I wonder how we can better understand behaviour in a fast-changing and complex world?

Speaker(s):

Emily Oliver and Benjamin Rigby, Newcastle University's Centre for Behaviour

Abstract:

This session discusses the need to evolve our methods of conceptualising, capturing, and examining behavioural data in real-life environments, if we are to meaningfully understand, predict and change how people behave. The emergence of a wide range of exciting new behavioural datasets presents great promise, alongside both valid and at times exaggerated ethical and public concerns. I wonder how we can better use available data while building and maintaining public trust? We additionally need to discuss how to maximise opportunities as a community to design and deliver research that can move us past traditional blocks and failures (e.g., how to drive sustainable behaviour change; how to change population behaviour at scale) to prioritise research pursuit based on global and local needs, rather than data availability (or lack of). Lastly, we aim to discuss whether our methods are ‘up to scratch’ in exploring behaviour when the environments, places and spaces in which behaviour happens are often rapidly and radically changing.