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Behavioral Psychology and Technologies for EducationMarti HearstMarch 10, 2012+This LectureI present psychological resultsCollectively we decide how these impact education and technology + education.+The Elephant and the RiderYour brain isnt of one mind:The elephant and the rider.Jonathan Haidt, University of Virginia, Psychology

+Your Brain Isnt of One Mind

The rider is the conscious controllerPerched on top and seems to hold the reins.Thinks long termBut also overthinks; analysis paralysisThe elephant is the emotional side: much more powerfulOften wins the argument about which way to go.Instant gratification.Sometimes for the benefitInstinct to protect your childProvide the energy behind motivating major efforts.+Willpower is an exhaustible resource

Experiment: Can eat radishes but not cookiesAfterwards, radish eaters have less energy to engage in a puzzle.The rider is too tired to work any longer.+How to Change BehaviorTo change behaviorMust engage both the rider and the elephantThree main steps:Direct the riderMotivate the elephantShape the path

Chip Heath, Stanford Business School, Organization Behavior

+Example: changing purchasing habits

Engage the elephant+From Kotter and Cohens The Heart of Change. Jon Stegner worked for a large manufacturer. He engaged the elephant of the managers by putting a pile of gloves on the shiny executive table with the varying price tags for identical gloves. Thi motivates them far more than a spreadsheet would. 424 different types of gloves.7Example: change hospital practicesDefect rate in hospital practice analyzed to be 1 in 10.The methods to improve were clear, but nothing was changing.How to fix? Engage the elephant:Brought in mother of patient who didnt make itSet a tangible goal:Save 100,00 lives in 18 months.Shaped the path:Step-by-step instructionsSupport groups, mentorsPeer pressure

+Donald Berwick, CEO of Institute for HealthCare Improvement. December 2004, spoke at an industry convention. Proposed 6 specific interventions, including the ventilator trick (default is sitting up position to prevent pneumonia).8Example: how to save malnourished children with no budget?

The rider lists the dozens of impossible problems Water quality, sanitation, povertyTBU (true but useless)Strategy: Look for bright spotsEngage the elephants of the population to make these workEventually engaged 2.2M people+Jerry Sternin, Save the Children. Saw a few healthy children. What did their mothers do differently? 4 meals/day instead of 2 (too malnourished to process all that food at once), threw in crabs and shrimp (only adults ate those), threw in sweet- potato greens, hand-fed. Then had community meetings where these mothers showed the other mothers how to do it. Met in groups of 10 to prepare meals together; social pressure.9Example: how to sell a new product?

A few salespeople were successfulThe Rider discounts this, says they had an unfair advantageInstead, see what they do differently.They provided a path for successThe drug required an unfamiliar administration method, so they focused on tutorials for this part.

+Genentechs Xolair, a miracle drug for Asthma. These salespeople helped doctors learn how to administer the drug, required infusion with an intravenous drip. Consultant Richard Pascale examined this case in 2003.10Habit100 years ago, few people brushed their teethA Pepsodent marketer changed this.Cue, routine, reward

Charles Duhigg, journalist+HabitRats in maze:Brains highly active when first learningThen as rats got faster, mental activity decreased.At this point, there are two spikes of mental activity: at the start when they heard the click of the maze opening, and at the end when they got the reward of the chocolate.

The brain is ready to change at those points (no chocolate, new maze)

+HabitDuhigg always got a cookie at 3pmGained 20 pounds!Habit psychology helped him solve it

Three part loop:Cue (trigger)RoutineReward

+HabitHow to change it:Change the cueChange the rewardThe routine gets reinforced over time

+Cue: shorts on floor the night before to go running. Reward: logging the accomplishment.14The Paradox of ChoiceContrary to popular opinion, more choices can be negativeCan lead to more anxiety

Barry Schwartz, Swarthmore, psychologist

+Jam Study

Lepper & Iyengar24 flavors of jams availableShowed either 24 or 6 varietiesWhen 24 shown, attracted more customers, but 3% boughtWhen 6 shown, 30% bought+Decision paralysisIf there is one drug left to try before surgery, doctors try it.But if there are 2, they go for surgery401k investments:For every 10 options offered, participation rate decreases 2%Speed daters who meet 8 people make more matches than those who meet 20Shopping makes you tired:The rider has to make lots of choices

+Note: these examples are from Switch, not Paradox of Choice17NudgesDecision making:No setting is neutralEven small and seemingly insignificant details can matterLibertarian paternalismPeople retain their right to make choicesBut are nudged in the right direction

Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein, University of Chicago, Law & Behavioral Economics

+Settings Influence Behavior

How much someone eats is influenced by the size of the serving+Default settings matter

+Choices are presented in non-neutral frames

Cafeteria offerings401(k) investmentsOrgan donation+Predictably IrrationalAnchoring effectsPeople exposed to one number carry it over to others

Dan Ariely, Behavioral Economist, MIT

+Cognitive Biases

Conjunction Falacy:Conjunction of 2 events seen as more probably then either in isolationHindsight biasTendency to revise history of ones beliefs in light of what actually happenedHalo effect:Tendency to like or dislike everything about an entity based on a few salient traitsThanks to Arthur Suermondt, Jeff Zych, and Evan Smith for this slide +How To Live in a World We Dont Understand Very WellPeople underestimate low-probability eventsPeople are biased not to notice negative information

Nassim Taleb, Former professor, financial advisor, epistemologist of randomness

+Survivor biasWWII: placement of armor on returning airplanesLooked at where the bullet holes appeared on the planeThey dont see the planes that were shot down!Lessons learned from business successes: I had 3 successful startups so now Im the guru.Or am I just the lucky one statistically?

+Low Probability EventsIn applying probabilities there is an asymmetry between safety and danger.Some decisions require vastly more caution than others:You dont need evidence that the waster is poisonous to not drink it.

Taleb: http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/taleb08+Survivor Bias and Low Probability EventsIf the same study is done 20 times, and by chance its positive once time in 20, we only see the published paper with the low-probability positive event.Someone in a crowd of 1000 people will get heads more often than chance.Someone in a large enough set of people will appear to have ESP.Some of the companies in Good to Great by Jim Collins in 2001 are now defunctIf you invested in the 11 great companies you would have underperformed the marketDid some of the not great companies also practice a culture of discipline?Among these greats were Fannie Mae and Circuit City.http://www.freakonomics.com/2008/07/28/from-good-to-great-to-below-average/

+Discussion

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