The Power of Ontologies: Streamlining BeSci and scaling change

When it comes to advancing behavioural science, keeping terminology consistent is becoming a growing challenge. With new models and frameworks constantly emerging, the risk of confusion increases. In a series of recent articles, I explored how ontologies can help standardise language, highlight their limitations, and showcase their practical applications across various fields.

In short, ontologies provide structure, standardisation, and collaboration in behavioural science by helping us organise complex data and facilitate interdisciplinary research.

What are ontologies and why do they matter?

Behavioural science often grapples with a familiar problem: as research grows and insights multiply, so do the terms, models, and frameworks we use to describe human behaviour. Different researchers can use different words to talk about the same phenomenon, creating confusion and fragmentation. In a field where precision matters, how can we ensure we’re all speaking the same language?

This is where ontologies come into play—they provide a structured vocabulary that standardises how we talk about concepts, making it easier to compare studies and share data across fields. An ontology acts like a blueprint, defining key terms and their relationships.

For example, in public health, an ontology might standardise definitions for terms like 'physical activity' and 'exercise,' ensuring that different studies speak the same language. This consistency is crucial for making research findings more reliable and actionable.

Some real world applications include:

• Public health: The Human Behaviour-Change Project uses ontologies to categorise behaviour change techniques, helping practitioners design more effective health interventions.
• Consumer behaviour: Companies like Amazon leverage ontologies to predict customer actions and personalise recommendations, enhancing customer engagement.
• Cognitive science: Researchers use ontologies to integrate theories across psychology, neuroscience, and AI, creating richer models of human behaviour.

Read more in the article below!

The challenges of using ontologies in behavioural science

Ontologies simplify complex behaviours into neat categories, aiding data analysis, but human behaviour is rarely straightforward. It’s shaped by a web of social, cultural, psychological, and environmental factors that interact unpredictably.

By reducing behaviours to static categories, we risk losing crucial nuances. For instance, habit formation involves more than just cues and responses—it includes motivation, social influences, and environmental design. Over-reliance on simplified frameworks can lead to misleading conclusions, like attempting to change dietary habits without considering cultural or socioeconomic contexts, resulting in ineffective interventions.

Continued in the article....

How ontologies can help scale behaviour change across different fields

Ontologies are far more than theoretical tools—they provide a practical framework for designing and scaling interventions across a range of fields, from public health to consumer behaviour strategies. In this post, I examine real-world applications of ontologies and how they can be transformative in areas like business, healthcare, and technology.

Scaling effective interventions across sectors requires a delicate balance between consistency and adaptability. Ontologies provide a standardised framework that organisations can use to replicate successful strategies while adapting them to fit local contexts. This allows businesses, tech firms, and public health organisations to expand their initiatives efficiently without losing relevance.

Read more...

If these insights resonate, I also conduct workshops to dive deeper into applying these ideas. For a limited time, I’m offering discounts on workshops booked before the end of 2024. Please reach out if you’d like to discuss how we can tailor these strategies to your projects—there are still openings for sessions this year.