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A meta-analytic cognitive framework of nudge and sludge
Yu Luo1, Andrew Li1, Dilip Soman2
1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Royal Society Open Science
|November 30, 2023
Summary
Nudge and sludge interventions, designed to influence behavior without coercion, were analyzed. Interventions altering effort proved more effective than those targeting intrinsic motivation, with both nudge and sludge showing similar effect sizes.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Cognitive Psychology
- Meta-Analysis
Background:
- Institutions increasingly use nudges (reducing friction) and sludges (increasing friction) to influence behavior subtly.
- The cognitive mechanisms underlying nudge and sludge interventions are not well understood.
- Existing research lacks a systematic framework to organize these interventions by their cognitive targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel cognitive framework organizing interventions based on six key cognitive processes.
- To conduct a meta-analysis of field experiments to quantify the effect sizes of interventions targeting these cognitive processes.
- To examine the comparative effectiveness of interventions targeting different cognitive mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Developed a cognitive framework categorizing interventions by attention, perception, memory, effort, intrinsic motivation, and extrinsic motivation.
- Performed a meta-analysis of 184 field experiments (randomized controlled trials) with real behavioral measures (N=2,245,373 participants) from 2008-2021.
- Analyzed effect sizes of interventions targeting specific cognitive processes and compared nudge versus sludge interventions.
Main Results:
- Interventions modifying effort demonstrated significantly larger effect sizes compared to those altering intrinsic motivation.
- Nudge and sludge interventions exhibited comparable overall effect sizes.
- A potential publication bias necessitates cautious interpretation of the findings.
Conclusions:
- The proposed meta-analytic framework offers cognitive principles for understanding and designing behavioral interventions.
- Effort-based interventions appear more potent than those relying on intrinsic motivation.
- The findings provide insights for developing more effective, cognitively-informed behavioral interventions.
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