There's a monster in my kitchen: using aversive feedback to motivate behaviour change

In this paper we argue that “persuasive technologies,” developed to motivate behaviour change in users, have so far failed to exploit the established body of empirical research within behavioural science. We propose that persuasive technologies may benefit from both adapting to individual preferences, and a constructive use of aversive, in addition to appetitive, feedback. We detail an example application that demonstrates how this approach can be incorporated into an application designed to train users to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviours in their domestic kitchens. Keywords Negative reinforcement, behavioural psychology, environmental awareness, connected kitchens, persuasive technology.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Ben Kirman, Conor Linehan, Shaun Lawson, Derek Foster, Mark Doughty
• Keywords: Behavioural Science, CHI 2010, Human Computer Interaction, Keywords Negative Reinforcement, Persuasive Technologies