Theories of Health Behavior

Learning theories

health related behaviors are learned; people adopt behavior such as smoking (via classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning)

Continuum models

this and this influences the behavior; use set of factors to predict behavior 

Stage models

identify stages involved i the process of behavior change 

• Example: what factors go into someone smoking

Classical conditioning

learning to respond to a new stimulus that has been associated with another stimulus that normally produces the response 

• Example: they go out with friends and drink, therefore, they make a connection between alcohol and having a good time 

How does operant conditioning affect health behaviors?

Behaviors can be increased or decreased depending on the consequences of the behavior 

• punishment for unhealthy behaviors

For example:  taxing cigarettes for people who buy them

reward for healthy behaviors 

For example: you can self reward yourself every time you study

Limitation of reinforcement

overjustification effect (if people don't have internal reasons to continue doing something then they will stop if they aren't being reinforced with a reward)

• Big goals have to be split into parts in order for the reinforcement to do something 

• External when it comes from an external source; extrinsic is when it comes from ourselves 

What is temptation bundling? 

pairing immediately satisfying activities with those that require more effort but provide long-term benefits (milkman et al.,)

• bundling the behavior with a reinforcer admittedly 

What were Milkman et al.’s (2014) results?

temptation bundling

3 conditions (Milkman et al)

• Audiobooks only when at the gym (wanted people to go workout at the gym) (full treatment) 

• Encouraged to only listen to audiobooks at gym (intermediate treatment) 

• Control (no audiobooks)

Those who could only listen to the audiobooks at the gym went the most to the gym, 29% more 

Takeaway: temptation bundling is effective at increasing physical activity and full temptation bundling is the most effective 

What is friction?

Make unwanted behavior less rewarding by adding friction- external barriers (e.g, effort) that make performing the behavior more difficult (e.,g wood)

• Example: if you wanna stop eating sweet things make a friction such as making it less convenient in order for you to stop the behavior

We can also remove friction to encourage a behavior we want such as eating more vegetables

Example: go somewhere where you can buy food and store in the fridge clean so now you are forced to eat your vegetables because their clean and cut already 

Vicarious learning

Modeling; vicarious operant conditioning) 

Learning through somebody else's experience

What did D’Amico and Fromme (1997) find in their study of vicarious learning?

D’amico n Fromme 

Older and younger siblings completed surveys about health behaviors 

Older were in college and younger were in highschool 

study:

 Younger siblings beliefs about older siblings drinking= younger siblings drinking 

• Younger siblings beliefs about older siblings positive experiences with behaviors= younger siblings positive expectancies about engaging in these behaviors 

Younger siblings' beliefs of their older siblings drinking were correlated with their own drinking not what the older sibling was actually doing 

Younger siblings expectations were correlated with what would happen if they drank  

Takeaway: Younger siblings' beliefs of their older siblings behavior were correlated with the younger siblings behavior.