Research Direction Guide

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    Research Objective: Focus research on the following key questions in order to

    successfully answer researchable questions related to human behavior with regards to

    consumption and its application in law and policy.

    Key Questions to Focus Research:

    1. What are the principles of neuroscience and social psychology that predict human

    behavior?

    2. What are the principles of neuroscience and social psychology that affect andchange human behavior?

    3. How have these principles been applied to human behavior as it relates to the

    environment?

    4. How have these principles been applied to human behavior as it relates toconsumption?

    5. What are the principles that currently inform law and policy as it relates to human

    behavior and the environment?

    6. What are the barriers to effective use and application of behavioral principles inaffecting environmental behavior?

    7. In what ways could these principles be better applied to achieve more effectivebehavior change?

    8. How could these applications be extended and used to engineer more effective

    laws, policies, and norms?

    Potential Information Sources/Gathering Directives for Answering Corresponding

    Questions:

    1. Psychology and other social science databases such as PsychINFO orPsychARTICLES, overviews/collections of behavioral and social psychologydiscussions, summaries of behavioral scientist work, popular sources such as

    Psychology Today magazine and search engine results.

    2. See above. Additional sources include sociology databases, introductory materialsto social psychology study.

    3. Psychology and social science databases, environmental science databases such as

    Environmental Science and Pollution Management, book sources, theses,

    dissertations, introductory materials to environmental psychology, additionalsearch engine results.

    4. See above. More attention to research literature and in-depth popular sources that

    focus specifically on consumption, consumer-oriented advocacy groups,environmental science databases and journals more specifically related to

    consumption.

    5. Law journals, law review articles, theses, law school materials, basic theory of lawmaterials, search engine results.

    6. See above. Focus on theses or articles criticizing, analyzing, or theorizing on

    difficulties in use of science in environmental law.

    7. Identify information from questions 5-6 indicating potential for applying

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    behavioral information; additional research on barriers identified in question 6,

    what makes them difficult, and approaches or potential solutions; identify

    information uncovered in questions 1-4 that is unused, underdeveloped, orunderused; identify information uncovered in questions 3-4 that is ineffective,

    outdated, or impractical.

    8. Draw connections between the weak spots identified from questions 5-7 andpotential behavioral solutions found in questions 1-4, deduce or further investigate

    via literature searches ways to use, develop, or increase application of underused

    important behavioral information in law, deduce or identify alternatives toineffective applications of behavioral information via literature searches.

    Hypothesized Information Source Accessibility of Consumption Workgroup

    Source TypeLikelihood of Workgroup

    Access

    Purpose for Research

    Objective

    Workgroup InformationBoard

    High

    Background: Gatheringwhat is likely known andinferring what is therefore

    missing or unknown to the

    Workgroup.

    Search Engine

    Results/General Popular

    Sources

    HighBackground: See above.

    Source of descriptive facts.

    Popular Sources geared

    toward professionalsMedium-High

    Background, as well as

    sources of new, concise, orreadily extractable and

    understandable information,and source of descriptive

    facts.

    Published Books Low-Medium

    Background, theses, new

    applications, arguments, andsource of arguable and/or

    normative claims.

    Scholarly Journal Articles Low

    Background on information

    currently available but less

    visible, technology, cuttingedge descriptive facts,

    potential for new orunrealized application.

    Question Application Schematic:

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    Psychology/Human BehaviorKnowledge and Literature(Questions 1 & 2)

    Application andIncorporation of

    Knowledge and Literature(Questions 3 & 4)

    Laws, Policies, and Norms

    (Questions 5 & 6)

    Behavior Change leading to

    Environmental Effects

    Opportunities for Improved

    Application and Incorporationof Knowledge and Literature(Questions 7 & 8)

    Directionofou

    rgoal:Knowl ed

    geleadingt o

    change.

    Established

    Information

    Synthesized

    Information