Study Questions 4-3: Automatic and Dual-Process Approaches

Vocabulary flashcards covering dual-process frameworks, affective theories of exercise, behavioral economics, choice architecture, and financial incentive studies.

Automatic Thought Process

A fast, habit-driven cognitive process requiring no thinking that dominates in familiar contexts and can override reflective processes or intention formation.

Reflective Thought Process

A slower, conscious cognitive process involving reason, thinking, and evaluation of a behavior before performing it, which dominates in novel contexts.

Automatic Affective Valuation

In Williams and Evans' Affect and Behavior Framework, the pathway stimulated by an immediate emotional reaction to exercise that generates an action impulse.

Reflective Affective Valuation

In Williams and Evans' Affect and Behavior Framework, the post-behavioral pathway stimulated by emotional responses to the thought of past exercise behavior that generates an action plan.

Action Impulse

An automatic behavioral drive produced by the automatic pathway that, for most people regarding physical activity, defaults to not exercising.

Action Plan

A consciously formed behavioral plan created through the reflective pathway.

Affective-Reflective Theory of Physical Inactivity and Exercise (A-RT)

A theory stating that automatic processing is fastest while reflective processing is more controlled, explaining physical inactivity as a default to automatic impulses when individuals lack base motivation, time, opportunity, or self-regulatory processes.

Behavioral Economics Frameworks

Theories proposing that behavioral choices are influenced by context, personal biases, emotions/mood, and social influences rather than logical thought alone.

Choice Architecture

The micro-environment or exact physical location and context where a decision is made, which can be altered to steer behavior.

Nudging

An approach that alters choice architecture to encourage a specific behavior with little to no financial or external incentive.

Point of Choice Prompts

Visual cues placed at the exact location of decision-making (such as footprints or signs near stairs) commonly used in physical activity choice architecture.

Mitchell et al. (2019)

A systematic review on financial incentives for exercise finding positive behavioral effects while incentives were active, but reduced positive effects once the incentives were removed.

Finkelstein et al. (2016)

A randomized-controlled trial evaluating financial versus charity incentives for step count, showing only cash increased steps above baseline, but cash group steps dropped most upon withdrawal and returned to baseline after 6 months.

Carrot Rewards Programme

An app-based physical activity intervention providing digital loyalty point incentives for personally set goals, successfully increasing activity especially among frequent users.