Behavior Change Models – BMS Notes
Theories of behavioural change aim to elucidate the reasons behind changes in behaviour. According to these views, the main determinants of behaviour are personal, environmental, and behavioural traits. The application of these ideas to the fields of international development, criminology, health, education, and energy has gained traction in recent years. The idea is that by better understanding behavioural change, these fields’ services will be provided with greater quality. Recently, several academics have distinguished between theories of change and behaviour models. Theories of change are more process-oriented and often aim at modifying a specific behaviour, while behaviour models are more diagnostic and focused on understanding the psychological elements that underlie or predict a certain behaviour. Therefore, from this angle, there are two distinct but related fields of study in science: comprehending behaviour and altering it.
Overarching theories and models
In an effort to explain behaviour change, each behavioural change theory or model focuses on a particular set of characteristics. Learning theories, social cognitive theories, theories of reasoned action and planned behaviour, the transtheoretical model of behaviour change, the health action process approach, and the BJ Fogg model of behaviour change are among the most widely used of the many that are available. Studies have also been carried out on certain components of these theories, particularly components that are shared by several theories, such as self-efficacy.
Self-efficacy
An individual’s perception of their own capacity to carry out a difficult or hard job, such taking an exam or having surgery, is known as self-efficacy. This perception is based on things like the person’s physiological condition, external sources of persuasion, and previous performance in the activity or similar activities. Although self-efficacy is not a behavioural change theory in and of itself, it is a crucial component of many of the theories that deal with behavioural change, such as the health belief model, the theory of planned behaviour, and the health action process approach. This is because self-efficacy is thought to be predictive of the amount of effort an individual will expend in initiating and maintaining a behavioural change.
Acquiring knowledge about beliefs and behaviours analytical theories of transformation
Social cognition and social learning hypothesis
The social learning theory, which has been renamed as the social cognitive theory in recent times, holds that behavioural, personal, and environmental factors influence changes in behaviour. Every element influences every other element. For instance, in line with the concepts of self-efficacy, a person’s beliefs influence their behaviour, and their traits cause the social environment to react in certain ways. Comparably, a person’s environment affects both their conduct and the development of their personal traits, and a person’s actions may alter both their surroundings and their thoughts and emotions. The reciprocal interactions between these variables—which are thought to be responsible for behavioural change—are the main focus of social learning theory.
The rational action theory
According to the principle of reasoned action, people weigh the potential effects of their actions before deciding to do them. Because of this, intention plays a crucial role in shaping behaviour and altering it. Icek Ajzen posits that an individual’s intentions stem from their interpretation of a behaviour as either good or undesirable, as well as their opinion of how society views that same behaviour. As a result, societal pressure and one’s own attitude influence intention, which is necessary for acting out a behaviour and, ultimately, for changing behaviour.
Planned Behavior Theory
The theory of planned behaviour, which Ajzen developed in 1985 as an extension of the theory of reasoned action, emphasises the importance of intention in behaviour performance but is meant to address situations in which an individual is not in control of every element influencing the behavior’s actual performance. Therefore, according to the new hypothesis, the likelihood that an individual will actually conduct a behaviour is correlated with both the degree of control they have over the behaviour and the intensity of their desire to perform it. In his paper, Further makes the hypothesis that a person’s level of self-efficacy influences how strongly they intend to carry out a behaviour. The idea of planned behaviour was replaced by the reasoned action approach, which was unveiled by Fishbein and Ajzen in 2010.
Stages of Change Model or Transtheoretical Model
There are five steps involved in changing behaviour, according to the transtheoretical model of behaviour modification, often referred to as the phases of change model. Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation for action, action, and maintenance are the five phases, through which people may go before reaching total transformation. An person may or may not be aware of a problem during the precontemplation stage, but they are not considering modifying their behaviour. The person moves from precontemplation to contemplation when they start to consider altering a certain behaviour. The person starts making preparations for the change during the preparation stage, and during the action stage, the person starts acting in the new way on a regular basis. Once someone has shown the new habit regularly for more than six months, they eventually move into the maintenance stage. One issue with the stages of change model is that it’s quite simple for someone to go from the maintenance stage to an earlier one. This decrease might be caused by external variables like the weather or seasonal changes, as well as internal causes like personal problems a someone is going through.
Approach to the health action process
The two continuous self-regulatory processes that make up the health action process approach (HAPA) are the goal-setting phase (motivation) and the goal-pursuit phase (volition). A pre-action phase and an action phase make up the second phase. It is believed that risk perceptions, result expectations, and motivational self-efficacy are determinants of intentions. This is the model’s motivating stage. Recovery self-efficacy is thought to moderate the predictive impact of motivational self-efficacy on behaviour, whereas planning is thought to mediate the effects of intentions. The volitional phase of the paradigm is referenced by the later processes.
Model of Fogg Behavior
The Behavior Model of BJ Fogg. The success or failure of behaviour change triggers depends on the varying degrees of ability and motivation. For instance, attempting to induce a change in behaviour by doing something challenging (poor ability) can only be successful with very high desire. On the other hand, even with mediocre motivation, attempting to modify behaviour via something simple to do (high ability) may be successful.
The Behavior Model of BJ Fogg. The success or failure of behaviour change triggers depends on the varying degrees of ability and motivation. For instance, attempting to induce a change in behaviour by doing something challenging (poor ability) can only be successful with very high desire. On the other hand, even with mediocre motivation, attempting to modify behaviour via something simple to do (high ability) may be successful.
BJ Fogg established the Fogg Behavior Methodology (FBM), a model for changing design behaviour. According to this concept, conduct is made up of three distinct components: ability, motivation, and triggers. According to the FBM, in order for a person (user) to successfully modify their behaviour, they must be driven, capable of carrying out the activity, and in need of a trigger. The definitions of each BFM component are as follows:
Motivation
Rather of defining motivation, BJ Fogg identifies many motivators, such as:
Pleasure/Pain: These motivators elicit a quick reaction, yet despite their strength, they are not optimal. It may be possible to increase motivation by taking on the form of pleasure or pain.
Hope and fear are two motivators that have a delayed reaction. Hope is the expectation of a happy result, while fear is the dread of a bad event (fear). Individuals who join dating websites, for instance, do so in the hopes of meeting new people.
Social acceptance/rejection: Behaviors that promote or maintain one’s social acceptability are what drive people.
Ability
The self-efficacy perspective in carrying out a goal activity is referred to by this aspect. Low ability is bad, although it may not be preventable: The statement “We are basically lazy” comes from BJ Fogg. In this situation, changing behaviour is accomplished by encouraging target behaviours for which the user have a high aptitude rather than via education. Furthermore, BJ Fogg enumerates a number of components or attributes that define high aptitude or ease of execution of an action:
Time: Either the user has enough time to do the desired activity, or it takes very little time.
Money: The user have sufficient funds to carry out the conduct. Money may buy time in some situations.
Physical exertion: Target behaviours could not be easily accomplished if they call for a lot of physical effort.
Brain cycles: Target behaviours that demand a lot of cognitive capacity can not be easy to modify since they are not straightforward.
Social deviance: These include actions that lead to a user’s social deviation. These kinds of actions are not straightforward.
Non-routine: Any conduct that causes a routine to be disrupted is seen as complex. Simple habits are often simple to follow since they are a part of routines.
Triggers Triggers are reminders, either explicit or implicit, to carry out an action. Triggers may be anything from text messages to advertisements to alarms. They are often perceptual in nature, but they can also be intrinsic. Since many actions may only be triggered at certain times, timing is one of a trigger’s most crucial characteristics. For instance, it is unlikely that someone who tries to work out every day would remember to pack their clothes when they leave the house. Instead, they are more likely to forget to pack when they return home. On the other hand, this will need a lot less work if an alarm goes off just before you leave the home to remind you to pack your clothes. Some of the model’s components may be linked to social psychology theories, such as the motivation and ability variables and how they connect to self-efficacy, even if the original article lacks references for the theories or logic behind the model.
Education
Developing successful teaching strategies may be guided by behavioural change ideas. Since changing behaviour is a major objective of education, the comprehension of behaviour that behavioural change theories provide is useful in developing instructional strategies that leverage the processes of behaviour change. Education programmes aim to reach wide audiences from different socioeconomic backgrounds these days, and in order to uncover universal qualities that might be important for programme design, programme designers are increasingly trying to understand the causes of behavioural change.
Several ideas, such as the theory of planned behaviour and the social learning theory, were really created in an effort to enhance health education. These ideas, which focus on how people interact with their surroundings, might provide light on the efficacy of educational initiatives under certain predefined circumstances, such as the social setting in which they are to be launched. While behavioural change theories are still most often used in the field of health education, other fields are starting to use theories such as the phases of change model, such as employee training and the development of higher education institutions.
Criminology
Behavior modification ideas are supported by criminology empirical research.
[Reference required]. In addition, broad theories of behavioural change provide reasons for criminal behaviour as well as strategies for reining in aberrant behaviour. Understanding behavioural change may help policymakers implement successful correctional techniques as aberrant behaviour repair requires behavioural change. Social controls that target the underlying problem rather than just the resulting behaviour might be aided by the knowledge that deviant behaviour, such as stealing, may be learnt behaviour arising from reinforcers like hunger satisfaction that are unrelated to criminal behaviour.
Particular theories that have been used in the field of criminology include the differential association and social learning theories. Deviant behaviour develops as a result of an individual’s exposure to a particular behaviour and their acquaintances, who can reinforce either socially acceptable or socially unacceptable behaviour. This is explained by the interaction between an individual and their environment that is a component of the social learning theory. A common related theoretical explanation of criminal behaviour that incorporates learning theory ideas and maintains that aberrant behaviour is learnt behaviour is differential association theory, which was first developed by Edwin Sutherland.
Energy
There has been a surge in interest in behaviorally based energy consumption reduction in recent years, whether it is for energy security or to mitigate climate change. Interesting insights are obtained when behavioural change theories are applied to the study of energy consumption behaviour. It backs, for instance, the critique that a too narrow emphasis on individual behaviour is preferable to a broader one that takes into account social interaction, lifestyles, conventions, and values, in addition to technology and regulations, all of which either facilitate or restrict behavioural change.