Health behaviours

Question 1

What are learning theories?

Answer 1

How we learn behaviours as a result of making (often unconscious) associations

Question 2

What is classical conditioning (2 things)?

Answer 2

• Learning condition where 2 stimuli are continually paired
• Can change association with cues (related to health)

Question 3

What is operant conditioning (2 things)?

Answer 3

• People act on the environment and behaviour is shaped by the consequences (reward or punishment)
• Behaviour increases if reinforced and decreases if punished

Question 4

Operant conditioning in health- problem?

Answer 4

Unhealthy behaviours are immediately rewarding

Question 5

3 limitations of conditioning theories

Answer 5

• Classical and operant both based on simple stimulus-response associations
• No account of cognitive processes, knowledge, beliefs, memory, attitudes, expectations
• No account of social context

Question 6

What is the social learning theory (5 things)?

Answer 6

• People can learn through observation and vicarious reinforcement
• Behaviour is goal directed
• People are motivated to perform behaviours
• We learn what behaviours are rewarded and how likely it is we can perform it
• Modelling more effective if models high status or “like us”

Question 7

What are social cognition models (2 things)?

Answer 7

• Look at how we decide to behave in particular ways
• Look at how people think, feel and reason about their behaviours

Question 8

Cognitive dissonance theory (3 things)

Answer 8

• Discomfort when we hold inconsistent beliefs or when behaviours/events don’t match them
• Reduce discomfort by changing beliefs or behaviours
• e.g. health promotion

Question 9

Health belief model (3 things)

Answer 9

• States that people’s beliefs influence their health-related actions/behaviours
• Beliefs about health threat (perceived susceptibility & severity)
• Beliefs about health related behaviour (perceived benefits & barriers)

Question 10

Theory of planned behaviour (4 things)

Answer 10

• Attitude towards behaviour
• Subjective norms
• Perceived behavioural control
• All 3 above contribute to intention and thus health-related behaviour

Question 11

TPB: intention behaviour gap (2 things)

Answer 11

• Good predictor of intentions but poor predictor of behaviours
• Problem is translating intentions into behaviours

Question 12

What is the COM-B model?

Answer 12

Capability
Opportunity
Motivation
-
Behaviour

Question 13

COM-B model: Capability (2 things)

Answer 13

• Physical and psychological capability
• Knowledge, skill, strength, stamina

Question 14

COM-B model: Opportunity (2 things)

Answer 14

• Physical and social opportunity
• Time, resources, environment, social support

Question 15

COM-B model: Motivation (2 things)

Answer 15

• Reflective and automatic motivation
• Plans, evaluation, desires and impulses

Question 16

Interventions for capability of COM-B (3 things)

Answer 16

• Education (only psych.)
• Training
• Enablement

Question 17

Interventions for opportunity COM-B (5 things)

Answer 17

• Training (only physical)
• Restrictions
• Environmental structuring
• Modelling (only social)
• Enablement

Question 18

Interventions for motivation COM-B- MEET EPIC(8 things)

Answer 18

• Education (only reflective)
• Persuasion
• Incentivisation
• Coersion
• Training (only reflective)
• Environmental restructuring (only automatic)
• Modelling (“”)
• Enablement (“”)

Question 19

What is the nudge theory (2 things)?

Answer 19

• Focus on unconscious influences on behaviour
• Change behaviour by changing the environment, using positive reinforcement, messaging & indirect suggestions

Question 20

What is nudge theory based on?

Answer 20

Idea that majority of human behaviour is automatic, with people responding to cues in their environment

Question 21

What does nudge theory involve (2 things)?

Answer 21

• Making simple changes to the choice architecture to steer decisions in the right direction
• For it to be successful, must decrease effort required to make the desired choice

Question 22

Risks when focusing on individual behaviour (3 things)

Answer 22

• Determinants of health are complex and may be outside of individual control
• Risk of victim blaming (e.g. obesity)
• Little impact on determinants that actually cause poor health

Question 23

Implications for health promotion (3 things)

Answer 23

• A behaviour change approach
• A strong policy framework that creates a supportive environment
• The empowerment of people to gain more control over making healthy lifestyle decisions