Behavioural change theories and models are attempts to explain the reasons behind alterations in individuals' behavioural patterns. These theories of behavior change cite environmental, personal, and behavioural characteristics as the major factors in behavioural determination.
Full Answer
What are some examples of behavioral changes?
- Green behavior – Do new behavior, one that is unfamiliar.
- Blue behavior – Do familiar behavior.
- Purple behavior – Increase behavior intensity or duration.
- Gray behavior – Decrease behavior intensity or duration.
- Black behavior – Stop doing a behavior.
What are social and behavioral theories?
The social and behavioral health sciences play an important role in public health policies and decisions, as the work professionals in this field do is focused on identifying and analyzing the social determinants and behavioral risk factors associated with any number of public health issues.
What are the five stages of behavior?
- Precontemplation (not ready for change yet)
- Contemplation (thinking about making a change)
- Preparation (preparing for behavior change)
- Action (executing an action plan)
- Maintenance (maintaining a change for good behavior)
What are the theories of behaviorism?
- Positive reinforcement: When something good is added (e.g. a food pellet drops into the box) to teach a new behavior.
- Negative reinforcement: When something bad is removed (e.g. an electric current stops) to teach a new behavior.
- Punishment : When something bad is added to teach the subject to stop a behavior.
What are the models of behavioral change?
The TTM posits that individuals move through six stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination.
What is a behavioral theory model?
Behaviorism focuses on the idea that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment. This learning theory states that behaviors are learned from the environment, and says that innate or inherited factors have very little influence on behavior.
What are the 4 behavioral theories?
Four models that present a logical and reasonable approach to behavioral change include the Health Belief Model, the Theory of Self Efficacy, the Theory of Reasoned Action, and the Multiattribute Utility Model.
What are the 3 behavioral theories?
The most-often used theories of health behavior are Social Cognitive Theory, The Transtheoretical Model/Stages of Change, the Health Belief Model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. The most-often mentioned theoretical model that has not been fully applied in research and practice is the Social Ecological Model.
What are the types of behavioral models?
The behavioral model is generally viewed as including three major areas: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning/social learning.
What are the two types of behavioral theory?
There are two main types of behaviorism: methodological behaviorism, which was heavily influenced by John B. Watson's work, and radical behaviorism, which was pioneered by psychologist B.F. Skinner.
Who are the main behavioral theorists?
The main influences of behaviourist psychology were Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949), John B. Watson (1878-1958), and B.F. Skinner (1904-1990). The idea that we develop responses to certain stimuli that are not naturally occurring is called “classical conditioning.”
What is John B Watson theory?
Watson believed that psychology should primarily be scientific observable behavior. He is remembered for his research on the conditioning process. Watson is also known for the Little Albert experiment, in which he demonstrated that a child could be conditioned to fear a previously neutral stimulus.
What are two types of behavioral model?
There are two types of behavioral models that are used to describe the system behavior, one is data processing model and another is state machine models.
What is the behavioral model in abnormal psychology?
The behavioral model explains that life experiences, and surroundings influence human actions, and that individuals learn behavior patterns. Within this perspective, the behavioral model of abnormality states that psychological issues are the result of faulty learning.
What is behavioral modeling in teaching?
In behavior modeling, an individual can learn new behaviors by observing. The correct behavior is demonstrated for the learner, the learner observes the model, and then imitates the behavior of the model [1].
How is behavioral theory used in social work?
Behavioral Theory A person performs an action that's reinforced through a natural consequence or a negative consequence. Social workers often use behavioral therapy techniques to treat patients. For example, therapists may use conditioning techniques to help clients modify undesirable behaviors.
What is the theory of planned behavior?
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) started as the Theory of Reasoned Action in 1980 to predict an individual's intention to engage in a behavior at a specific time and place. The theory was intended to explain all behaviors over which people have the ability to exert self-control. The key component to this model is behavioral intent; behavioral intentions are influenced by the attitude about the likelihood that the behavior will have the expected outcome and the subjective evaluation of the risks and benefits of that outcome.
What is the health belief model?
Public Health Service in order to understand the failure of people to adopt disease prevention strategies or screening tests for the early detection of disease. Later uses of HBM were for patients' responses to symptoms and compliance with medical treatments. The HBM suggests that a person's belief in a personal threat of an illness or disease together with a person's belief in the effectiveness of the recommended health behavior or action will predict the likelihood the person will adopt the behavior.
What is perceived behavioral control?
Perceived behavioral control - This refers to a person's perception of the ease or difficulty of performing the behavior of interest. Perceived behavioral control varies across situations and actions, which results in a person having varying perceptions of behavioral control depending on the situation.
What is attitude in psychology?
Attitudes - This refers to the degree to which a person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the behavior of interest. It entails a consideration of the outcomes of performing the behavior.
Is maintenance of behavior a goal in public health?
Many theories of behavior used in health promotion do not consider maintenance of behavior, but rather focus on initiating behavior. This is unfortunate as maintenance of behavior, and not just initiation of behavior, is the true goal in public health.
Does normative influence take into account environmental factors?
While it does consider normative influences, it still does not take into account environmental or economic factors that may influence a person's intention to perform a behavior.
Does perceived behavioral control say anything about actual control?
While the added construct of perceived behavioral control was an important addition to the theory, it doesn't say anything about actual control over behavior. The time frame between "intent" and "behavioral action" is not addressed by the theory.
What is the role of behavior models in psychology?
10 The theories of change support interventions by describing how behaviours develop and change over time. Behavioural models are designed to help us understand behaviour and identify the underlying factors that influence it. An understanding of both aspects is needed to develop effective intervention strategies. 11
What is a review of behaviour change?
This review presents approaches to behaviour change and highlights evidence of their effectiveness. It refers to the development of theories about the processes that shape behaviour, to empirical studies that test these theories, and to applied research. The latter particularly relates to how behaviour can be changed in everyday settings and situations.
How many theories of behaviour are there?
Over 60 socio-psychological models and theories of behaviour have been identified, many of which have been used as the basis for designing and implementing health promotion programmes, with varying success. 11 There is substantial evidence that the use of theory in designing and implementing behaviour change interventions improves the effectiveness of interventions. 2,12 In the published studies, however, the details of the applied theory are often missing. As reviewed recently, only 44% of 34 randomised control trials in adults with obesity reported the theoretical basis of behavioural interventions. 13 The most commonly applied were the Transtheoretical Model and Social Cognitive Theory (explained below), although a third of the reviewed studies did not explain why a particular theory was used. The Theory of Planned Behaviour has also been effectively applied to physical activity and dietary interventions. 14,15
Why are mobile phones important for behavioural interventions?
The advancement of mobile technology to include internal sensors of user location, movement, emotion, and social engagement, raises the prospect of continuous and automated tracking of health-related behaviours. This supports self-regulatory techniques (e.g. goal-setting and monitoring). Such interventions may be cheaper, more convenient, or less stigmatising (due to private participation). Also, connectivity allows the sharing of behavioural and health data among health professionals or peers, which may facilitate behaviour change. There is rapid development and interest in Smartphone Apps, however research on their evaluation is still immature. The challenge will be maintaining long term use and effective behaviour change. 37
How does intrinsic motivation work?
Combining skill development with underlying, intrinsic motivation and reason, is believed essential for lasting change. Intrinsic motivation does not rely on external pressure, like rewards/approval or punishment/disapproval from peers or health professionals. It exists within the individual, and is driven by interest or enjoyment in the task itself. This is the basis of the self-determination theory. Contrary to rewards and incentives, self-driven motivation is believed to be stable and enduring. 21,22 The individual must believe the behaviour is enjoyable or compatible with their ‘sense of self’, values and life goals. This is supported by probing why one should persist, or in what ways the new behaviour would relate to wider goals. 22 People need to feel a sense of choice and responsibility for their actions, to feel capable of achieving the goal and also understood, cared for, and valued by others.
What is social interaction?
Social: interaction with other people including friends, family and the community. Environmental: the area in which an individual lives, e.g. school, work place, local shops and facilities, and wider factors including the economy (such as prices) and technology.
Is there consensus on how certain behaviours are best supported?
Despite the recognised importance of behaviour change and the extensive research surrounding this subject, there is no consensus on how certain behaviours are best supported. Models and theories need to be used and reported in more coordinated ways to facilitate evaluation. 35 To make further progress in understanding the effectiveness of behaviour change interventions, the WHO has called for all initiatives to be fully evaluated. 47
What is the criticism of behavior change?
A criticism of most theories and models of behavior change is that they emphasize individual behavior change process and pay little attention to sociocultural and physical environmental influences on behavior. Recently, interest has developed in ecological approaches to increasing participation in physical activity.
What is the health belief model?
The health belief model stipulates that a person's health-related behavior depends on the person's perception of four critical areas: the severity of a potential illness, the person's susceptibility to that illness, the benefits of taking a preventive action, and the barriers to taking that action.
What are the similarities between behavioral and social science?
Some similarities can be noted among the behavioral and social science theories and models used to understand and enhance health behaviors such as physical activity. Many of the theoretical approaches highlight the role of the perceived outcomes of behavior, although different terms are used for this construct, including perceived benefits and barriers (health belief model) and outcome expectations (social cognitive theory and theory of planned behavior). Several approaches also emphasize the influence of perceptions of control over behavior; this influence is given labels such as self-efficacy (health belief model, social cognitive theory) and perceived behavioral control (theory of planned behavior). Other theories and models feature the role of social influences, as in the concepts of observational learning (social cognitive theory), perceived norm (theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior), social support, and interpersonal influences (ecological perspective). Most of the theories and models, however, do not address the influence of the environment on health behavior.
What is learning theory?
Learning theories emphasize that learning a new, complex pattern of behavior, like changing from a sedentary to an active lifestyle, normally requires modifying many of the small behaviors that compose an overall complex behavior . Principles of behavior modification suggest that a complex-pattern behavior, ...
What is the theory of reasoned action?
The theory of reasoned action states that individual performance of a given behavior is primarily determined by a person's intention to perform that behavior.
What is reinforcement in psychology?
Reinforcement describes the consequences that motivates individuals either to continue or discontinue behavior. Most behaviors, including physical activity, are learned and maintained under fairly complex schedules of reinforcement and anticipated future rewards. Future rewards or incentives may include physical consequences (e.g., looking better), extrinsic rewards (e.g., receiving praise and encouragement from others, receiving a T-shirt), and intrinsic rewards (e.g., experiencing a feeling of accomplishment or gratification from attaining a personal mile stone). It is important to note that although providing praise, encouragement, and other extrinsic rewards may help people adopt positive lifestyle behaviors, such external reinforcement may not be reliable for sustained long-term change.
What is perceived control?
The concept of perceived behavioral control is similar to the concept of self-efficacy -- person's perception of his or her ability to perform the behavior. Perceived behavioral control over opportunities, resources, and skills necessary to perform a behavior is believed to be a critical aspect of behavior change processes. Return to Top.
How many theories of behavior change are there?
At least 83 formal theories of behavior change have been developed, and more emerge all the time (Teixeira & Marques 2017). That seems like a sky-high number, but you don’t need to know them all. The most thoroughly tested strategies are the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Transtheoretical Model.
Who developed the multimodal approach to change behavior?
That’s the principle espoused in the multimodal approach, which has been applied to many areas, including health and life coaching. Psychologist Arnold Lazarus pioneered this approach in the 1970s. Grounded in social and cognitive theories, his theory holds that no single system provides a full understanding of human development or behavior.
What is the theory of planned behavior?
The Theory of Planned Behavior is one of the most widely used and well-researched theories applied to exercise. Several literature reviews show its efficacy in predicting and explaining physical activity. The TPB combines clients’ expectations about performing a behavior with the value that clients attach to that behavior (Tenenbaum & Eklund 2014) (see Figure 2).
What is the challenge of HBM?
One challenge with the HBM is that people who do not feel susceptible to a disease/condition are less likely to want to change their behaviors. The HBM has been applied in the development of behavior change for 40 years, amassing a large body of empirical evidence of its success.
What is the Health Belief Model?
HEALTH BELIEF MODEL. The Health Belief Model focuses on how Stephanie’s attitudes and beliefs explain and predict her behaviors. The theory behind the HBM is that Stephanie’s desire to prevent illness and her belief that a specific action can achieve that goal will motivate her to implement healthy behavior changes.
How can technology help in behavior change?
Technologies to Help Behavior Change. Technology can play a vital role in behavior change success. Posts on social media sites and mobile apps can also be crucial accountability tools that help clients stay on track and avoid the temptation to stray.
What is social cognitive theory?
SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY. Social Cognitive Theory is based on the belief that behavior results from continuous interactions among environment, individual and behavior. It’s built on the idea that when Stephanie understands health risks and benefits, the precondition for change exists within her.
How are theories of behaviour and change identified?
Theories of behaviour and behaviour change were identified through five sources: expert consultation with a multidisciplinary project advisory group, electronic databases, web searching, forward and backward searching of reference lists and hand searching of key behavioural science journals. Empirical application of the theories was identified from electronic databases and searching the reference lists of retrieved articles. These, together with expert consultations with the advisory group, informed the development of the quality assessment criteria.
What are the theories of behaviour?
To be as comprehensive as possible we focused on both theories of behaviour and behaviour change. Theories of behaviour tend to be linear, and explain the reasons why behaviour may occur by considering a number of predictors and their associations with one another and how these could influence the likelihood of a particular behaviour (Agar, 2008; Conner & Norman, 2005; Glanz & Rimer, 1997; Head & Noar, 2013). Theories of change tend to be more cyclical and identify interactional and dynamic behaviour change processes (Agar, 2008; Head & Noar, 2013). In practice, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two and some theories could be viewed as both.
How to improve selection and application of theory?
To this end, we conducted a scoping review and consensus exercise, informed by the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics. The scoping review and consensus exercise primarily aimed to address the question, ‘What theories exist across the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology and economics that could be of value to guiding behaviour change interventions?’
What is the theoretical domains framework?
Developed by psychologists and implementation researchers, the TDF provides a framework of theoretical domains to explain barriers and facilitators of behaviour in any particular situation. Informed by 128 explanatory constructs from 33 theories of behaviour, the TDF has been used in many contexts to understand behaviour and design theoretically informed interventions (Francis, O'Connor, & Curran, 2012; French et al., 2012). Another resource for theory-informed research is the US National Institute of Health's ‘Grid Enabled Measures’ (GEM) web-based database. GEM provides the descriptions of theoretical constructs and behavioural and social measures to assess these constructs (https://www.gem-beta.org/Public/Home.aspx). While both these approaches are of value, neither specifies relationships between theoretical domains and constructs in terms of the effect that one domain or construct may have on another. They deal with theoretical domains and constructs, not theories per se. One previous consensus exercise did generate a list of eight constructs thought to influence HIV-related behaviours, with the resulting framework specifying links between the constructs and behaviour (Fishbein et al., 2001). However, it is not clear how this consensus was reached and how relevant the included constructs are to other behaviours, given the focus on HIV-related behaviours. Researchers or interventions designers may want to select specific theories either at the beginning of the intervention design process or after conducting some preliminary research to indicate which theories are likely to be relevant and useful. In these situations there is a need for an accessible source of potentially useful theories, as well as a method for selecting amongst them.
What is the definition of theory?
The term theory was defined as: ‘a set of concepts and/or statements with specification of how phenomena relate to each other. Theory provides an organising description of a system that accounts for what is known, and explains and predicts phenomena’.
Why is it important to understand the theoretical basis of behavioural interventions?
The importance of understanding the theoretical underpinnings of behavioural interventions has been highlighted in previous research suggesting theoretical bases for combining behaviour change techniques within interventions to allow synergistic effects and enhance their effectiveness (Dombrowski et al., 2012; Michie, Abraham, Whittington, McAteer, & Gupta, 2009; Taylor et al., 2011; Webb, Joseph, Yardley, & Michie, 2010). Despite the advantages of theory, behaviour change interventions are often designed without reference to theory (Davies, Walker, & Grimshaw, 2010; Prestwich et al., 2013). For instance, a recent meta-analysis found that only 22.5% of 235 implementation studies explicitly used theories of behaviour change (Davies et al., 2010). Where theory is used, it is often only loosely referred to rather than rigorously applied to intervention design and evaluation (Painter, Borba, Hynes, Mays, & Glanz, 2008; Prestwich et al., 2013). In those situations where interventions are based on ‘explicit theory’, theory is often used sub-optimally to develop or evaluate the intervention (e.g., only a few of the theoretical constructs may be targeted and/or theory is not used to appropriately tailor the intervention).
Why is theory so poorly applied?
A review investigating application of theory using the 19-item ‘Theory Coding Scheme’ (Michie & Prestwich, 2010), found that only 10% of studies of theory-based interventions reported links between behaviour change techniques and theoretical constructs and only 9% reported that all the constructs had been targeted by behaviour change techniques. Another explanation may be that the choice of theory may not have been appropriate. For example, if a behaviour is heavily influenced by habit or emotional states then a theory that focuses on beliefs and reflective thought processes may not be appropriate when informing intervention design.
What is the best approach to change?
One of the best-known approaches to change is the Stages of Change or Transtheoretical Model, introduced in the late 1970s by researchers James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. They were studying ways to help people quit smoking. 1 The Stages of Change model has been found to be an effective aid in understanding how people go through a change in behavior.
What is the fourth stage of change?
During the fourth stage of change, people begin taking direct action in order to accomplish their goals. 1 Oftentimes, resolutions fail because the previous steps have not been given enough thought or time.
What is the maintenance phase of the stages of change?
The maintenance phase of the Stages of Change model involves successfully avoiding former behaviors and keeping up new behaviors. 2 If you are trying to maintain a new behavior, look for ways to avoid temptation. Try replacing old habits with more positive actions. Reward yourself when you are able to successfully avoid a relapse.
How long does the contemplation stage of change last?
This conflict creates a strong sense of ambivalence about changing. Because of this uncertainty, the contemplation stage of change can last months or even years. 1
Is it difficult to change behavior?
Anyone who has ever made and broken a New Year’s resolution can appreciate the difficulty of behavior change. Making a lasting change in behavior is rarely a simple process. It usually involves a substantial commitment of time, effort, and emotion.
Is change easy in the early stages of a behavior change?
People are often unwilling or resistant to change during the early stages, but they eventually develop a proactive and committed approach to changing a behavior. This model demonstrates that change is rarely easy.
Introduction
Public health is a multi-disciplinary field that aims to 1) prevent disease and death, 2) promote a better quality of life, and 3) create environmental conditions in which people can be healthy by intervening at the institutional, community, and societal levels.
The Health Belief Model
The Health Belief Model (HBM) was developed in the early 1950s by social scientists at the U.S. Public Health Service in order to understand the failure of people to adopt disease prevention strategies or screening tests for the early detection of disease.
The Theory of Planned Behavior
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) started as the Theory of Reasoned Action in 1980 to predict an individual’s intention to engage in a behavior at a specific time and place. The theory was intended to explain all behaviors over which people have the ability to exert self-control.
Diffusion of Innovation Theory
Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, developed by E.M. Rogers in 1962, is one of the oldest social science theories. It originated in communication to explain how, over time, an idea or product gains momentum and diffuses (or spreads) through a specific population or social system.
The Social Cognitive Theory
Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) started as the Social Learning Theory (SLT) in the 1960s by Albert Bandura. It developed into the SCT in 1986 and posits that learning occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment, and behavior.
The Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change)
The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change Model), developed by Prochaska and DiClemente in the late 1970s, evolved through studies examining the experiences of smokers who quit on their own with those requiring further treatment to understand why some people were capable of quitting on their own.
Social Norms Theory
The Social Norms Theory was first used by Perkins and Berkowitz in 1986 to address student alcohol use patterns. As a result, the theory, and subsequently the social norms approach, is best known for its effectiveness in reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related injury in college students.
Introduction
Learning Objectives
The Health Belief Model
The Theory of Planned Behavior
Diffusion of Innovation Theory
The Social Cognitive Theory
The Transtheoretical Model
- The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change Model), developed by Prochaska and DiClemente in the late 1970s, evolved through studies examining the experiences of smokers who quit on their own with those requiring further treatment to understand why some people were capable of quitting on their own. It was determined that people qui...
Social Norms Theory
An Ecological Approach to Behaviour Change
Information and Advice Are Not Enough
Which Behaviour Change Techniques Are Most Effective?
The Role of Social Marketing
Nudging
Using Technology to Change Behaviour
Behavioural Theory in Practice
Evaluating Behaviour Change Interventions
Conclusion