Influence of and Resistance to Nudge Decision-Making in Professionals

Michela Balconi, Carlotta Acconito, Katia Rovelli and Laura Angioletti ()
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Michela Balconi: International research center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, Italy
Carlotta Acconito: International research center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, Italy
Katia Rovelli: International research center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, Italy
Laura Angioletti: International research center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-17

Abstract: This study investigated how professionals’ decision-making is influenced by nudging and their resistance to such a form of conditioning. A total of 61 professionals performed a nudge task in which three different scenarios related to wellbeing and sustainable behaviours were presented to the participants under boosted and soft nudge conditions. After the presentation of each scenario, participants were required to decide between two options of choice: one choice was more nudge-induced, the other was not. Electrophysiological (EEG), autonomic, behavioural, and self-report data were collected to determine the correlates of resistance with nudge conditions. The findings showed that professionals’ resistance to nudging is high and not influenced by boosted or soft nudges. Also, while the generalized increase in EEG delta, theta, and beta power localized and lateralized in the right temporoparietal regions can lay the foundation of “the neural architecture” of resistance to nudging, the significant increase in SCR for the boosted compared to soft condition highlighted the pivotal role of this marker as the only indicator that differentiates the two nudge conditions. Overall, evaluating the correlates of the resistance to nudge can be useful to render professionals aware of the explicit and implicit factors to be strengthened to resist to such form of conditioning.

Keywords: nudge; bias; decision making; EEG; biofeedback; sustainable behaviours (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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