The Behavioral Foundations
Understand the repeatable psychological forces beneath triggers, rewards, unfinished tasks, social obligation, investment, and loss. Every successful consumer product leverages psychological principles — whether the builders know it or not. This lesson covers the foundational psychology that underpins engagement engineering, from academic frameworks to their real-world application in the products that consume billions of hours of human attention daily.
- Map a behavior loop without confusing activity for value
- Choose predictable versus variable rewards intentionally
- Spot when commitment becomes coercive rather than useful
Take one recurring product behavior and map its trigger, action, reward, investment, social context, and perceived loss if the user stops.
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