For behavioral psychologist Ellen Peters, the COVID-19 outbreak presents a rich opportunity. Back in early February, with the potential extent of the novel coronavirus unclear, the author and researcher sprang into action. Before the virus had even arrived (officially) in the U.S., she had secured funding for a new project to study the public’s response to the outbreak and collected baseline data. These early survey responses now underlie her ongoing, nationwide study of how people perceive the threat of COVID-19 and how, in the face of it, they act.
Today, with the pandemic unfolding, she has found that our hyperconnected digital world allows scientists to study the human response to crises like never before. Rather than collecting data in hindsight, the global community of behavioral researchers can monitor reactions in real time. Cellphone data track our locations, detailed consumer information monitors what we buy, and internet-connected thermometers can pinpoint the spread of fevers in real time — all while social media posts record our opinions and emotions.
