Health psychology; predicting health behaviour L1

Question 1

What is social cognition?

Answer 1

The interaction between cognition and behaviour around others.

Question 2

What is the goal of Social-cognitive models?

Answer 2

To change health behaviour by changing cognitions.

Question 3

What is a stage model of health behaviour?

Answer 3

Stage models say people cycle through stages which form health behaviour.

Question 4

what is a continuous model of health behaviour?

Answer 4

continuous models say people from health behaviours based on where they fall along a cognitive scale.

Question 5

Describe two continuous models of health behaviour.

Answer 5

1) Health Belief Model (HBM).
People engage in health-promoting behaviour based on two cognitions; a) Percived succeptibility & serverity of illness b) Percived barriers and costs of behaviour.

Most likely to engage in health behaviour if we percive we are succeptible to illness if we dont do it, and it willbe server, and if we percive barriers to be small and costs to be small. Importaint part is Cues to action.

2) Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).
People engage in health-promoting behaviour based on the formation of intentions to do so; made of three cognitive components, a) Attitudes b) Social norms c) Percived behavioural control.

The three found to predict 39% of variance in intentions, with attitude contributing the most.

Question 6

Give pros and cons to HBM

Answer 6

Pros:

• common sense model
• useful framework
• predicts engagement in health behaviour

Cons:

• small effect sizes
• things like TPB do better job at predicting

Question 7

Give pros and cons to TPB

Answer 7

Pros:

• been successfully applied to many health related behaviours
• accounts for social influences

Cons:

• doesn’t say how intention translates to behaviour
• behaviour intention gap large
• focus on reasoned cognition; doesn’t do well with risky behaviours

Question 8

Describe one stage model of health behaviour.

Answer 8

1)Trans Theoretical Model (TTM).
People form behaviour based on their position along stages of health behaviour;

a) PRE-CONTEMPLATION, not even thought about changing behaviour
b) CONTEMPLATION, decide to change behaviour
c) PREPARATION, get things in place to carry out behaviour
d) ACTION, do health behaviour
e) MAINTENANCE, continue for 6 months
f) RELAPSE, disengage in health behaviour

Question 9

Give pros and cons to TTM

Answer 9

Pros:

• allows planning for relapse
• importance on maintenance
• behaviour change seen as a dynamic process

Cons:
-stages may just describe the continuous cognitive scale