Behavioral Economics
Decoding Decision-Making:
Unpacking Choices and Outcomes


Behavioral Economics at IBR
Operant behavioral economics, as applied within the framework of behavioral psychology, leverages microeconomics concepts like consumer demand and labor supply theories to analyze and understand behavior regarding the environmental control of actions by studying commodity or reinforcer constraints.
This approach focuses on how behavior is maintained by various commodity constraints in both laboratory settings and practical applications, emphasizing the analysis of consumption and choice based on the principles of Skinnerian operant conditioning (Hursh & Roma, 2016).
Fundamental concepts such as supply, demand, price, consumption, value, and choice are not limited to monetary exchanges in the human commercial marketplace.
Applying these principles to animal and human behavior has created an innovative and influential theoretical framework yielding novel insights on topics as diverse as substance use, social behavior, obesity, public transportation, healthcare, and various extensions to national policy (Reed, Strickland, et al., 2022).
Under Dr. Hursh’s leadership, IBR is widely considered the international hub for operant behavioral economic research and translation. Research conducted by Dr. Hursh and Dr. Derek Reed at IBR primarily focuses on transferring behavioral economic technologies to industrial, clinical treatment, and public policy applications (Hursh, 1991; Hursh et al., 2020; Reed, Strickland, et al., 2022; Roma et al., 2017; Schwartz & Hursh, 2022).
Delve into fundamental concepts that shape our understanding and application of behavioral economics in diverse contexts, including:
- Behavioral Insights
- Supply and Demand
- Choice Analysis
- Value Economics
- Price Dynamics
- Consumption Metrics
- Public Policy
- Healthcare Economics
Strategic Behavioral Insights
for Optimal Solutions
In addition to its translational research efforts, IBR conducts basic and conceptual analyses to refine and advance behavioral economic theories and research methods (Gilroy et al., 2021; Hursh & Schwartz, 2022; Kaplan et al., 2019; Reed, Gelino, et al., 2022)
Public Policy
Shaping public policy with behavioral insights to enhance public well-being.
B.E. Consulting
Delivering actionable behavioral insights to drive effective policies and practices
B.E. Research
Advancing behavioral research to shape impactful policies and innovative solutions
Access Our Behavioral Economics Tools
Explore key resources tailored to
Behavioral Economics Insights And Applications
References for
Behavioral Economics Insights & Applications
- Gilroy, S. P., Kaplan, B. A., Schwartz, L. P., Reed, D. D., & Hursh, S. R. (2021). A zero-bounded model of operant demand. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 115(3), 729–746. Read more
- Hursh, S. R. (1980). Economic concepts for the analysis of behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 34(2), 219–238. Read more
- Hursh, S. R. (1984). Behavioral economics. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42(3), 435–452. Read more
- Hursh, S. R. (1991). Behavioral economics of drug self-administration and drug abuse policy. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56(2), 377–393. Read more
- Hursh, S. R., & Roma, P. G. (2016). Behavioral economics and the analysis of consumption and choice. Managerial and Decision Economics, 37(4–5), 224–238. Read more
- Hursh, S. R., & Schwartz, L. P. (2022). A general model of demand and discounting. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 37(1), 37–56. Read more
- Hursh, S. R., & Silberberg, A. (2008). Economic demand and essential value. Psychological Review, 115(1), 186–198. Read more
- Hursh, S. R., Strickland, J. C., Schwartz, L. P., & Reed, D. D. (2020). Quantifying the impact of public perceptions on vaccine acceptance using behavioral economics. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 877. Read more
- Kaplan, B. A., Gilroy, S. P., Reed, D. D., Koffarnus, M. N., & Hursh, S. R. (2019). The R package beezdemand: Behavioral Economic Easy Demand. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 42(1), 163–180. Read more
- Reed, D. D., Gelino, B. W., & Strickland, J. C. (2022). Behavioral economic demand: How simulated behavioral tasks can inform Health policy. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Science, Online First. Read more
- Reed, D. D., Niileksela, C. R., & Kaplan, B. A. (2013). Behavioral economics: A tutorial for behavior analysis in practice. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 6(1), 34–54. Read more
- Reed, D. D., Strickland, J. C., Gelino, B. W., Hursh, S. R., Jarmolowicz, D. P., Kaplan, B. A., & Amlung, M. (2022). Applied behavioral economics and public health policies: Historical precedence and translational promise. Behavioural Processes, 198, 104640. Read more
- Roma, P. G., Reed, D. D., DiGennaro Reed, F. D., & Hursh, S. R. (2017). Progress of and prospects for hypothetical purchase task questionnaires in consumer behavior analysis and public policy. Behavior Analyst, 40(2), 329–342. Read more
- Schwartz, L. P., & Hursh, S. R. (2022). A behavioral economic analysis of smartwatches using internet‐based hypothetical demand. Managerial and Decision Economics, 43(7), 2729-2736. Read more