Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of boxes
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction to applied social psychology
- 2 The USE of theory in applied social psychology
- 3 Applications of social psychology to increase the impact of behaviour-focused intervention
- 4 Research designs in applied social psychology
- 5 Social psychology and economic behaviour: heuristics and biases in decision making and judgement
- 6 Social psychology and immigration: relations between immigrants and host societies
- 7 Applying social psychology to the classroom
- 8 Social psychology and environmental problems
- 9 Gender issues in work and organizations
- 10 Social psychology of health and illness
- 11 Social psychology and mental health
- 12 Social psychology and modern organizations: balancing between innovativeness and comfort
- 13 Social psychology and the study of politics
- Index
- References
This chapter is part of a book that is no longer available to purchase from Cambridge Core
3 - Applications of social psychology to increase the impact of behaviour-focused intervention
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of boxes
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction to applied social psychology
- 2 The USE of theory in applied social psychology
- 3 Applications of social psychology to increase the impact of behaviour-focused intervention
- 4 Research designs in applied social psychology
- 5 Social psychology and economic behaviour: heuristics and biases in decision making and judgement
- 6 Social psychology and immigration: relations between immigrants and host societies
- 7 Applying social psychology to the classroom
- 8 Social psychology and environmental problems
- 9 Gender issues in work and organizations
- 10 Social psychology of health and illness
- 11 Social psychology and mental health
- 12 Social psychology and modern organizations: balancing between innovativeness and comfort
- 13 Social psychology and the study of politics
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Watching the evening news on any given night should assure you applied social psychologists have plenty of work to do. Societal problems abound. Epidemics such as HIV and obesity, violence and drugs in schools, wars, traffic fatalities and environmental degradation pose significant economic consequences, as well as devastating costs in terms of human suffering and loss of life. Although human behaviour contributes to each of these societal problems, human behaviour can also be a critical part of the solution. As experts in the development and evaluation of behaviour-focused interventions, behaviour analysts and social psychologists are uniquely equipped to tackle these problems and make a difference in improving the quality of life on our planet.
The aim of this chapter is to provide you with an overview of techniques used for large-scale behaviour-based intervention. When it comes to applying psychological principles to change behaviour on a large scale, behaviour analysts have been at the forefront. We therefore begin by describing some of the fundamental assumptions of a behaviour-analysis approach to intervention design and evaluation. Next, we outline six intervention techniques which have been successfully used by behaviour analysts to change behaviours in beneficial ways. Finally, we outline six social-psychological principles which can serve to enhance the impact of these interventions. When you finish reading this chapter, you will understand the principles and procedures of a variety of interventions which can be used to improve relevant human behaviour.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Applied Social PsychologyUnderstanding and Managing Social Problems, pp. 57 - 86Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008
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