Can a small nudge change our choices?

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

1. Do you think small design choices change what people do?
2. Have you ever kept a default setting without changing it?
3. Should governments guide people's choices?
4. What is the best way to encourage healthy habits?
5. Do you like it when apps remind you to do things?
6. Where is the line between help and manipulation?

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about choices.

Choose the word that fits.

1. A small change in how choices are presented, which guides people without forcing them, is a .
2. People tend to accept whatever the option is on a form.
3. Critics call it when the state decides what is best for citizens.
4. Supporters of free choice value personal .
5. For a nudge to be ethical, it should be , so that people know how it works.
6. Companies offer a bonus as an to work harder.
7. Many people stay with the same bank out of , not loyalty.
8. The nudge worked: there was clear that participation rose.

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

1. a nudge is a small
   push or hintlegal rulelong speech
2. a default is the option that applies
   after you payunless you change itonly on Sundays
3. autonomy = the freedom to make your own
   rules for othersdecisionsmistakes only
4. transparent = open and easy to
   forgetbreakunderstand
5. inertia = a tendency to do
   nothingeverythingtoo much
6. to manipulate = to control someone in a
   clever, unfair wayfriendly waylegal way only

Use these phrases to build and defend an argument.

• Rather than banning it,...Замість того, щоб забороняти,...Rather than banning it, governments can nudge people.
• Not only does it..., but it also...Це не лише..., а й...Not only does it save money, but it also protects health.
• Were the choice hidden,...Якби вибір був прихований,...Were the choice hidden, people would feel tricked.
• Much as I like..., I worry that...Хоч як мені подобається..., я хвилююся, що...Much as I like the idea, I worry that it is manipulative.
• Never had I realised how...Ніколи раніше я не усвідомлював, наскільки...Never had I realised how much design affects me.
• It does seem that...Справді здається, що...It does seem that defaults are powerful.
• So powerful is the default that...Варіант за замовчуванням такий потужний, що...So powerful is the default that few people change it.
• Be that as it may,...Хай там як,...Be that as it may, people should know about it.

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

1. A nudge forbids certain choices.
   TrueFalse
2. Thaler was awarded the Nobel prize in economics in 2017.
   TrueFalse
3. The text says consent rates tend to be higher where people must opt out.
   TrueFalse
4. Critics say nudges may reduce autonomy.
   TrueFalse
5. The text says nobody has ever been nudged without knowing it.
   TrueFalse

1. Is a nudge more acceptable if it is transparent?
2. Who should be allowed to design our choices?
3. Which default would you change if you could?
4. Is a nudge better than a rule?

Common mistakes: review the block. Never had I seen… (not Never I had seen), I did like (not did liked), Were I to… (not If were I), Much as I like it (not Much I like it). ✗ Rarely we see this → Rarely do we see this. ✗ It was so a good plan → It was such a good plan. ✗ Should you will need → Should you need.

1. Never
   had I realisedI had realised
   how much design affects me.
2. Rarely
   we noticedo we notice
   the default.
3. Not only
   it savesdoes it save
   money, but it also protects health.
4. It was
   such a cleverso a clever
   nudge that nobody noticed.
5. So powerful isSo is powerful
   the default that few people change it.
6. If were the choiceWere the choice
   hidden, people would feel tricked.
7. Although asMuch as
   I like the idea, I worry that it is manipulative.
8. Be it as that,Be that as it may,
   people should know about it.

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

1. Rarely we notice the default. →
2. Not only it saves money, but it also protects health. →
3. It was so a clever nudge that nobody noticed. →
4. If were the choice hidden, people would feel tricked. →
5. Much I like the idea, I worry that it is manipulative. →
6. He do know the nudge exists. →

Answer in detail. Use the grammar of Block 2.

1. Which nudge would you accept, and which would you refuse?
2. Never had you thought about defaults before. Which ones affect you most?
3. Much as nudges can help, where would you draw the line?
4. Were you the choice architect for a school, what would you change?
5. Not only do nudges help people, but they can also harm them. Do you agree?
6. However useful a nudge is, should it always be transparent?

Three people discuss nudges. Compare them. Who is the most positive? Who is the most worried? Whose view is closest to yours?

This is the final speaking task of Block 2. Your teacher will time you.

1. Plan for one minute, then speak for two minutes.
2. Part 1: say whether a nudge is helpful or manipulative (use a concession form).
3. Part 2: give an example from your own life and use one inversion.
4. Part 3: use a conditional inversion and an emphatic structure to state your final view.

1. Do you keep default settings on your phone?
2. Have you ever bought more because of a clever design?
3. What helps you build good habits?
4. Do you like reminders and notifications?
5. Which choices do you make out of habit?
6. Would you accept a nudge to eat healthier food?
7. Do you read the small print?
8. How much willpower do you have in the evening?

1. Who in your family never changes default settings?
2. Who nudges you to be healthier?
3. Who in your life is good at persuading gently?
4. Who decides what food is served at your work or school?
5. Who do you trust to design public services?
6. Who has changed a habit of yours?

1. Is a nudge a form of manipulation?
2. Should governments use nudges?
3. Is it better to ban something or to nudge people away from it?
4. Should every nudge be explained to the public?
5. Do nudges treat people like children?