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Behavioral winter: Disillusionment with applied behavioral science and a path to spring forward

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2023

David Gal
Affiliation:
University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. davidgal@uic.edu; https://business.uic.edu/profiles/david-gal/
Derek D. Rucker
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. d-rucker@kellogg.northwestern.edu; https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/directory/rucker_derek_d.aspx

Abstract

Chater & Loewenstein thoughtfully express their disillusionment with contemporary applied behavioral science, particularly as it pertains to public policy. Although they fault an overemphasis on i-frame approaches, their proposed alternatives leave doubt regarding whether behavioral science has much, if anything, useful to offer policy. We offer two critical principles to guide and motivate more relevant behavioral science.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

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