Dr Becki Hafner

Lecturer in Psychology

Psychology

rebecca.hafner@swansea.ac.uk

Office - 704C
Seventh Floor
Vivian Building
Singleton Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7090-5150

ResearchGate

Scopus

About

Dr Rebecca Hafner is a Lecturer in Psychology. She has expertise in choice and decision making, and application to pro-environmental and health behaviour change. Rebecca’s research has focused on theoretical aspects of choice architecture, and associated impacts on chooser satisfaction and well-being. Rebecca also has a particular interest in the psychological determinants of behaviour in the applied contexts of Environmental and Health Psychology. Rebecca has worked extensively on the development of novel intervention techniques designed to target key pro-environmental and health-related issues, such as reducing domestic energy and water consumption, green transport choice, and the adoption of healthy lifestyle practices.

Rebecca completed her PhD at The University of Plymouth. Her PhD research explored the excess choice effect, and the psychological processes which may undermine satisfaction when we decision makers are faced with many alternatives from which to choose, and associated impacts on chooser health and well-being. Prior to starting her PhD, Rebecca completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Plymouth and a MSc in Psychological Research Methods at the University of Plymouth.

Areas Of Expertise

Environmental Psychology
Choice Psychology
Behaviour change
Health Psychology
Research Methods
Well-being
Habit discontinuity
Energy consumption

Publications

Research Highlights

Hafner, B., Pahl, S., Jones, R., & Fuertes, A. (2020). Energy use in social housing residents in the UK and recommendations for developing energy behaviour change interventions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 251, 119643
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119643, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66432
Hafner, R., Fuertes, A., Pahl, S., Jones, R., Boomsma, C., Gangolells, M., Casals, M., & Hafner, B. (2020). Results and insight gained from applying the EnergyCat energy-saving serious game in UK social housing. International Journal of Serious Games, 7(2), 27-48.
https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v7i2.333, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66429
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., Read, D., & White, M. (2019). Exploring the role of normative, financial and environmental information in promoting uptake of energy efficient technologies. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 63, 26-35.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.03.004, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66433
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., & Read, D. (2019). Promoting behavioural change to reduce thermal energy demand in households: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 102, 205-214.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.12.004, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66428
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., & Read, D. (2019). Exploring the Role of Messenger Effects and Feedback Frames in Promoting Uptake of Energy-Efficient Technologies. Current Psychology, 38(6), 1601-1612.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9717-2, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66436
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., & Read, D. (2020). Exploring the role of alignability effects in promoting uptake of energy-efficient technologies.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 26(2), 300-311.
https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000253, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66431
Hafner, B., White, M., & Handley, S. (2018). The Goldilocks Placebo Effect: Placebo Effects Are Stronger When People Select a Treatment from an Optimal Number of Choices. The American Journal of Psychology, 131(2), 175-184.
https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.131.2.0175, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66434
Boomsma, C., Hafner, B., Pahl, S., Jones, R., & Fuertes, A. (2018). Should We Play Games Where Energy Is Concerned? Perceptions of Serious Gaming as a Technology to Motivate Energy Behaviour Change among Social Housing Residents. Sustainability, 10(6), 1729
https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061729, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66435
Hafner, B., Walker, I., & Verplanken, B. (2017). Image, not environmentalism: A qualitative exploration of factors influencing vehicle purchasing decisions. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 97, 89-105.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.01.012, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66437
Hafner, B., White, M., & Handley, S. (2016). The excess choice effect: The role of outcome valence and counterfactual thinking. British Journal of Psychology, 107(1), 36-51.
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12120, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66438
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12120
Hafner, B., White, M., & Handley, S. (2012). Spoilt for choice: The role of counterfactual thinking in the excess choice and reversibility paradoxes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(1), 28-36.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.06.022, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66439
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.06.022
Casals, M., Gangolells, M., Macarulla, M., Forcada, N., Fuertes, A., Hafner, B., & Jones, R. (2020). Assessing the effectiveness of gamification in reducing domestic energy consumption: Lessons learned from the EnerGAware project. Energy and Buildings, 210, 109753
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109753, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66786

All Research

Journal Articles

Hafner, B., Elmes, D., & Read, D. (2020). Exploring the role of alignability effects in promoting uptake of energy-efficient technologies.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 26(2), 300-311.
https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000253, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66431
Hafner, B., Pahl, S., Jones, R., & Fuertes, A. (2020). Energy use in social housing residents in the UK and recommendations for developing energy behaviour change interventions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 251, 119643
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119643, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66432
Hafner, R., Fuertes, A., Pahl, S., Jones, R., Boomsma, C., Gangolells, M., Casals, M., & Hafner, B. (2020). Results and insight gained from applying the EnergyCat energy-saving serious game in UK social housing. International Journal of Serious Games, 7(2), 27-48.
https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v7i2.333, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66429
Casals, M., Gangolells, M., Macarulla, M., Forcada, N., Fuertes, A., Hafner, B., & Jones, R. (2020). Assessing the effectiveness of gamification in reducing domestic energy consumption: Lessons learned from the EnerGAware project. Energy and Buildings, 210, 109753
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109753, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66786
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., & Read, D. (2019). Exploring the Role of Messenger Effects and Feedback Frames in Promoting Uptake of Energy-Efficient Technologies. Current Psychology, 38(6), 1601-1612.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9717-2, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66436
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., Read, D., & White, M. (2019). Exploring the role of normative, financial and environmental information in promoting uptake of energy efficient technologies. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 63, 26-35.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.03.004, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66433
Hafner, B., Elmes, D., & Read, D. (2019). Promoting behavioural change to reduce thermal energy demand in households: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 102, 205-214.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.12.004, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66428
Hafner, B., White, M., & Handley, S. (2018). The Goldilocks Placebo Effect: Placebo Effects Are Stronger When People Select a Treatment from an Optimal Number of Choices. The American Journal of Psychology, 131(2), 175-184.
https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.131.2.0175, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66434
Boomsma, C., Hafner, B., Pahl, S., Jones, R., & Fuertes, A. (2018). Should We Play Games Where Energy Is Concerned? Perceptions of Serious Gaming as a Technology to Motivate Energy Behaviour Change among Social Housing Residents. Sustainability, 10(6), 1729
https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061729, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66435
Hafner, B., Walker, I., & Verplanken, B. (2017). Image, not environmentalism: A qualitative exploration of factors influencing vehicle purchasing decisions. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 97, 89-105.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.01.012, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66437
Hafner, B., White, M., & Handley, S. (2016). The excess choice effect: The role of outcome valence and counterfactual thinking. British Journal of Psychology, 107(1), 36-51.
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12120, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66438
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12120
Hafner, B., White, M., & Handley, S. (2012). Spoilt for choice: The role of counterfactual thinking in the excess choice and reversibility paradoxes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(1), 28-36.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.06.022, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66439
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.06.022

Supervision

Untitled (current)

MSc

Other supervisor: Prof Ian Walker

Affiliated Positions

Research Associate, University of Bath

2019 - 2024
Research Fellow, University of Plymouth

2017 - 2019
Research Fellow, University of Warwick

2014 - 2017
Research Fellow, University of Bath

2012 - 2013

Public Engagements

Rebecca worked as a behaviour change consultant for Channel 4 2022 documentary ‘The Simpler Life’, which explored the impacts of living with reduced choice on life satisfaction and well-being in a truly unique applied setting.

Dr Becki Hafner

Email address

LinkedIn Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Publications

Research Highlights

All Research

Journal Articles

Supervision

Untitled (current)

Affiliated Positions

Research Associate, University of Bath

Research Fellow, University of Plymouth

Research Fellow, University of Warwick

Research Fellow, University of Bath

Public Engagements