Behavioural and Experimental Research Group
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
The Behavioural and Experimental Research Group (BERG) is a research initiative based at the University of Peradeniya dedicated to advancing knowledge on social and economic behaviour through rigorous experimental methods.
BERG conducts laboratory, lab-in-the-field, and policy-oriented experimental research to better understand decision-making, incentives, cooperation, and behavioural responses in both controlled and real-world environments.
Laboratory Experiments for Social Sciences
Controlled studies to identify behavioural mechanisms and causal effects.
Lab-in-the-Field Experiments for Social Sciences
Field-adapted experimental designs combining realism and internal validity.
Policy Wind-Tunnel Tests
Pre-testing policy ideas and behavioural interventions before large-scale implementation.
Isuru Samaranayake is the founding initiator of the Behavioural and Experimental Research Group (BERG) and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya. His research focuses on prosocial motivation, organisational behaviour, and behavioural public sector research, examining how norms, incentives, identity, and institutional design influence individual and organisational performance. He is particularly interested in conducting laboratory and field experiments to generate rigorous evidence for public policy and institutional reform. He holds an MSc in Behavioural and Experimental Economics from the University of East Anglia, UK, as a Commonwealth Scholar, and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Peradeniya. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Behavioural Public Sector Economics at the University of East Anglia, further advancing his work on motivation, governance, and evidence-based policy design.
Dr Sheheryar Banuri serves as Dean of College at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, and as Associate Professor of Economics at the University of East Anglia. He is a leading scholar in behavioural development economics, specialising in human motivation and incentive design. With nearly two decades of research experience, his work focuses on human decision-making using laboratory and field experiments conducted globally. His research has informed policy design and provided guidance to governments and multilateral organisations, including the World Bank, the United Nations, and GIZ. He is a co-author of the World Bank’s World Development Report 2015: Mind, Society, and Behaviour, and the author of Good Decisions for Strange Situations and The Decisive Mind. His expertise supports BERG through strategic guidance on experimental design, behavioural interventions, and applied research in social and economic contexts.
Dr. Mohamed El-Komi is a tenured Associate Professor of Economics at The American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Founder and Director of the Behavioral and Economic Decision-Making Lab (BEDMLab). He previously served as Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics at Durham University (UK), Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, and Visiting Scholar at Rice University’s James Baker III Institute for Public Policy. His research focuses on behavioural and experimental economics, as well as Islamic finance, with particular emphasis on decision-making, institutional design, and policy-relevant applications. Dr. El-Komi has organized international conferences, guest-edited academic journal issues, and published extensively in reputable outlets. He is widely recognized as a leading figure in advancing experimental economics and strengthening behavioural research capacity across Egypt and the broader Arab region
Dr Amir Jafarzadeh is a behavioural and experimental economist holding a PhD in Energy Economics and a second PhD in Behavioural and Experimental Economics from the University of East Anglia. His research integrates experimental methods with game-theoretic models to study coordination, fairness, inequality, and strategic decision-making. He has a strong interest in behaviour under uncertainty and the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence within economic environments. Amir’s work spans behavioural economics, experimental economics, and applied microeconomics, focusing on how individuals make decisions in strategic settings and the broader implications for economic policy. Through carefully designed experiments and solid theoretical foundations, his research advances understanding of behavioural processes and contributes meaningful insights into real-world economic and institutional challenges.
Sameen Tariq is a development economist and PhD candidate at the University of East Anglia, specializing in the economics of education. Her research explores how behavioural interventions and structured training programs influence decision-making, resilience, and educational outcomes, using both field and laboratory experiments. She is particularly interested in designing evidence-based policies that strengthen learning environments and support long-term human capital development. Sameen has extensive research experience in Pakistan and the United Kingdom, contributing to projects that combine rigorous empirical analysis with practical policy insights. Before starting her PhD, she worked as a Short-Term Consultant with the World Bank, a Senior Research Assistant at the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan, and a Teaching Fellow at the Information Technology University. She currently serves as an Associate Teacher in Economics at UEA.
Uwin Ariyarathne is a PhD student in Finance at the University of Oklahoma’s Michael F. Price College of Business. His research focuses on empirical asset pricing, particularly how textual information and investor sentiment influence the equity risk premium, using machine learning and large-scale data. His broader interests include behavioural finance and experimental asset markets, examining how psychological biases and information processing shape financial decision-making and market outcomes. Prior to his doctoral studies, he served as a Lecturer in the Department of Business Finance at the University of Peradeniya, where he received the 2022 Teaching Excellence Award and secured multiple research grants. He completed an MSc in Finance & Accounting at Imperial College London as a Commonwealth Scholar funded by the UK government, strengthening his expertise in financial economics and quantitative analysis.
Rakhitha Munasinghe is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Human Resource Management at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Her academic expertise lies in organisational behaviour and industrial psychology, where she applies behavioural insights to better understand workplace dynamics, employee motivation, and effective human resource practices. Her research and teaching focus on linking behavioural theory with practical organisational challenges, contributing to the development of evidence-based HRM approaches. She holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a BBMgt in Human Resource Management (Hons.) from the University of Kelaniya. Through her work, she seeks to enhance HRM education while strengthening behavioural understanding within organisations, promoting improved performance, employee well-being, and more effective institutional practices in both public and private sector contexts.
Sameera Fernando is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Management Studies at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He specialises in strategic management, leadership, and competitive analysis, applying strategic frameworks to strengthen managerial decision-making and organisational performance. His research examines organisational culture and its influence on competitive advantage in dynamic environments. His broader interests include corporate strategy, strategic alignment, performance management, and organisational sustainability in both public and private sector institutions. He holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He is committed to advancing strategic management education and promoting evidence-based management practices within evolving organisational contexts.
Udayangani Rathnayake is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Marketing Management at the Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya. She specialises in marketing strategy, with particular interests in experiential marketing and emerging areas such as neuromarketing. Her research focuses on customer experience, brand development, and strategic positioning within competitive and evolving market environments. While her current work is not primarily centred on neuropsychological methods, she is keen to further explore behavioural and neuroscientific approaches to understanding consumer decision-making. Through her academic and research activities, she aims to integrate theory with practical insights, contributing to innovative, evidence-based marketing practices. Her work seeks to strengthen strategic thinking in marketing and promote adaptive approaches aligned with changing consumer behaviour and dynamic market conditions.
Mithursan Asokkumar serves as a Research Assistant to the University Research Council at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He previously worked as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Management Studies at the Faculty of Management. His academic interests lie in behavioural and experimental research, applied economics, and organisational studies. His undergraduate research was an experimental study examining the prosocial motivation of nursing professionals and its impact on their performance in the public health sector. This research earned him the Best Undergraduate Research Paper of the Year Award, highlighting his strong foundation in empirical and experimental methods. He continues to contribute to interdisciplinary research initiatives, supporting behavioural and experimental studies that promote evidence-based decision-making and strengthen research capacity within academic and public sector institutions.
Authors: Samaranayake, D. I. J., Ariyarathna, U., Munasinghe, R., Fernando, T. S. S., Rathnayake, U., & Mithursan, A.
This experimental study shows how temporal psychological distance influences overconfidence and price bubble formation in asset markets by spacing past experiences and reducing speculative bias.
Key insight: Increasing cognitive distance between market experiences weakens overconfidence and dampens bubble formation.
Read Full PaperAuthors: Samaranayake, D. I. J., Jayarathna, H. G. D., & Mithursan, A.
This experimental study examines how identity fusion and pro-group motivation influence employee productivity during a health crisis. Using a real-effort online experiment with 152 textile manufacturing employees in Sri Lanka, the study finds that identity-fused individuals are more pro-social, more pro-group motivated, and exert significantly greater effort compared to non-fused employees.
Key insight: Strengthening employees’ identity with their organisation enhances pro-group motivation and significantly increases effort and productivity, especially during periods of crisis.
Read Full PaperAuthors: Samaranayake, D. I. J., Maheswaran, S., & Mithursan, A.
This experimental study examines how socio-economic constraints influence social enterprise intention among non-STEM university students in Sri Lanka. Using classroom-based choice experiments with 240 undergraduates, the research explores how financial pressure, job mismatch, and income-expenditure gaps affect prosocial decision-making and entrepreneurial intentions.
Key insight: Income-driven underemployment increases self-interested choices, while self-employment intentions are associated with stronger prosocial motivation and higher social enterprise orientation.
Read Full Paper
This project examines how nurses’ prosocial motivation supports service performance and equitable care during Sri Lanka’s post-pandemic economic crisis. We conducted lab-in-the-field sessions with nursing professionals from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH) and Mullaitivu District Hospital. Prosocial motivation was measured using a structured perception survey, while equity of care was assessed using a video-vignette task where nurses evaluated the same pneumonia symptoms presented by either a socioeconomically disadvantaged (poor) or advantaged (non-poor) patient.
Performance was measured using a real-effort envelope-stuffing task under three conditions: baseline (routine), recognition-based rewarding treatment (gold-star competition), and a prosocial mission treatment where effort contributed to fundraising for economically vulnerable families. Findings indicate high prosocial motivation among nurses, broadly equitable diagnostic/treatment recommendations across patient status, and substantially higher effort under the prosocial mission compared to baseline and recognition incentives.
Key insight: Intrinsic, mission-based prosocial motivation can outperform recognition incentives in raising effort and supporting equitable care in resource-constrained public services.
BERG regularly organises research seminars, experimental workshops, and public lectures on behavioural and experimental economics.
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Behavioural and Experimental Research Group (BERG)
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Email: berg@mgt.pdn.ac.lk
