Colloquium

Angela Duckworth, Rosa Lee and Egbert Change Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania

Title: Megastudies: A New Paradigm for Field Studies in Social Science

Abstract: How can behavioral insights best be leveraged to solve pressing policy challenges? Because research studies are typically designed to test the validity of a particular idea, surprisingly little is known about the relative efficacy of different approaches to changing behavior in any given policy context. I discuss a paradigm that can surmount this and other obstacles to developing behaviorally informed policy interventions. A megastudy is a massive field experiment in which many different treatments are tested synchronously in one large sample using a common, objectively measured outcome. By summarizing several recent megastudies addressing physical exercise, vaccine adherence, and math achievement, I demonstrate the promise, as well as the limitations, of this apples-to-apples approach to field studies in social science.

Please join us at 3:30 PM for cookies, coffee, and conversation! A reception will follow the session in the Psychology Lounge.