Development of a formal system for representing behaviour-change theories

Abstract

Use of natural language to represent behaviour change theories has resulted in lack of clarity and consistency hindering comparison, integration, development and use. This paper describes development of a formal system for representing behaviour change theories which aims to improve clarity and consistency. A given theory is represented in terms of 1) its component constructs (e.g., 'self-efficacy', 'perceived threat', 'subjective norm') which are labelled and defined, and 2) relationships between pairs of constructs, which may be causal, structural, or semantic. This formalism appears adequate to represent five commonly used theories (Health Belief Model, Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skill Model, Social Cognitive Theory, Theory of Planned Behaviour, and the Transtheoretical Model). Theory authors and experts judged that the system was able to capture the main propositions of the theories. Following this proof-of-concept, the next step is to assess how far the system can be applied to other theories of behaviour change.

Theory and ontology in behavioural science

“…To the Editor -In a recent Perspective 1 , Muthukrishna and Henrich (MH) argue that an important and overlooked driver for the replication crisis in the social and behavioural sciences is "the lack of a cumulative theoretical framework. " We have previously written about the importance of theory for human behaviour research 2,3 , and we agree that harnessing theories helps to enable cumulative science, by coordinating evidence and synthesis, providing a rationale for predictions and giving a basis for interpreting new findings 4 . The more diverse the nature of the empirical verification that supports the same theoretical conclusion, the more confident we can be that it is true 5,6 .…”

“…Theoretical integration entails identifying the entities of the different theories to determine when different theories are addressing the same, overlapping, distinct, or poorly specified entities. A project that aims to achieve this objective has already been initiated 3 .…”

Psychology as a nexus for global change: the role of behavioral sciences in overcoming anthropogenic marine degradation

“…Hundreds of behavior change models have been proposed to guide the development of behavior change interventions, however a recent integrative effort has specified the five most commonly cited models used to design interventions are-the health belief model, social cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, the information motivation belief model, and the transtheoretical model (West et al, 2019). These models are often used to develop interventions that rely on an individual model or components of a model to drive behavior change.…”

“…This can prove a significant barrier when seeking to identify efficacious active ingredients, replicate interventions, or compare results for complex interventions. Current work in implementation science seeks to eliminate these issues and the inconsistency in the literature by improving reporting guidelines, developing more rigorous evaluation tools, and defining a common vocabulary to be used (Larsen et al, 2017;Michie et al, 2011Michie et al, , 2009West et al, 2019). Recent research has focused on sharpening and integrating the theoretical models most used for behavior 7 describing the psychological topography and profiles of our target population, as well as understanding the circumstantial drivers and barriers to positive change.…”

“…Adapting an intervention requires understanding and access to the intervention system. Poor reporting of methods, protocols, and materials, as well as inconsistent language in the behavioral science field renders replication and implementation difficult for many interventions present in the literature (Larsen et al, 2017;Michie et al, 2011Michie et al, , 2009Walton, 2014;West et al, 2019). Making the adaptations to any model requires an intimate understanding of, and access to, the original system.…”