Our next Centre for Decision Research seminar is online via Teams and in person THIS WEEK Wednesday March 4th. All are welcome.
CDR Spring Seminar
Can a video move you to make a prosocial decision?
Professor Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau
Kingston Business School
Wednesday 4th March 2026, 2pm to 3pm (UK time)
University of Leeds, Charles Thackrah (SR G.07),
Also online on Teams (meeting link here)
Abstract
Abstract: This research explores what makes people decide to reach out and offer support to others. Charities and health organisations increasingly use multimedia content to promote prosocial actions for mental health support, yet little is known about how effective different formats can be to nudge people to act. We examined (1) whether a professionally-produced film narrative is a more effective video format compared to informational video with text overlay to create an emotional connection and encourage people to reach out to their friends, and (2) whether the extent to which viewers experience an emotional reaction to the video impacts their subsequent decision to reach out to others. We measured both implicit emotional processing (automated facial expression analysis) and explicit emotional experience (kama muta—the feeling of being moved by communal bonds), alongside behavioural decisions. In this talk, I will present analyses of data from over 200 participants and discuss the implications for understanding how moving images can impact decisions.
The speaker
Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau is professor of Behavioural Science at Kingston Business School, where she served as Director of Research and Enterprise (2019–2025). Her research explores the psychological and behavioural mechanisms that shape human decision-making, creativity, and motivation—particularly in contexts such as organisational change, sustainability and healthcare.
A former president of the European Association for Decision Making, Gaëlle’s expertise spans cognitive psychology, applied behavioural science, and innovative research methods such as multimedia cognitive ethnography and eye-tracking. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals including Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Psychological Science, Cognition andVaccine, and has received funding from the Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust, Sanofi-Pasteur, and the French National Research Agency.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/38338812269628?p=0RuPH5shh4hqbZPwl7
Meeting ID: 383 388 122 696 28
Passcode: em9N3oG3
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