L6: Behavioural sciences part 2 Flashcards
reflexive-impulsive model
🧠 Dual-Process Theory of Behaviour
This theory explains how we make decisions and behave using two systems in the brain: the reflexive (conscious) system and the impulsive (automatic) system.
- 🔍 Reflexive System (Conscious System)
Involves deliberate, effortful thinking.
Uses syllogistic reasoning – like logical “if-then” statements (e.g., If smoking causes cancer and I want to avoid cancer, then I should stop smoking).
Requires conscious awareness and mental energy (ATP use!).
It’s slow but rational and flexible.
Makes decisions based on reflection, analysis, and appraisal.
Engaged when we pause and think about our actions.
💡 Example: You see a health warning on a cigarette packet and decide to quit smoking after reasoning about the risks.
- ⚡ Impulsive System (Automatic System)
Based on automatic, fast, energy-efficient responses.
Relies on learned associations and neural schemas.
Driven by habit, emotion, and repetition.
Perceptual cues in the environment can instantly trigger a response (without conscious thought).
These patterns are formed through neuroplasticity – the more you encounter certain cues, the stronger the pathways become (this is called spreading activation).
💡 Example: You automatically reach for a snack when you see an ad, without thinking about it.
🔄 Interaction Between Systems
Not totally separate systems — they work together and influence one another.
You might start with a reflexive decision (e.g., quitting smoking), but your impulsive system might fight back (e.g., reaching for a cigarette during stress out of habit).
Behaviour change often fails when the impulsive system overrides the conscious decision.
🧬 Evolutionary Angle:
Humans evolved to preserve energy, which is why the brain prefers the low-effort impulsive system unless necessary.
The reflexive system is costly, so we don’t engage it unless we really need to.
SDT
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
Developed by Deci & Ryan, SDT is about understanding motivation — what drives us to do what we do, and whether it comes from within or outside of us.
🔑 Core Psychological Needs
For motivation to be sustainable and satisfying, three basic psychological needs must be met:
Autonomy – the feeling of having choice and control over your actions.
Competence – feeling effective and capable of achieving outcomes.
Relatedness – feeling connected and supported by others.
The more an environment supports these, the more likely we are to feel intrinsically motivated.
🎯 Types of Motivation (Extrinsic → Intrinsic Spectrum)
Think of motivation along a continuum, from least self-determined (extrinsic) to most self-determined (intrinsic):
Type of Motivation Description
Amotivation No intention to act (e.g., not seeing the point of exercising)
External Regulation Doing something for rewards or to avoid punishment
Introjected Regulation Doing it because of guilt, pressure, or obligation
Identified Regulation Seeing the value in it (e.g., “I exercise because I know it’s healthy”)
Integrated Regulation Fully identifying with it, fits with your values or identity
Intrinsic Motivation Doing it purely because it’s enjoyable or meaningful
As you move rightward on this scale, motivation becomes more internalized and aligned with your sense of self.
🧠 Example:
Extrinsic: “I study because I want a good grade.”
Intrinsic: “I study because I enjoy learning.”
🧩 How SDT Connects to Behaviour:
Environments that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness help people shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation.
If someone feels controlled (low autonomy), they’re more likely to comply temporarily, not sustain behaviour.
If their motivation supports self-determined needs, the behaviour is more likely to be sustained and fulfilling.
COM-B model
The COM-B Model is a framework developed to integrate multiple health behaviour theories into one clear system. It’s at the heart of the Behaviour Change Wheel, which guides intervention design.
🧠 Core Constructs Driving Behaviour:
Behaviour (B) happens when the following three are present:
Capability (C)
Physical: Physical skills or strength needed to perform the behaviour (e.g., being able to walk to a clinic).
Psychological: Mental skills, knowledge, or understanding (e.g., knowing how and where to book a vaccine).
Opportunity (O)
Physical: Environmental factors that make the behaviour possible (e.g., availability of vaccination sites).
Social: Cultural norms or social influences (e.g., whether friends and family encourage vaccination).
Motivation (M)
Reflective: Conscious evaluation, planning, beliefs, and intentions (e.g., “I believe the vaccine will protect me”).
Automatic: Emotional reactions, impulses, habits (e.g., fear of needles or trust in science).
🔄 Interaction Between Components:
The three components interact with each other and with behaviour itself.
Behaviour is not just the outcome, it can feedback and affect capability, opportunity, and motivation over time.
Example: Going to the gym regularly (behaviour) increases your fitness (capability) and may build confidence (motivation).
🎯 Designing Interventions with the Behaviour Change Wheel:
Inner layer: COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation → Behaviour)
Middle layer (Red): Intervention functions (e.g., Education, Persuasion, Restriction, Enablement, Training, Modelling)
Outer layer (Grey): Policy categories (e.g., Guidelines, Legislation, Service provision, Communication campaigns)
Start at the centre (what’s influencing the behaviour) and work outwards to identify effective strategies.
💉 Example: Vaccination Behaviour
COM-B Component Example Question
Physical Capability Is the person physically able to travel or get vaccinated?
Psychological Capability Do they know where and how to get vaccinated?
Physical Opportunity Is the vaccine accessible in their area? Are the sites convenient?
Social Opportunity Are others around them getting vaccinated? Is there peer pressure or support?
Reflective Motivation Do they believe the vaccine is safe and necessary?
Automatic Motivation Do they fear it? Do they associate it with protection or
intervention functions
Education – increasing knowledge & understanding
Persuasion – using communication in induce positive/negative feelings or to stimulate action
Incentivisation – creating an expectation of reward
Coercion – creating an expectation of punishment/cost
Training – imparting skills
Restriction – rules to increase/reduce opportunity for behaviour
Environmental restructuring – changing physical/social context
Modelling – providing examples of people to imitate
Enablement – facilitating behaviour by increasing capability or opportunity
Influencing the psychological constructions.
Training- relating to capability. Psychological.
Education- risk of genetic mutations due to smoking
Persuasion- real life stories to influence behaviour.
Matching intervention functions to sources of behaviour
Physical capability
Training and Enablement
Physical skills development, and sometimes enablement (e.g. medication, surgery, prostheses)
Psychological capability
Education, Training and Enablement
Teaching (to increase knowledge/understanding), training (emotional / cognitive / behavioural skills), enabling e.g. medication
Reflexive motivation
Education, Persuasion, Incentivisation, and Coercion
Increasing knowledge / understanding, eliciting positive or negative feelings about the target behaviour
Automatic motivation
Persuasion, Incentivisation, Coercion, Environmental restructuring, Modelling, and Enablement
Associative learning to elicit positive / negative feelings or impulses, imitative learning, habit formation, direct influence on automatic motivational processes (e.g. with medication like NRT) Physical opportunity
Restriction, Environmental restructuring and Enablement
Changing the physical environment
Social opportunity
Restriction, Environmental restructuring and Enablement
Changing the social environment
How do we change behaviour?
The importance of frameworks:
Comprehensive Coherent Linked to overarching models of behaviour
