Behavioral economic methods to inform infectious disease response: Prevention, testing, and vaccination in the COVID-19 pandemic

The role of human behavior to thwart transmission of infectious diseases like COVID-19 is evident. Psychological and behavioral science are key areas to understand decision-making processes underlying engagement in preventive health behaviors. Here we adapt well validated methods from behavioral economic discounting and demand frameworks to evaluate variables (e.g., delay, cost, probability) known to impact health behavior engagement. We examine the contribution of these mechanisms within a broader response class of behaviors reflecting adherence to public health recommendations made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four crowdsourced samples (total N = 1,366) completed individual experiments probing a response class including social (physical) distancing, facemask wearing, COVID-19 testing, and COVID-19 vaccination. We also measure the extent to which choice architecture manipulations (e.g., framing, opt-in/opt-out) may promote (or discourage) behavior engagement. We find that people are more likely to socially distance when specified activities are framed as high risk, that facemask use during social interaction decreases systematically with greater social relationship, that describing delay until testing (rather than delay until results) increases testing likelihood, and that framing vaccine safety in a positive valence improves vaccine acceptance. These findings collectively emphasize the flexibility of methods from diverse areas of behavioral science for informing public health crisis management

Behavioral Economic Measurement of Cigarette Demand: A Descriptive Review of Published Approaches to the Cigarette Purchase Task

The cigarette purchase task (CPT) is a behavioral economic method for assessing demand for cigarettes. Growing interest in behavioral correlates of tobacco use in clinical and general populations as well as empirical efforts to inform policy has seen an increase in published articles employing the CPT. Accordingly, an examination of the published methods and procedures for obtaining these behavioral economic metrics is timely. The purpose of this investigation was to provide a review of published approaches to using the CPT. We searched specific Boolean operators ([“behavioral economic” AND “purchase task”] OR [“demand” AND “cigarette”]) and identified 49 empirical articles published through the year 2018 that reported administering a CPT. Articles were coded for participant characteristics (e.g., sample size, population type, age), CPT task structure (e.g., price framing, number and sequence of prices; vignettes, contextual factors), and data analytic approach (e.g., method of generating indices of cigarette demand). Results of this review indicate no standard approach to administering the CPT and underscore the need for replicability of these behavioral economic measures for the purpose of guiding clinical and policy decisions

Reducing Student Food Waste on Campus

Color poster with text, graphs, and images.The current study focused on the primary cafeteria on the campus of the University of Wisconsin‐Eau Claire. Recent environmental and social justice movements have emphasized the importance of reducing food waste, due to the energy required to produce and transport food, as well as the millions of individuals living in food‐ deprived conditions.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Comparing Concurrent Choice and Demand Curve Procedures as Assessments of Reinforcer Value

Color poster with text, graphs, charts, and photographs.The current study tested both of these preference measures using the same subjects (Sprague Dawley rats) who could earn two reinforcer types: Ensure liquid diet and grain pellets. Results from this study can provide further evidence as to whether the results of these preference measures align, and can advance our understanding of the factors that influence the valuation of a commodity.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Assessing the Reliability of Abbreiviated Delay Discounting Procedures in Rats

Color poster with text, graphs, images, and charts.The current study tested and compared results from three delay discounting procedures – two that are widely reported in the literature, and one novel procedure. The novel procedure was designed to assess choice behavior in 1-2 weeks. If it is found that this new method produces orderly and reliable results, then it could be a beneficial procedure for future research to utilize when assessing impulsivity.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Development of a One Week Delay Discounting Procedure For Use in the Nonhuman Laboratory

Color poster with text and graphs.The current study tested and compared results from three variations of delay discounting procedures – one that is widely reported in the literature, and two novel variations. The novel procedures were designed to assess choice behavior in 1-2 weeks. If these methods produce orderly and reliable results, then it could be beneficial to use these procedures in future delay discounting research.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Behavioral Applications Regarding Canines : Training Efforts to Increase the Adoptability of Canines

Color poster with text, images, and graphs.Behavioral Applications Regarding Canines (B.A.R.C.) is a competitive internship program run through UWEC’s Psychology Department. Our focus is to use positive behavioral interventions to increase adoptability. Of these interventions, one primary focus is to improve leash walking behavior as that is the first interaction potential adopters have with the canines.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Tobacco-free policy reduces combustible tobacco byproduct on a large university campus

Policy drives community-level behavior change, so behavior analysts should aid empirical policy development. University campus regulation is a useful proxy for broader policy initiatives and thus is a convenient inroad for behavior analyst involvement. This paper examines behavior analytic contributions to the planning and evaluation of a university tobacco-free initiative. We provided resources and guidance throughout early planning, and we then evaluated faculty and student compliance via byproduct (e.g., cigarette butts) counts taken at four high-traffic sites (as flagged by preliminary surveying of campus faculty, staff, and students). Visual analysis and supplementary statistical testing support notions of (a) a meaningful and sustained reduction of combustible tobacco byproducts in all locations, and (b) a demonstrative example of behavior analytic involvement with university policy planning and evaluation