Selecting the right approach for researching and exploring human behaviour can be a challenge. Behavioural insight practitioners and organisations looking to undertake behaviour change research have many different methodologies at their disposal to help them unlock behavioural insights, ranging from observational approaches to randomised control trials. This article provides an overview of different applied behavioural science methodologies and offers some simple steps toward selecting the most suitable approach to gain behavioural insights.
Despite our best intentions, the human mind is often unable to provide an accurate report of past behaviour or predict future behaviour. We are affected by cognitive biases that distort our memory and interpretation of what has happened and expectation of what is to come. When research data relies on asking people what actions they have taken or will be taking, this can be a problem.
Firstly, our memories are not reliable – especially when we are tired or under time pressure – and, because of cognitive biases such as the peak-end rule, some aspects of an event are more memorable to us than others. Secondly, we are also influenced by researcher and research effects, whether that’s interviewer bias or the Hawthorne Effect whereby people behave differently when they know they are the subject of research. Research participants also often want to provide socially desirable answers, skewing responses towards what they think is socially acceptable. Lastly, people can be overly optimistic about outcomes and overstate their abilities as well as those of their in-groups. When it comes to predicting behaviour, the value-action gap suggests that people’s intentions, attitudes and beliefs do not always correlate with their behaviours.
The biases associated with reporting behaviour illustrate the importance of exploring behaviour in the context in which it occurs. As people are affected various biases, their surroundings, as well as other situational factors, we cannot be confident in our findings if the research relies on self-reporting or took place in a setting that was too dissimilar from the real-world context. Applied behavioural science offers us many different research techniques and methods, but we must prioritise the environment and setting in which the behaviour is happening when considering what methodologies to use. If we’re exploring how people make lunch decisions in a cafeteria, for example, then the research should ideally happen in the cafeteria itself.
First, be clear on the intention of the research and its objectives. Determine the stage of the research journey – is the behavioural research at the early, exploration phase where one needs to formulate hypotheses and gain contextual understanding? Or is the behavioural challenge well understood and the research looking to test and validate behavioural interventions?
Next, consider if the research is looking to understand a broad or specific pattern of behaviour. In the context of understanding people’s cyber security behaviours, for example, a broad pattern of behaviour would be to explore their current motivations for being secure online. A more specific behavioural response, however, would be testing how different behaviourally informed messaging impacts people’s motivation to update their password.
Finally, consider the sample size. Does the research approach allow for and/or require a large or more quantitative sample or a smaller, more qualitative sample? A smaller sample size is usually adequate for qualitative research that generates in-depth understanding and contextual insights. It’s also helpful for tracking a full end-to-end experience over time. A larger sample, on the other hand, has greater statistical power for quantitative research and may help us detect more meaningful differences and relationships between variables. Depending on the breadth of research and the sample size, we now have some more defined methodologies to consider.
