Research Library

Curation criteria: replicability, effect size clarity, intervention specificity.

Foundational Research

Behavior Design

Fogg, B. J. (2009). A behavior model for persuasive design. Persuasive Technology Conference Proceedings, Article 40. DOI: 10.1145/1541948.1541999

  • Key finding: Behavior occurs when Motivation, Ability, and Prompt converge (B=MAP)
  • Relevance: Direct foundation of Behavior Fit Assessment

Behavioral Neuroscience: Three Systems

Rangel, A., Camerer, C., & Montague, P. R. (2008). A framework for studying the neurobiology of value-based decision making. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(7), 545-556. DOI: 10.1038/nrn2357

  • Key finding: Three distinct valuation systems govern behavior: Pavlovian, habitual, and goal-directed
  • Relevance: Explains why many complex behaviors remain predominantly goal-directed rather than fully habitual

Balleine, B. W., & O’Doherty, J. P. (2010). Human and rodent homologies in action control. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(1), 48-69. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.131

  • Key finding: Outcome devaluation distinguishes goal-directed actions from habits
  • Relevance: Gold-standard evidence for habit limitations (goal-directed vs habitual control)

Daw, N. D., Niv, Y., & Dayan, P. (2005). Uncertainty-based competition between prefrontal and dorsolateral striatal systems for behavioral control. Nature Neuroscience, 8, 1704-1711. DOI: 10.1038/nn1560

  • Key finding: Model-based (goal-directed) vs model-free (habitual) systems compete for control
  • Relevance: When the brain switches between habits and goals

Nudge Effectiveness

DellaVigna, S., & Linos, E. (2022). RCTs to scale: Comprehensive evidence from two nudge units. Econometrica, 90(1), 81-116. DOI: 10.3982/ECTA18709

  • Key finding: Real-world nudge effects (1.4%) are 6x smaller than academic studies (8.7%)
  • Relevance: Lab-to-field generalization failures

Maier, M., et al. (2022). No evidence for nudging after adjusting for publication bias. PNAS, 119(31), e2200300119. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200300119

  • Key finding: After correcting for publication bias, estimated mean effects shrink substantially and move toward ~0 in their preferred specifications; the authors argue that the literature does not provide robust evidence of nudge effectiveness after adjustment.
  • Relevance: Publication bias can inflate apparent nudge effectiveness claims; treat meta-analytic averages cautiously

Hu, Y., et al. (2025). Assessing nudge impact: A comprehensive second-order meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. DOI: 10.1002/bdm.70053

  • Key finding: Aggregated estimate across meta-analyses (d = 0.270) drops to near zero (d = 0.004) after publication-bias adjustment; the authors flag quality limitations in many underlying meta-analyses.
  • Relevance: Weighting and bias correction can materially change expected effect sizes; use a skeptical prior for “nudge-first” claims

Habit Formation (with limitations)

Lally, P., et al. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(7), 998-1009. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.674

  • Key finding: Median 66 days to automaticity (range 18-254)
  • Relevance: Applies only to simple behaviors (eating fruit, drinking water); does NOT apply to complex behaviors

Implementation Intentions

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1

  • Key finding: If-then plans improve goal achievement (d=0.65)
  • Relevance: Making goal-directed behavior more reliable without converting to habit

Identity and Behavior

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

  • Key finding: Autonomy, competence, and relatedness drive intrinsic motivation
  • Relevance: Foundation for Identity Fit

Oyserman, D., Fryberg, S. A., & Yoder, N. (2007). Identity-based motivation and health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(6), 1011-1027. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.93.6.1011

  • Key finding: People reject behaviors that conflict with social identity
  • Relevance: Identity Fit is prerequisite for behavior sustainability

Intention-Behavior Gap

Sheeran, P., & Webb, T. L. (2016). The intention-behavior gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(9), 503-518. DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12265

  • Key finding: Intentions explain less than one-third of behavior variance
  • Relevance: Why motivation alone fails; need for Capability Fit and Context Fit

Foundational Behavior Theory

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. DOI: 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

  • Key finding: Behavior predicted by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control
  • Relevance: Multi-factor behavior models; theoretical foundation for BFA structure

Context and Environment

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289-314. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417

  • Key finding: Stable contexts produce stable (habitual) behaviors; context cues trigger habits
  • Relevance: Supports Context Fit; note applies to simple behaviors only

Thaler, R. H., & Benartzi, S. (2004). Save More Tomorrow: Using behavioral economics to increase employee saving. Journal of Political Economy, 112(S1). DOI: 10.1086/380085

  • Key finding: Automatic enrollment with escalation increased savings from 3.5% to 13.6%
  • Relevance: System design enables behavior better than motivation appeals

Self-Regulation

Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 351-355. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x

  • Key finding: Self-control depletes with use (though effect sizes debated in replications)
  • Relevance: Environmental design sustains behavior better than willpower alone

Taxonomy

  • Behavior change field experiments
  • Measurement methods and reporting standards
  • Product adoption and diffusion
  • Personality–behavior interactions
  • Social and physical environment effects
  • Habitual vs goal-directed systems
  • Nudge effectiveness and limitations

See also