The Pitfall of Cognitive Bias in Inducing New Behaviours

 

Session Overview:

In this session from the 2020 GovComms Festival, Patricia Gurviez explains how cognitive biases can hinder governments’ ability to promote new behaviours to combat COVID-19.

Patricia is a Professor of Marketing and Consumer Sciences at AgroParisTech University.

Patricia discusses several cognitive biases that distort our ability to think and behave rationally. These include the framing bias and the anchorage bias.

Patricia claims that nudge policies, through their recognition of cognitive biases, can be an effective way of changing behaviour. She gives some examples of nudge policies that have been used to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

She explains how social marketing can take into account cognitive biases to produce behaviour change on health issues. She claims that social marketing can do a better job than top-down regulations in having an impact.

After watching this video, you will be able to:

  • Understand how cognitive biases can make your audience behave in unpredictable or potentially irrational ways.
  • Use nudges to ‘get around’ these cognitive biases in a friendly and non-aggressive way.
  • Recognise how social marketing can take into consideration cognitive biases in a way that top-down regulations cannot.

Please note that this is a recording of a live presentation.