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David Grüning

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Behavioral scientist at Max-Planck Institute & Stanford University. Scientific director at the smartphone apps one sec, Structured, and RoutineFlow. Director of the Science Board at Prosocial Design Network.

Smartphone apps: I lead research at the smartphone apps one sec, Structured, and RoutineFlow that are used for self-regulation of smartphone use, to reliably form habits, or successfully manage one's day.

Some AI: Venturing into some AI-topics like ethics of it in programming or using it for chess, scenario-planning, and future thinking.

A new social media platform: Building a social media platform

Some AI: Venturing into some AI-topics like ethics of it in programming or using it for chess, scenario-planning, and future thinking.

Have any ideas? Shoot them my way!

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Selected publications

I have published my research on Digital Behavioral Sciences in a diversity of journals and conferences such as PNAS, Nature, CHI on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, and AI and Ethics.

Published

Grüning D. J., Kamin, J., Saltz, E., Acosta, T., DiFranzo, D., Goldberg, B., Leavitt, A., Menczer, F., Musgrave, T., Wang, Y., & Wojcieszak, M. (2025). Independently testing prosocial interventions: Methods and recommendations from 31 researchers. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/wvfjqPanizza, F., Cammina, T., Gaillard, S., & Grüning, D. J. (2025). Adopt a cultural-historical perspective to adapt misinformation interventions. Journal of Trial and Error. https://doi.org/10.36850/415c-479aGrüning, D. J., Kamin, J., Panizza, F., Katsaros, M., & Lorenz-Spreen, P. (2024). A framework for promoting online prosocial behavior via digital interventions. Nature: Communications Psychology, 2(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-023-00052-7Haliburton, L., Grüning, D. J., Riedel, F., Schmidt, A., & Nađa Terzimehić, N. (2024). A longitudinal in-the-wild investigation of design frictions to prevent smartphone overuse. Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Article 243. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642370Román Almanzár, A. D., Grüning, D. J., Edinger-Schons, L. M. (2024). ‘It wasn’t me’: the impact of social responsibility and social dominance attitudes on AI programmers’ moral imagination (intention to correct bias). AI and Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-024-00516-4Krueger, J. I., Grüning, D. J., Heck, P., Freestone, D. (2024). Inductive Reasoning Model. Psychological Inquiry, 35(1), 11-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2024.2366766Grüning, D. J., Riedel, F., & Lorenz-Spreen, P. (2023). Directing smart phone use through the self-nudge app one sec. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(8), e2213114120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.221311412Grüning, D. J., & Schubert, T. (2022). Emotional Campaigning in Politics: Being Moved and Anger in Political Ads Motivate to Support Candidate and Party. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 781851. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.781851Grüning, D. J., Panizza, F., & Lorenz-Spreen, P. (2022). The importance of informative interventions in a wicked environment. The American Journal of Psychology135(4): 439–442. https://doi.org/10.5406/19398298.135.4.12Grüning, D. J., & Krueger, J. I. (2022). Vox peritorum: Capitalising on confidence and projection to characterize expertise. Journal of Expertise, 5(1), 1-14. https://www.journalofexpertise.org/articles/volume5issue1/JoE51Gruning_Krueger.html

Under review

Grüning, D. J., Krawiec, J., Riedel, F., Mehlig, L. (under review). Social cognition can predict behavioral and psychological effects of digital interventions. Computers in Human Behavior Reports. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/4qj5rGrüning, D. J., & Rowland, N. (under review). Brainstorming and Artificial Intelligence. Futures. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/uyedvKattsaros, M., Grüning, D. J., & Lou, S. (under review). Offensive comment filtering impact on online engagement - A large-scale randomized controlled trial on Nextdoor. PNAS Nexus. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/nxuqyRomán Almanzár, A. D., Edinger-Schons, L. M., & Grüning, D. J. (under review). Persuading programmers to detect and mitigate bias in technology design: The role of motivational appeals and the speaker. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/jbxeq

Prosocial Design Network [...]

Some AI: Venturing into some AI-topics like ethics of it in programming or using it for chess, scenario-planning, and future thinking.

Digital interventions: [...]

Policy suggestions: [...]

Events: Researchmethods event, LLM methods, digital interventions with game developers [...]

Education & communications: Podcasts, asynchronous courses on digital interventions