GAABS Blog
BeSci News, Insights and Updates
Sharing the insights, news and updates to support behavioural science practitioners in solving real-world problems.
From "Made in China" to Market Leader: How Chinese Carmakers Out-Engineered a Nation's Biases
Why did millions of consumers stop seeing "Made in China" as a warning sign and start seeing it as a smart choice?
This isn't just a story about cheaper cars or better technology. It's a fascinating case study in how behavioural science can overcome deeply ingrained consumer biases. By understanding loss aversion, social proof, signalling, and attribute substitution, Chinese carmakers didn't simply persuade buyers—they systematically reduced the fears that were stopping them from buying in the first place.
Discover how one of the biggest shifts in the automotive market became a masterclass in changing behaviour, one bias at a time.
From the “Hand of God” to the Video Assistant Referee
Did VAR solve football's biggest refereeing problem—or expose an even bigger challenge? Using Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal as a starting point, this article explores what behavioural science reveals about dishonesty, procedural justice, and why accurate decisions alone aren't enough to build trust. From football to AI, discover why understanding how decisions are made matters just as much as getting them right.
Culture Change at Scale: How NatWest Used Behavioural Science to Transform
Former GAABS board chair, Steve Martin, hosted a webinar for behavioural science practitioners with two senior executives from NatWest Group who are currently leading a transformative culture change initiative grounded in applied behavioural science: 1) Hilary Kitson, Group Chief Operating Officer Designate, and 2) Catherine Stephens, Director of Culture. Together they painted a picture of their practical experiences of implementing behavioural science principles across one of the UK's largest financial services organisations.
"The Power of a Public Commitment Device:" Steve Martin on Five Years of GAABS
The former Board Chair and Influence at Work founder reflects on the origins of the world’s leading association for applied behavioural scientists — and where the field is heading next.
Steve Martin needs little introduction to anyone working in the behavioural sciences. But his role in founding GAABS — the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists — is perhaps less well known. We sat down with him to hear the story of how the organisation came to be, what its early years were really like, and why he believes the field of behavioural science is on the cusp of a significant second wind.
Improving Decision Quality in Co-Design Workshops
When people hear ‘co-design,’ they sometimes picture a friendly workshop and a wall of sticky notes. That can be part of it, but co-design is more specific, it’s a structured way of making decisions about services with the people who use and run them.
The promise is better ideas grounded in real experience. The challenge is that group dynamics can quietly distort what the group ‘decides,’ which is why how we facilitate co-design matters as much as who is in the room.
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GAABS works with an all-volunteer Editorial Board to surface information believed to be of value to practitioners of behavioural science, but makes no warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of published content. Views expressed and representations related to data, findings and case studies are solely the responsibility of individual authors.