Author: Muneeba Yousaf

Persuasive Technology
Introduction
From the earliest times humans have used technology as a means to make life easier Unfortunately, the
use of technology has often led to unwanted side-effects and by products such as pollution and
industrial waste. However, technology can also be used to support pro-environmental behaviors and to
promote sustainable living .

Technology and Behavior

We usually look at technology and the environment in two ways: improving technology to be more eco-
friendly or changing how people use technology. However, both approaches have limits because
technology and human behavior are closely connected. For example, advancements in car technology
haven’t necessarily reduced the overall environmental impact of car use due to unintended
consequences like increased fuel efficiency leading to more extensive car use. The relationship between
technology and behavior is two-way – not only does behavior affect how we adopt and use technology,
but technology can also shape human behavior, often unintentionally. The concept of “persuasive
technology” is introduced, emphasizing the design of systems and environments that not only minimize
resource strain but also encourage sustainable human behavior for a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Persuasive Technology
Persuasive technology refers to the design and use of technology with the aim of influencing people’s
thoughts, behaviors, or attitudes.

A simple example of persuasive technology is a fitness app that sends you encouraging messages and
reminders to stay active. The idea that humans are naturally persuasive, using various methods like
arguments, praise, and authority. Traditionally, technology has been a tool to deliver persuasive
messages, like billboards or internet search results. The passage suggests that technology can act as
persuasive agents, taking over the role of humans in influencing behavior. Technological persuaders have
advantages, such as persistence, anonymity, and the ability to use various forms of communication.

Approaches to Applying Persuasive Technology

The three key functions of persuasive technology: as a social actor, a medium, and a tool.

 Social Actor Function: In this capacity, persuasive technology employs principles of social
influence, utilizing mechanisms such as social approval, norm activation, or social comparison.
Studies suggest that people react to intelligent systems similarly to how they respond to human
interactions, indicating that persuasive technology can exert influence through social dynamics.

 Medium Function: Here, persuasive technology serves as a medium that provides novel
experiences. Technology mediates human perceptions and can emphasize or ignore certain
elements. Multimedia technologies, by inducing direct sensory experiences like sounds, images,
scent, and touch, create a sense of presence in a mediated environment. This function allows for
the exploration of issues that might be temporally or spatially distant through direct sensory
experiences.

 Tool Function: As a tool, persuasive technology can facilitate behavioral change in several ways.
It can make new behaviors more accessible and controllable, tailor information to be more
personal and context-specific, implement learning schemes to reinforce desired behaviors, help
monitor consequences through feedback, and activate social norms by providing performance
information in a group setting.

Social influence through smart system

Actually all humans employ three types of strategies to influence others social norms , conformity And
compliance. Intelligent system seem capable of employing these social influence strategies, particularly
since people’s interactions with these kinds of systems are similar to those with real people. For
example, people are comparably sensitive to praise from a computer as to praise from humans.
However, it remains unclear what the underlying cognitive mechanisms are of social human- artificial
agent interaction, to what extent these social interactions lead to real social influence, and which agent
and interaction features are relevant.

Research indicates that persuasive technology that employs social influence strategies has stronger
persuasive effects than persuasive technology that employs ton social influence strategies . For example,
in a lab set- ting experiments investigated whether social norm information provided by persuasive
technology was effective in reducing energy consumption. Participants could conserve energy while
carrying out washing tasks with a simulated washing machine. During this task, some participants
received (positive or negative) social feedback about their energy consumption from a robot that is able
to show human-like facial expressions, can talk, and has lights on its ears and paws. The iCat told
participants for example “Your energy consumption is terrible when they set the temperature of the
washing machine to s 090 °C, indicating social disapproval.

The Role of Social Cues.

Social cues are forms of communication that help kids “read” other people and react appropriately.
Social cues include expressions, body language, tone of voice and personal space or boundaries.
If social influence is typical for human actors, should effective persuasive technology have humanoid
features that suggest its capability of social interaction?

In other words, which and how many social cues are needed to make system capable of exerting social
influence? Research indicates that a humanoid b and humanoid speech are important social cues, and
that the presence of ether of these enhances the persuasiveness of technology Interestingly, using a
single social cue, speech, or a humanoid embodiment, was equally effective in activating a social mode
of interaction with a persute agent as using a combination of both cues. This suggests that artificial agent
need not necessarily be extremely human-like to be effective in social influence Intriguingly, when an
artificial agent has social cues similar to the user leg looks like you), it is trusted more easily.These social
responses are difficult to control, and happen especially when people are d tracted. Research suggested
that only participants who were continuously reminded to focus on the artificiality of an agent (e.g. that
it was not really crying) showed fewer social responses toeg feel empathy for it).

Reactance

People may experience persuasive messages, including those coming from technology, as a threat to
their autonomy, which can lead to psychological reactance. Indeed participant experience more
psychological reactance (anger and negative thoughts about the iCat) when the iCat gave advice that
threatened a participant’s freedom (‘You have to set the temperature to 30 °C’) compared to advice that
was less threatening (You can set the temperature to 30°C’). Psychological reactance might even lead to
unintended behavioral responses (e.g. increasing washing temperature)

Providing persuasive experience

The passage discusses the challenge of raising awareness about abstract environmental issues through
traditional mass-media campaigns and proposes the use of new technological media to enhance
persuasive communication. These technologies, such as user-initiated simulation control, 3D
presentation, and haptic feedback, aim to induce direct sensory experiences like scent and touch to
make issues like climate change more tangible. Research suggests that incorporating emotionally
charged video content and immersive 3D virtual environments can increase the effectiveness of
conveying information and promoting desired behaviors, such as purchasing additional insurance.
Additionally, the influence of room lighting on people’s perception of room temperature is mentioned,
with potential implications for energy consumption.

Persuasive Technology as a Tool to Promote Behavior Change

In this section, we will discuss two ways in which persuasive technology can be used as a tool to promote
behaviour change: ambient persuasion and group interventions.

Ambient Persuasion
Ambient persuasive technology leverages subtle environmental cues, like changes in light or sound, to
influence behavior without requiring conscious attention. For instance, WaterBot reduces water
consumption by displaying information at the sink. Unlike cognitive-heavy interventions, ambient
persuasion operates effectively in situations where cognitive resources are limited, providing a crucial
advantage. Interactive feedback, such as lighting cues about energy consumption, is found to be more
easily processed simultaneously with other tasks compared to factual feedback, making it a user-friendly
approach.

Ambient intelligence

Ambient intelligence in environmental psychology refers to the integration of information technology

into the environment to enhance and adapt to human experiences. It involves embedding sensors,
devices, and smart systems within the surroundings to create responsive and context-aware spaces. In
this context, ambient intelligence aims to improve the interaction between individuals and their
environment by providing subtle and intuitive support, often leveraging technology to enhance the
overall quality of the environment and the user’s experience within it.

Ambient persuasive technology

Ambient persuasive technology in environmental psychology involves using subtle cues and
environmental influences to shape behavior or attitudes without requiring explicit user attention. It
integrates persuasive communication methods into everyday surroundings through ambient intelligence.
For example, a device like WaterBot, by tracking and displaying

Information about water consumption at the sink, aims to influence behavior without demanding the
user’s conscious focus.

Group Interventions

The passage discusses the importance of group-level interventions for energy savings. It mentions a
study on persuasive technology, testing group and individual comparison feedback in households in the
Netherlands and Japan. In the Netherlands, individual comparison feedback significantly lowered energy
consumption, while in Japan, group feedback was more effective. Cultural context influences the
effectiveness of these interventions. Additionally, research suggests that artificial agents can exert group
pressure, as shown in studies investigating the conformity effect of group pressure on participants’
judgments of line lengths.

Individual comparison feedback

Individual comparison feedback in environmental psychology involves providing individuals with

information about their own behavior in comparison to others. In the context of energy conservation, for
example, individuals receive feedback on their energy consumption relative to that of their peers. This
approach aims to leverage social comparison to influence behavior, as individuals may be motivated to
adjust their actions to align with perceived norms or outperform others.

Group feedback
Group feedback in environmental psychology involves providing information to a group of individuals
about their collective behavior or performance in a specific context, such as energy conservation. This
feedback aims to influence the group’s behavior by highlighting their combined efforts and encouragin
sense of shared responsibility