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Behavioral Economics Research

Exploring Human Behavior to
Shape Policies and Improve Lives

IBR scientific team collaborating at a conference table, showcasing expertise in Operational Fatigue & Performance Consulting
Behavioral Insights for Complex Challenges

Behavioral Economics: Understanding Decisions and Motivations

Applied Behavioral Sciences examines the behavior underlying complex decision making associated with choices involving economic demand, delayed or probabilistic outcomes, environmental sustainability, or behavioral addictions.

Leadership and Pioneering Research

The field of Behavioral Economics has been pioneered and developed by IBR President Dr. Steven R. Hursh over the past 40+ years and continues to grow.

Economics Principles in Action

Fundamental concepts such as supply, demand, price, consumption, value, and choice are not limited to monetary exchanges in the human commercial marketplace; these principles are applied to understanding animal and human motivation for a wide range of outcomes under environmental constraints of money, time, effort, and social costs.

Transformative Applications

This research has created an innovative and influential theoretical framework yielding novel insights on topics as diverse as: drug abuse, social behavior, obesity, public transportation, public health, and various extensions to national policy.
Innovative Models, Policies, and Tools

Our Behavioral Economics Research Focus

Explore the pioneering research conducted at IBR in Behavioral Economics, from transformative models to impactful policy studies and advanced research tools. Each tab below delves into the core areas of our expertise.

The Exponential Model is a descriptive quantitative model that fits consumption data as a function of price across a wide range of prices and defines reinforcement not as total consumption, average consumption, or consumption at any one price, but rather as sensitivity to price across the entire range of prices expressed in a single number.

Key Innovation

A fundamental innovation of this model is that it mathematically separates and provides independent metrics for baseline consumption vs. sensitivity to price across the full range of constraints.

History and Development

The Exponential Model of Demand was introduced in 2008 by Dr. Hursh in partnership with Dr. Alan Silberberg from the Department of Psychology at American University in Washington DC.

In 2023, Dr. Hursh, in collaboration with Dr. Schwartz, extended the exponential demand framework with a General Model of Demand and Discounting that explains how factors that impact demand are also factors underlying delay and probability discounting.

IBR strongly believes in the value of science- and evidence-based policy at all levels, including federal, state, local, corporate, and individual.

Much of the research and clinical work IBR does has direct implications for policy development, and IBR scientists frequently present theoretical and empirical work to decision-makers and stakeholders at various organizations in both the public and private sectors.

Policy Support Across Sectors

IBR scientists and affiliates have engaged in policy support efforts in a variety of areas over the years, including:
  • Substance Abuse
  • Human Research Subjects’ Rights
  • Classroom Education

Managing Fatigue Risks

Recent and ongoing efforts include novel applications of behavioral economics principles as well as active policy review and development for several federal agencies, particularly in fatigue risk management in safety-critical operational settings such as transportation.

IBR strongly believes in the value of science- and evidence-based policy at all levels, including federal, state, local, corporate, and individual.

Much of the research and clinical work IBR does has direct implications for policy development, and IBR scientists frequently present theoretical and empirical work to decision-makers and stakeholders at various organizations in both the public and private sectors.

SAFTE Model

  • SAFTEr R Package

Exponential Model

  • Microsoft Excel Analysis Tool
  • Graphpad Prism Graphing Template
Expert Research Services

Connect with IBR Research

IBR was founded as a research institute and continues to thrive with a diverse portfolio of initiatives both on-site and in collaboration with US and international colleagues. IBR’s current scientific research activities include:
  • Operational Fatigue & Performance
  • Sleep in Specialty Populations
  • Behavioral Economics
  • Applied Behavioral Sciences
  • Policy Studies
  • Tools for Researchers
For more information about research initiatives at IBR, please contact ib********@ib****.org
Get in Touch

Explore IBR Research Publications

  1. 1 Dr. Steve Hursh. Institutes for Behavior Resources, INC. ResearchGate. Read more
  2. 2 Dr. Derek Reed. My Bibliography. NCBI. Read more
View Google Scholar Publications
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