PSY1924: Why would that policy ever work?: Grappling with the Challenge of Behavior Change

Many of the challenges facing society today in the areas of health and the environment are tied to patterns of human behavior. Given this state of affairs, numerous policies and initiatives have emerged, designed to shape our behavior -- to help us eat better, be more active, drink responsibly, refrain from smoking, use fewer resources, recycle more, to name but a few. And even a cursory review of these efforts reveals they can take many forms including the provision of incentives; the implementation of bans or mandates; supports for self-monitoring; the restructuring of behaviors to make them more accessible; the use of warning labels; or the dissemination of messages to heighten awareness, model behavior, or shape beliefs. What determines which strategies are used for which problems? Are these strategies effective? If so, why? If not, why not? We will spend the semester grappling with challenge of trying to shape human behavior. Together, we will examine policies and initiatives that are currently in place, think through how they are supposed to work, and try to determine whether (or when) they are effective. Together we will form recommendations regarding best practices; recognizing where current efforts are succeeding and offer advice for where we can do better.

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