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Short Abstract

This presentation shares the findings of two studies: first examining dispositional regulatory focus among participants, then testing, via a nudging experiment, how theory-based communication can impact engagement and retention in Mosquito Alert, a globally active digital citizen science project.

Abstract

The proposed presentation will bring together findings from two interlinked studies that apply psychological theory to advance the management and design of citizen science initiatives within the domains of ecological monitoring and public health.

The first study examines the prevalence of dispositional regulatory focus among volunteers in Mosquito Alert, a large-scale, app-based platform for monitoring invasive vector mosquitoes. The findings demonstrate a skewed distribution, as most participants exhibit a prevention-oriented goal pursuit style that would emphasize aspects such as safety, vigilance, and risk avoidance. Rarely captured through conventional motivation surveys, the study provides valuable insight into psychological drivers of participation and persistence.

Building on these insights, the second study applies behavioral economics and nudging techniques to test how communication strategies can be tailored to participants’ goal orientations. By experimentally framing goal-congruent messages in either promotion (eager, aspirational) or prevention (vigilant, protective) terms, the study investigates how these subtle differences in communication influence willingness to engage, intensity of participation, and likelihood of retention, by analyzing trends in direct measurement of behavior rather than self-reported intent.

Collectively, the findings of the two studies aim to offer pathways from theoretical insight to organizational practice. They highlight the importance of moving beyond broad motivational categories toward deeper psychological mechanisms that can inform the design, communication, and scalability of citizen science, with the aim of contributing to building a more inclusive, effective, and resilient citizen science ecosystems.