Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
How behavioural sciences can promote truth, autonomy and democratic discourse online
Philipp Lorenz-Spreen1, Stephan Lewandowsky2,3, Cass R Sunstein4
1Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany. lorenz-spreen@mpib-berlin.mpg.de.
Abstract:
Public opinion is shaped in significant part by online content, spread via social media and curated algorithmically. The current online ecosystem has been designed predominantly to capture user attention rather than to promote deliberate cognition and autonomous choice; information overload, finely tuned personalization and distorted social cues, in turn, pave the way for manipulation and the spread of false information. How can transparency and autonomy be promoted instead, thus fostering the positive potential of the web? Effective web governance informed by behavioural research is critically needed to empower individuals online. We identify technologically available yet largely untapped cues that can be harnessed to indicate the epistemic quality of online content, the factors underlying algorithmic decisions and the degree of consensus in online debates. We then map out two classes of behavioural interventions-nudging and boosting- that enlist these cues to redesign online environments for informed and autonomous choice.
More Related Videos
06:42Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
07:43Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
Published on: August 4, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Scientific Nature of Social Psychology
Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Behaviorism
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
Impact of Individuals on Individuals
Social Psychology and Individual Behavior
Social Proof