facts and recommendations are legitimate, behavior change will not necessarily follow. For example, even though most Americans think it is important to be ready for emergencies, only a minority have taken the necessary actions to be prepared for a disaster (1). Science communicators need to activate people's behaviors to incorporate the science-based recommendations into their lives. Given this major challenge, considerable research in fields ra...

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Section: Characteristics That Promote Actionabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicating science-based recommendations with memorable and actionable guidelines

Ratner

Riis

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Ratner et al ( 2008 ) raise the important issue of the legitimacy of limiting consumer freedom by disseminating messages that encourage specifi c actions (e.g., smoking cessation). They remind us that once health messages intended to increase personal and public welfare are released to the public, the consumer is free to choose adherence or non-adherence.…”

Section: "Nudging" Vs Coercingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sample Warnings C and D are more coercive, clearly instructing the recipient to adopt the desired healthier behaviors (e.g., avoid water contact and call Quitline). Ratner et al ( 2008 ) discuss several natural cognitive and emotional biases that may be counteracted to assist consumers in making better medical decisions. For example, consumers who deliberate excessively tend to focus too much on less relevant criteria (Wilson and Schooler 1991 ), become more emotionally attached to the options (Carmon et al 2003 ), and experience lower post-decision satisfaction (Dijksterhuis et al 2006 ).…”

Section: "Nudging" Vs Coercingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12.1.9 The "Present Bias" Ratner et al ( 2008 ) also review fi ndings that people often weigh the here and now disproportionately (referred to as "the present bias") (O'Donoghue and Rabin 1999 ) and appear overconfi dent about how they will act differently in the future ("I can stop smoking later if I want to") (Soman 1998 ;Zauberman 2003 ;Zauberman and Lynch 2005 ). In the context of the FDA warning, "the present bias" may be evident as a tendency to administer the medication to the child, thereby achieving immediate improvement in the child's symptoms and discomfort despite the risk of potential harmful side effects.…”

Section: Excessive Deliberationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Next we touch on basic requirements of awareness and understanding of the message. We proceed to review the marketing literature on message design (Keller and Lehmann 2008 ), 1 focusing on factors practical for widespread implementation, including vividness of message, one-sided vs. two-sided messages, and regulatory fi t. Next, based on behavioral decision research (Ratner et al 2008 ), we discuss natural cognitive and emotional consumer biases that may reduce adherence and how they may be counteracted. See Fig.…”

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Factors Affecting Adherence to Governmental Health Warnings and the Case of Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Medications (OTC-CCM) in Children Under Two

Miron‐Shatz

Doniger

Hanoch

2013

International Series in Quantitative Marketing

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Governmental health agencies frequently issue warnings about new health hazards (e.g., smoking and excessive drinking). This chapter discusses factors affecting adherence to governmental warnings against the use of household products previously perceived safe. To be effective, a health warning must reach its intended audience and bring about behavior modifi cation. This is challenging because, in order to modify behavior, the warning message must counteract and overpower the effect of habitual safe experience. Indeed the questions of how people perceive such warnings, whether they adhere to them, and what promotes or prevents adherence are central in marketing practice and research.In this chapter, we review the psychological decision-making literature on trust of the source issuing the warning and safe experience with the risk-causing agent. Next we touch on basic requirements of awareness and understanding of the message. We then review the marketing literature on message design, focusing on factors practical for widespread implementation (i.e., vividness of message, one-sided vs. two-sided messages, regulatory fi t). Next, based on behavioral decision research, we discuss how to counteract cognitive and emotional consumer biases that may reduce adherence. Finally, as a case in point, we evaluate adherence to the 2008 United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning against administration of over-thecounter cough and cold medication (OTC-CCM) in children under age 2. We describe the results of three studies that examine whether parents had heard about OTC-CCM warnings and whether they intended to adhere to them. We conclude with recommendations for optimizing the design and dissemination of similar warnings.

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Choice freedom

2022

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Individuals seek and value choice freedom, firms provide consumers ever‐increasing opportunities to exercise it, citizens worry about protecting their right to choose freely, and scholars across different disciplines study the topic around the globe. We adopt a consumer psychology perspective to systematize the vast literature on choice freedom, and we present a framework to examine the relationship between choice freedom and personal and societal well‐being. We begin by proposing choice freedom as an antecedent of autonomy and personal control and by clarifying the meaning of these interrelated constructs. We then use autonomy and personal control as separate processes to explain benefits and limits of choice freedom for well‐being, and we review interventions that mitigate the limits. Finally, we discuss future research questions related to autonomy and personal control. Whereas extant literature focuses on the presence of freedom and on the relationship between choice freedom and the individual, we reflect on the extent to which consumers actually have freedom of choice and on the role of others in the provision and exercise of choice freedom.

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How behavioral decision research can enhance consumer welfare: From freedom of choice to paternalistic intervention

Abstract: Behavioral decision research, Consumers, Interventions,

Cited by 64 publications

References 46 publications

Communicating science-based recommendations with memorable and actionable guidelines

Communicating science-based recommendations with memorable and actionable guidelines

Factors Affecting Adherence to Governmental Health Warnings and the Case of Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Medications (OTC-CCM) in Children Under Two

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