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  • July 2019
  • Article
  • Psychological Science

Using Behavioral Science to Inform the Design of Sugary Drink Portion Limit Policies: Reply to Wilson and Stolarz-Fantino (2018)

By: Leslie John, Grant E. Donnelly and Christina A. Roberto
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Abstract

In their commentary, Wilson & Stolarz-Fantino argue that specific design features of our research mean that it cannot have policy implications and that researchers “need to consider profit maximization in menu design or studies are likely to suggest ill-informed implementations.” In this reply, we respond to the specific critiques of our work with empirical data and conceptual arguments. We agree with Wilson and Stolarz-Fantino that researchers seeking to understand a policy’s influence on consumers should test predictions about which strategies firms will likely use when implementing a policy. Research, however, that demonstrates the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of an intervention even without perfectly predicting a firm’s response still has enormous value for setting policy.

Keywords

Policy Implementation; Food; Governing Rules, Regulations, And Reforms; Policy

Citation

John, Leslie, Grant E. Donnelly, and Christina A. Roberto. "Using Behavioral Science to Inform the Design of Sugary Drink Portion Limit Policies: Reply to Wilson and Stolarz-Fantino (2018)." Psychological Science 30, no. 7 (July 2019): 1103–1105.
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About The Author

Leslie K. John

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

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    'Repayment-by-Purchase' Helps Consumers to Reduce Credit Card Debt

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    • November–December 2020
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    Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency

    By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
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    The Bulletproof Glass Effect: When Privacy Notices Backfire

    By: Aaron R. Brough, David A. Norton and Leslie John
More from the Authors
  • 'Repayment-by-Purchase' Helps Consumers to Reduce Credit Card Debt By: Grant E. Donnelly, Cait Lamberton, Stephen Bush, Zoe Chance and Michael I. Norton
  • Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency By: Bhavya Mohan, Ryan W. Buell and Leslie K. John
  • The Bulletproof Glass Effect: When Privacy Notices Backfire By: Aaron R. Brough, David A. Norton and Leslie John
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