Predict human behaviour
Ask an Expert: Is Human Behavior Predictable?
According to Dr. Tatum, human behavior is influenced by biology and the environment in which someone is immersed - and the interaction of these two factors.
So, if we know what influences behavior, is human behavior predictable? "Researchers cannot make predictions about human behavior in the same way a physicist can make predictions in a lab. Like the weather, these are complex patterns and the weatherman is never 100 percent accurate. But, in theory, if scientists had all the information about the nature and nurture motivations, we could predict behavior with accuracy."
Dr. Tatum chuckles, "But then, of course, that opens a messy discussion around whether anyone is truly accountable for their actions."
This question inevitably leads to the ethics of other aspects of the field. If behavior can be predicted, can it be manipulated? Dr. Tatum weighs both sides, "Whether we should or not depends on the situation. Take the example of a company intentionally advertising a product with bad side effects. They're manipulating behavior based on how they know people react to advertising. On the other side of the coin, one could argue that when I help students learn in new ways, it's a form of manipulation."
Dr. Tatum explains the study of human behavior as the research and practical application of how individuals interact and work with one another, then how groups operate. Strongly rooted in psychology and sociology, human behavior studies give us an academic understanding of motivations, productivity and how teams work. In turn, these insights can help make workplaces or any group setting more productive. This comes into play especially with industrial & organizational psychology - studying how teams and workplace groups cooperate.
Continue reading the nu.edu article.