Applying theories of behaviour change to addiction: theory of planned behaviour

Question 1

Theory of planned behaviour definition

Answer 1

changes in behaviour can be predicted from our intention to change, which in turn is the outcome of personal attitudes towards the behaviour in question, our beliefs about what others think, and our perceived ability to control our behaviour

Question 2

what are the 3 stages to theory of planned behaviour

Answer 2

1-personal attitudes
2-subjective norms
3-perceived behavioural control

Question 3

who made theory of planned behaviour

Answer 3

ajzen

Question 4

what is theory of planned behaviour

Answer 4

theory of how we can change our behaviour deliberately through rational decisions as we evaluate the positive and negative consequences

Question 5

theory of planned behaviour intentions

Answer 5

suggest behaviour can be predicted from our intentions. when this is applied in addiction theory of planned behaviour aims to link intentions with actual changes in behaviour

Question 6

what does theory of planned behaviour suggest out intentions to use and give up come from

Answer 6

three key influences
-personal attitudes
-subjective norms
-perceived behavioural control

Question 7

what are personal attitudes in theory of planned behaviour

Answer 7

combination of favourable and unfavourable opinions about their addiction

Question 8

how are personal attitudes formed

Answer 8

person evaluating the positive and negative consequences of their addiction related behaviour

Question 9

what happens if personal attitudes become unfavourable

Answer 9

lead to reduced interest in addiction-related behaviour

Question 10

example of unfavourable personal attitudes to a gambling addiction

Answer 10

i lose more money than i win

Question 11

what are subjective norms theory of planned behaviour

Answer 11

addicted person’s belief about whether those who matter most to them approve or disapprove of their addicted behaviour. the beliefs are based on what an addicted person believes to be a normal behaviour

Question 12

how do family and friends opinions change subjective norms

Answer 12

they consider what their friends and family consider about their addiction. this can include if they gamble and how much, if their attitudes expressed are favourable or unfavourable

Question 13

example of subjective norms that can cause the individual not to gamble

Answer 13

‘believe the people who matter to me would not be happy with me for gambling like this’ which would lead to the intention not to gamble, and therefore makes it less likely they will actually gamble

Question 14

what are the application of subjective norms in theory of planned behaviour

Answer 14

-person’s addiction-related intentions and behaviours can be altered by changing their subjective norms. for example, adolescents often estimate the extent of substance abuse of their peers which may influence their own behaviour to keep up with the perceived norm
-many campaigns against substance abuse combat this by providing messages that reveal the true extent of our subjective norms are most influences by the views of people we respect

Question 15

what is perceived behaviour control in theory of planned behaviour

Answer 15

how much control we believe we have over our behaviour which is our self-efficacy

Question 16

what can perceived behavioural control depend on

Answer 16

perception of the resources available to them, both external (time,support) and internally (ability, effort)

Question 17

what are the two effects of perceived behavioural control

Answer 17

influence behaviour directly or indirectly

Question 18

what is the indirect influence on our behaviour on perceived behavioural control

Answer 18

influence behaviour indirectly via intentions to behave, so the more control i believe i have over my ability to stop gambling, the stronger my intention to do so

Question 19

what are the direct influences on behaviour in theory of planned behaviour

Answer 19

behaviour is directly influenced so the greater the perceived control over gambling, the longer and harder i will try to stop

Question 20

strength of theory of planned behaviour as an application of theories of behaviour change to addiction - research support

Answer 20

-research evidence to support it
-Hagger at al (2011) 486 participants completed questionnaires about alcohol-related behaviors (and completed them again one and three months later). the researcher found that personal attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control all correlated significantly with the intention to limit drinking to the guideline number of units. intentions were also found to predict the number of units actually consumed after one month and three months. perceived behavioural control predicted actual unit consumption directly (and not just the intention) –> findings support predictions derived from the theory which suggests it is valid

Question 21

Limitation of theory of planned behaviour as an application of theories of behaviour change to addiction - counterpoint to research support

Answer 21

-not all findings of this study were supportive of theory of planned behaviour
-failed to predict some alcohol-related behaviours. for example, attitudes, norms, a-control and intentions did not correlate significantly with the number if binge-drinking sessions after one months or three months. based on these findings, it appears the success of TPB may depend on the type of addiction-related behaviour being measured –> suggests that even supportive research indicated that the predictive validity of TPB is limited

Question 22

limitation of theory of planned behaviour as an application of theories of behaviour change to addiction - short-term effects

Answer 22

-research has shown short term effects only
-McEachan et al (2011) conducted a meta-analysis of 237 tests of the TPB in predicting health behaviours (including addiction related ones). they found that the strength of correlation between intentions and behaviour varied according to the length of time between the two. intention to stop drinking can predict actually giving up drinking, but only if the time between intention and behaviour is less than about 5 weeks. the evidence is much weaker when the time interval between intentions and behaviour is longer –> therefore intentions may not predict changes to addiction-related behaviour in the longer term, limiting the usefulness of the TPB

Question 23

limitation of theory of planned behaviour as an application of theories of behaviour change to addiction - intention-behaviour gap

Answer 23

-cannot account for intention-behaviour gap
-theory cannot adequately explain how actual behaviours are caused by intentions. Miller and Howell (2005) studied the gambling behaviour of underage teenagers. they found strong support for some parts of the TPB (participants attitudes, norms and perceived control were all related to their intentions to stop). But the key element of TPB was not supported- the intentions were not related to the actual gambling behaviour. may psychologists now questions whether the TPB is a theory of behaviour change at all –> if the theory cannot predict behaviour change, we cannot use it to help change behaviour

Question 24

evaluation of theory of planned behaviour as an application of theories of behaviour change to addiction - rational decision-making

Answer 24

-TPB claims that addiction is the result if rational decisions. for example, making a cost-benefit analysis by weighing the balance of favourable and unfavourable opinions
-however, decisions about taking drugs/gambling may not be rational. many factors make decision-making irrational (eg, emotions, cognitive biases and stress) may not be explained by TPB. TPB data comes from questionnaires in which a person may express rational thoughts which are ultimately not reflected in behaviour