Underutilised charging stations can be a bottleneck in the swift transition to electric mobility. This study is the first to research cooperative behaviour at public charging stations as a way to address improved usage of public charging stations. It does so by viewing public charging stations as a common-pool resource and explains cooperative behaviour from an evolutionary perspective. Current behaviour is analysed using a survey (313 useful responses) and an analysis of large dataset (2.1 million charging sessions) on the use of public charging infrastructure in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In such a way it identifies the potential, drivers and possible obstacles that electric vehicle drivers experience when cooperating with other drivers to optimally make use of existing infrastructure. Results show that the intention to show direct reciprocal charging behaviour is high among the respondents, although this could be limited if the battery did not reach full or sufficient state-of-charge at the moment of the request. Intention to show direct reciprocal behaviour is mediated by kin and network effects.
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In the current study differences between primary school teachers classified as high-performing in their implementation of cooperative learning (CL) in their classrooms and teachers who were less successful in implementing cooperative learning were investigated. The levels of implementation of cooperative learning differed significantly between teachers, especially in teaching students the needed cooperative behaviours. Based on semi-structured interviews, it was found that low-performing CL teachers struggle more with student behaviour during cooperative learning, while high-performing CL teachers feel more able to regulate student behaviour. We concluded that teachers who differed in their teacher performance of implementation of cooperative learning also differed in their attitudes and beliefs about this approach. An integrated model on professional development and teacher change is proposed to interpret the results of differences between teachers. This model shows that positive attitudes and beliefs before implementation, but also experiencing positive student outcomes (incl. positive student behaviour) during implementation are important factors in making cooperative learning successful in practice. We suggest that teachers should be prevented from entering a negative spiral in which they experience student behaviour during cooperative learning only as difficult and, therefore, do not succeed in improving students’ cognitive and behavioural outcomes.
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(‘Co’-)Designing for healthy behaviour greatly benefits from integrating insights about individual behaviour and systemic influences. This study reports our experiences in using insights about individual and systemic determinants of behaviour to inform a large co-design project. To do so, we used two design tools that encourage focusing on individual determinants (Behavioural Lenses Approach) and social / systemic aspects of behaviour (Socionas). We performed a qualitative analysis to identify 1) when and how the team applied the design tools, and 2) how the tools supported or obstructed the design process. The results show that both tools had their distinctive uses during the process. Both tools improved the co-design process by deepening the conversations and underpinnings of the prototypes. Using the Behavioural Lenses under the guidance of a behavioural expert proved most beneficial. Furthermore, the Socionas showed the most potential when interacting with stakeholders, i.c. parents and PPTs.
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Hospital staff frequently has to cope with complex information, unpredictable circumstances, and prompt decision making. In such an environment, even the “Gods in white” are susceptible to fatigue and error. Noncompliance with hand hygiene guidelines in hospitals is one of these errors and enhances the risk that microorganisms are transmitted between staff and patients. Previous approaches to enhance this compliance aimed at raising awareness on hand hygiene, such as performance feedback or strategic sink placement, and have only appeared to be partially or temporarily successful. Research on human cooperative behaviour has demonstrated that subtle cues of being observed, such as an image of eyes, could enhance compliance with instructions (Bateson et al, 2006). It has been suggested that these cues might activate motivation to follow a local cooperative norm (Ernest-Jones et al, 2010). However, the underlying psychological mechanisms of possible implicit norm activation remain questionable, and it is unclear whether eye-cues could improve hand disinfection behaviour. We conducted two experiments to investigate this
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Key to reinforcement learning in multi-agent systems is the ability to exploit the fact that agents only directly influence only a small subset of the other agents. Such loose couplings are often modelled using a graphical model: a coordination graph. Finding an (approximately) optimal joint action for a given coordination graph is therefore a central subroutine in cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL). Much research in MARL focuses on how to gradually update the parameters of the coordination graph, whilst leaving the solving of the coordination graph up to a known typically exact and generic subroutine. However, exact methods { e.g., Variable Elimination { do not scale well, and generic methods do not exploit the MARL setting of gradually updating a coordination graph and recomputing the joint action to select. In this paper, we examine what happens if we use a heuristic method, i.e., local search, to select joint actions in MARL, and whether we can use outcome of this local search from a previous time-step to speed up and improve local search. We show empirically that by using local search, we can scale up to many agents and complex coordination graphs, and that by reusing joint actions from the previous time-step to initialise local search, we can both improve the quality of the joint actions found and the speed with which these joint actions are found.
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Industrial Symbiosis Networks (ISNs) consist of firms that exchange residual materials and energy locally, in order to gain economic, environmental and/or social advantages. In practice, ISNs regularly fail when partners leave and the recovery of residual streams ends. Regarding the current societal need for a shift towards sustainability, it is undesirable that ISNs should fail. Failures of ISNs may be caused by actor behaviour that leads to unanticipated economic losses. In this paper, we explore the effect of these behaviours on ISN robustness by using an agent-based model (ABM). The constructed model is based on insights from both literature and participatory modelling in three real-world cases. It simulates the implementation of synergies for local waste exchange and compost production. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used to model agent behaviour in time-dependent bilateral negotiations and synergy evaluation processes. We explored model behaviour with and without TPB logic across a range of possible TPB input variables. The simulation results show how the modelled planned behaviour affects the cash flow outcomes of the social agents and the robustness of the network. The study contributes to the theoretical development of industrial symbiosis research by providing a quantitative model of all ISN implementation stages, in which various behavioural patterns of entrepreneurs are included. It also contributes to practice by offering insights on how network dynamics and robustness outcomes are not only related to context and ISN design, but also to actor behaviour.
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Objective. To study the prevalence, nature and determinants of aggression among inpatients with acquired brain injury. Background. Patients with acquired brain injury often have difficulty in controlling their aggressive impulses. Design. A prospective observational study design. Methods. By means of the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised, the prevalence, nature and severity of aggressive behaviour of inpatients with acquired brain injury was assessed on a neuropsychiatric treatment ward with 45 beds. Additional data on patient-related variables were gathered from the patients’ files. Results. In total, 388 aggressive incidents were recorded over 17 weeks. Of a total of 57 patients included, 24 (42%) patients had engaged in aggressive behaviour on one or more occasions. A relatively small proportion of patients (n = 8; 14%) was found to be responsible for the majority of incidents (n = 332; 86%). The vast majority of aggression incidents (n = 270; 70%) were directly preceded by interactions between patients and nursing staff. In line with this, most incidents occurred at times of high contact intensity. Aggressive behaviour was associated with male gender, length of stay at the ward, legal status and hypoxia as the cause of brain injury. Conclusion. Aggression was found to be highly prevalent among inpatients with acquired brain injury. The results suggest that for the prevention of aggression on the ward, it may be highly effective to develop individually tailored interventions for the subgroup with serious aggression problems. Relevance to clinical practice. Insight into the frequency, nature and determinants of aggressive behaviour in inpatients with acquired brain injury provides nurses with tools for the prevention and treatment of aggressive behaviour.
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Youths in Bolgatanga municipality in the Upper East Region in the rural north of Ghana suffer health and social problems that are caused by their premarital and unsafe sexual behaviour. This study provides more knowledge of and insight into the youths’ conceptions, motives and practices concerning premarital sex in the specific cultural and social context of Bolgatanga municipality. The results of this study can contribute to the development of more effective sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programmes. Interviews with 33 youths and 27 key respondents were carried out. Four repertoires were constructed to present the dynamics wherein the youths’ premarital sexual behaviour takes place. The dominant ideology of abstaining from premarital sex contrasts with the counter ideology of allowing premarital sex, influenced by increasing modernization. SRH programmes should take into account the increasing influence of modernity, gender differences and the compelling influence of peer groups, all of which contribute to youths engaging in premarital sex, with health and social problems as possible consequences. (Afr J Reprod Health 2013; 17[4]: 93-106).
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Study about voluntary use of mobile apps to promote behaviour change presented at the Etmaal voor de Communicatiewetenschap
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Residential public charging points are shared by multiple electric vehicle drivers, often neighbours. Therefore, charging behaviour is embedded in a social context. Behaviours that affect, or are influenced by, other publiccharging point users have been sparsely studied and lack an overarching and comprehensive definition. Consequently, very few measures are applied in practice to influence charging behaviour. We aim to classify and define the social dimension of charging behaviour from a social-psychological perspective and, using a behaviour change framework, identify and analyse the measures to influence this behaviour. We interviewed 15 experts onresidential public charging infrastructure in the Netherlands. We identified 17 charging behaviours rooted in interpersonal interactions between individuals and interactions between individuals and technology. These behaviours can be categorised into prosocial and antisocial charging behaviours. Prosocial charging behaviour provides or enhances the opportunity for other users to charge their vehicle at the public charging point, for instance by charging only when necessary. Antisocial charging behaviour prevents or diminishes this opportunity, for instance by occupying the charging point after charging, intentionally or unintentionally. We thenidentified 23 measures to influence antisocial and prosocial charging behaviours. These measures can influence behaviour through human–technology interaction, such as providing charging etiquettes to new electric vehicle drivers or charging idle fees, and interpersonal interaction, such as social pressure from other charging point users or facilitating social interactions to exchange requests. Our approach advocates for more attention to the social dimension of charging behaviour.
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