Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun 22;39(2):190-205.
doi: 10.1007/s40616-023-00186-z. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Do NOT Read this Article: the Effects of Autoclitics and Nudge on Choosing

Fernanda S Oda  1   2 , Robert S LeComte  1   2 , Derek D Reed  1   2
Affiliations

Do NOT Read this Article: the Effects of Autoclitics and Nudge on Choosing

Fernanda S Oda et al. Anal Verbal Behav. .

Abstract

The use of autoclitics can influence the behavior of individuals making choices when responding to a survey (e.g., checking or unchecking a box). In two studies, we investigated the effects of autoclitics as "nudges" on choice by manipulating different frames (opt-in and opt-out) and default options (i.e., unchecked and checked boxes). Undergraduate students recruited from behavioral science courses engaged with materials in the study. In study 1, we used an online survey at the beginning of the semester offering the choice of whether to enroll in extra-academic activities (i.e., practice tests) available via the online course platform, Blackboard. We randomly assigned students into one of four groups: 1) option to enroll with an unchecked box, 2) option to not enroll with an unchecked box, 3) option to enroll with a checked box, or 4) option to not enroll with a checked box. Results showed that the option to not enroll with an unchecked box produced higher enrollment to receive extra academic activities. In the middle of the semester, we conducted a within-subject arrangement wherein students who initially opted out of receiving activities had the option to accept them following exposure to the negative autoclitic frame. Most of these students opted into receiving activities. In study 2, we replicated the methods of study 1 in Canvas, a different course platform, and obtained similar results. We briefly discuss the implications of a nudge for ethical consent.

Keywords: Autoclitic; choice architecture; consent; nudge; opt-in; opt-out.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestThe authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Screenshot example of autoclitic framing and box default options. Note. Screen displayed for students assigned in Frame 3 (positive frame with box checked). The observing response requirement consisted of checking the first box (i.e., “I am a student enrolled…”). The white rectangle was inserted in this screenshot for publication only for confidentiality purposes; students could see the name of the course.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Enrollment rate per default and autoclitic frame in Study 1
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Enrollment rate per default and autoclitic frame in Study 2
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Axe JB, Phelan SH, Irwin CL. Empirical evaluations of Skinner's analysis of problem solving. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. 2018;35(1):39–56. doi: 10.1007/s40616-018-0103-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bhattacharya, J., Garber, A. M., & Goldhaber-Fiebert, J.D. (2015). Nudges in exercise commitment contracts: A randomized trial. Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics Working Paper. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2636165
    1. Cengher M, Ramazon NH, Strohmeier CW. Using extinction to increase behavior: Capitalizing on extinction-induced response variability to establish mands with autoclitic frames. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. 2020;36(1):102–114. doi: 10.1007/s40616-019-00118-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chastain, Luoma SM, Love SE, Miguel CF. The role of irrelevant, class-consistent, and class-inconsistent intraverbal training on the establishment of equivalence classes. The Psychological Record. 2022;72(3):383–405. doi: 10.1007/s40732-021-00492-9. - DOI
    1. Choudhary V, Shunko M, Netessine S, Koo S. Nudging drivers to safety: Evidence from a field experiment. Management Science. 2022;68(6):4196–4214. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.2021.4063. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources