How to measure behavioural spillovers: A methodological review and checklist

Galizzi, Matteo M and Whitmarsh, Lorraine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9054-1040 2019. How to measure behavioural spillovers: A methodological review and checklist. Frontiers in Psychology 10 , 342. 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00342

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives. Download (404kB) | Preview

Abstract

A growing stream of literature at the interface between economics and psychology is currently investigating ‘behavioral spillovers’ in (and across) different domains, including health, environmental, and pro-social behaviors. A variety of empirical methods have been used to measure behavioral spillovers to date, from qualitative self-reports to statistical/econometric analyses, from online and lab experiments to field experiments. The aim of this paper is to critically review the main experimental and non-experimental methods to measure behavioral spillovers to date, and to discuss their methodological strengths and weaknesses. A consensus mixed-method approach is then discussed which uses between-subjects randomization and behavioral observations together with qualitative self-reports in a longitudinal design in order to follow up subjects over time. In particular, participants to an experiment are randomly assigned to a treatment group where a behavioral intervention takes place to target behavior 1, or to a control group where behavior 1 takes place absent any behavioral intervention. A behavioral spillover is empirically identified as the effect of the behavioral intervention in the treatment group on a subsequent, not targeted, behavior 2, compared to the corresponding change in behavior 2 in the control group. Unexpected spillovers and additional insights (e.g., drivers, barriers, mechanisms) are elicited through analysis of qualitative data. In the spirit of the pre-analysis plan, a systematic checklist is finally proposed to guide researchers and policy-makers through the main stages and features of the study design in order to rigorously test and identify behavioral spillovers, and to favor transparency, replicability, and meta-analysis of studies.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Frontiers
ISSN:	1664-1078
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 February 2019
Date of Acceptance:	4 February 2019
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 07:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/119172

Citation Data

Cited 36 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item