The Classics of Behavior Change Design?

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fred trotter

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May 26, 2011, 9:40:51 PM5/26/11
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Hi,
What popular (or scholarly) titles deserve to be in the list of
references that everyone "getting into" behavior change design (either
for themselves or others) should read?

I have made a list of my favorite titles (many of which I am not
through reading) and posted it here:

http://www.fredtrotter.com/2011/05/26/programmable-self-reading-list/

From that post:
Switch (kindle edition) – Change when change is hard. (must read)
Carrots and Sticks (kindle edition)- Probably the best “motivation
hacking” book out there, (must read). Also try the kindle-only $500
diet by the same author.
The Tipping Point (kindle edition)- small changes can lead to
bigger changes.
Blink (kindle edition)- about how we make complex assessments and
decisions really fast.
Drive (kindle edition)- what motivates us.
Sway (kindle edition)- About irrational behavior.
Nudge (kindle edition)- changing peoples behaviors with very small
pushes in the correct direction.
Predictably Irrational (kindle edition)- We are irrational in
predictable ways that we can use to our advantage.
Upside of Irrationality (kindle edition)- More on how to use
irrationality to our advantage.
Deck of lenses and book of lenses – classics of game design.
Gamification by Design – Great book on gamification.
Reality is Broken (kindle edition)- gamification as a fix for problems…
Rock Paper Scissors (kindle edition)- on game theory (as in the
mathematics of strategy)

I have also included links to the BJ Fogg resources, the behavior
grid and the behavior model.

What else deserves to be on this list? Scholarly resources are OK, but
it should be understandable by smart laypeople.

-FT


--
Fred Trotter
http://www.fredtrotter.com

Eric Hekler

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Jun 15, 2011, 5:54:41 PM6/15/11
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Hi, Fred et al.

   So sorry it's taken me so long to respond.  You've made a great list.  Here are a few others that come to mind (not all of these are directly related to behavior change but nonetheless, do a nice job of summarizing relevant social science/related work):

good book discussing how the internet has created new spheres for collective creative work.

This book summarizes the strengths and limitations of gathering and using data from groups.


Outliers


Very dense book but a fantastic discussion on the distinctions between rational thought and emotions.  
Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain





Academic text but has a lot of good stuff summarizing theories related to self-regulation.

Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory, and Applications

Great book describing issues related to how much choice should be offered an individual.

Very nice summary of decision-making literature.

not necessarily about behavior-change but a valuable book to help understand language, which has implications for desiging health behavior change

It's more of a cute exploration on interesting observations a la Predictably Irrational (though I think Dan Ariely's work is much better)

This is a very nice book discussing our strengths and limitations related to predicting our own future happiness.  
(the original start of the Elephant/Rider Metaphor used in Switch).  Jonathan is a very smart and clear thinker.

More of a quantified Self manual to get someone started on QS stuff.

I'm sure there are more and I'll take a look at my bookshelf when I get home but this is a good start.  Fred, I also shared my Goodreads list with you that has a lot of these and other books I've been reading listed.

Best,
Eric


Eric Hekler, Ph.D.
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Medical School Office Building: Mail Code 5411
251 Campus Drive
Stanford, CA 94305-5411
Office # (650) 721-2516
Fax:  650-725-6247
Email: ehe...@stanford.edu

Eric Hekler

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Jun 15, 2011, 6:02:39 PM6/15/11
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I almost forgot one of BJ's and my favorite books!  

Don't Shoot the Dog is a FANTASTIC book on the basics of behaviorism (as learned through dog-training but it definitely has broader relevance to "training" humans).


Some others that i was just reminded from by looking through my Amazon account:







Eric Hekler, Ph.D.
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Medical School Office Building: Mail Code 5411
251 Campus Drive
Stanford, CA 94305-5411
Office # (650) 721-2516
Fax:  650-725-6247
Email: ehe...@stanford.edu


Greg Tucker-Kellogg

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Jul 14, 2011, 9:19:47 AM7/14/11
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Thanks both of you for the list.  I've read some of these, but by no means all, and have downloaded a few more for a weekend vacation with my family and Kindle.

The FBM stuff is interesting (perhaps I should say persuasive).  I thought I would read one of the behavior guides linked from the behavior wizard, but while they are listed at $15 each in the persuasive technology lab catalog, they become $95 each when one is selected for purchase.

In the Fogg material I've seen, I'd like to see much more wide ranging examples of triggers.
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