Publications by authors named "Marlene Hecht"

Article Synopsis
  • The paper evaluated 747 research articles on 19 policy recommendations from behavioral science aimed at reducing the impacts of COVID-19.
  • Both independent review teams found evidence supporting 18 out of the 19 claims, with 89% of the claims backed by robust data.
  • Key findings highlighted that cultural factors, misinformation, and trusted leadership significantly influenced policy effectiveness, while targeted messaging showed mixed outcomes.
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Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups.

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Pervading global narratives suggest that political polarization is increasing, yet the accuracy of such group meta-perceptions has been drawn into question. A recent US study suggests that these beliefs are inaccurate and drive polarized beliefs about out-groups. However, it also found that informing people of inaccuracies reduces those negative beliefs.

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Social media is radically altering the human social landscape. Before the internet era, human interaction consisted chiefly of direct and reciprocal contact, yet with the rise of social media, the passive consumption of other users' information is becoming an increasingly popular pastime. Passive consumption occurs when a user reads the posts of another user without interacting with them in any way.

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