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13 - Changing Behavior Using Habit Theory

from Part I - Theory and Behavior Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2020

By
Sheina Orbell  and
Bas Verplanken
Edited by
Martin S. Hagger ,
Linda D. Cameron ,
Kyra Hamilton ,
Nelli Hankonen  and
Taru Lintunen
Martin S. Hagger
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Linda D. Cameron
Affiliation:
University of California, Merced
Kyra Hamilton
Affiliation:
Griffith University
Nelli Hankonen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
Taru Lintunen
Affiliation:
University of Jyväskylä
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Summary

Habits involve a direct cue-behavior association in memory. When encountered, cues activate a single, specific well-learned behavioral response. Habits are acquired as a consequence of a history of cue-contingent behavioral repetition. Evidence shows that established habits are cue-contingent, share features of automaticity, and are goal- or reward-independent. Habit cues are readily detected in the environment, associated with short response latencies in computerized tasks and cause “action slips.” Habits are automatic in the sense that cues automatically activate habituated actions without reference to reflective processes. While habits may sometimes be acquired during deliberate goal pursuit, and continue to service goals, once established, cues will prompt behavior irrespective of current motivational state. Habit formation offers an important avenue for development of sustained behavior change interventions. Unlike motivational models of behavior change, habit formation has the potential to create sustained behavior change. Considerable progress has been made in delineating features of habit formation, particularly planning cue-action contingencies and ensuring repetition. Interventions that demonstrate the long-term superiority of habit interventions versus motivational interventions in promoting sustained behavior change require extended behavioral follow-up. Undesired habits share the same attributes as desired habits, so that undoing undesired habits represents a significant challenge for the science of behavior change.

Keywords

cue-behavior associationbehavioral repetitionbehavioral automaticitybehavioral frequencycue-action contingencydiscontinuitysubstitution
Type
Chapter
Information
The Handbook of Behavior Change , pp. 178 - 192
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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