Unlocking Behaviour Change

Unlocking Behaviour Change Podcast Episode 28: What are 'ontologies' and why they will be at the heart of behavioural science?

Unlocking Behaviour Change

Show Notes

Robert was fed up with asking for a flat white and getting heaven knows what, so with the help of his AI friend, Claude, he created an 'ontology' of milk-containing coffee drinks! Claude and Robert got carried away and ended up writing a Substack article about the power of ontologies as a way of clarifying meaning - something that is sorely needed in behavioural and social sciences. https://robertwest100.substack.com/p/a-flat-white-by-any-other-name This episode of the Unlocking Behaviour Change podcast may seem a bit technical at first but we hope it gives listeners a glimpse into what can be achieved when we use ontologies as a way for humans and computers to share knowledge and understanding - to take HI (human intelligence) and AI to the next level. Robert mentions a few links in the podcast, so here they are: The Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO): https://www.bciontology.org/ This has lots of resources and tools to help you understand ontologies and their uses. The Smoking Cessation Intervention Prediction Tool: https://www.humanbehaviourchange.org/prediction This demonstrates what can be achieved when we use ontologies to capture features of studies evaluating behaviour change interventions, their target population and settings, and use machine learning to predict outcomes in never-before-seen interventions. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange

More from Unlocking Behaviour Change

Oct 20, 2026

Robert has been to China, and goes on about what an amazing time he had ...! In what’s left of the episode, Robert and Jamie give an overview of how to think about ‘active communication’ when it comes to changing behaviour.

Oct 13, 2026

In the previous episode, Robert castigated economics and economists' concept of 'utility' as fundamentally flawed, leading to models whose predictions keep being wrong. This week, Robert sketches out a way of thinking about utility that could improve economic modelling, yield more accurate predictions, and provide a more rational basis for macro-economic policy. A bold claim ... but this is a podcast, not an academic paper! Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange Ask a question at: https://www.unlockingbehaviourchange.com

Oct 6, 2026

Robert has a bone to pick with economic theory . . . In fact, he wants to pick its bones clean and start over with a much better theory for everyone! Join the duo as they discuss what economic theory gets wrong and how it might be put right . . . Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange Ask a question at: https://www.unlockingbehaviourchange.com

Sep 29, 2026

Derisory amounts of money paid for a piece of work called an 'honorarium' seem ok when if they were a 'fee', it would be insulting! Robert and Jamie discuss how we react differently to the same things when they are classified and labelled differently. This includes clinical diagnoses, where receiving a 'diagnosis' can be a huge relief to sufferers but can also carry stigma. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange Ask a question at: https://www.unlockingbehaviourchange.com

Sep 22, 2026

Robert and Jamie discuss the crucial question of how we classify and label things: one of the most basic things that we do in our mental and social world. But in an infinitely complex universe, putting things into boxes is fraught with difficulties, and classifications lie at the heart of important disputes. Want more? Check out our latest books: Energise: The Secrets Of Motivation: https://shorturl.at/bbA7y React: Harness Your Animal Brain: https://shorturl.at/yiFQ9 Sign up to Robert’s Substack: https://robertwest100.substack.com/ Subscribe to the UBC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@unlockingbehaviourchange Ask a question at: https://www.unlockingbehaviourchange.com

See all episodes →