Habit versus planned behaviour: A field experiment

Abstract

A field experiment investigated the prediction and change in repeated behaviour in the domain of travel mode choices. Car use during seven days was predicted from habit strength (measured by self-reported frequency of past behaviour, as well as by a more covert measure based on personal scripts incorporating the behaviour), and antecedents of behaviour as conceptualized in the theory of planned behaviour (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and behavioural intention). Both habit measures predicted behaviour in addition to intention and perceived control. Significant habit x intention interactions indicated that intentions were only significantly related to behaviour when habit was weak, whereas no intention-behaviour relation existed when habit was strong. During the seven-day registration of behaviour, half of the respondents were asked to think about the circumstances under which the behaviour was executed. Compared to control participants, the behaviour of experimental participants was more strongly related to their previously expressed intentions. However, the habit-behaviour relation was unaffected. The results demonstrate that, although external incentives may increase the enactment of intentions, habits set boundary conditions for the applicability of the theory of planned behaviour.

An Extended Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour to Predict the Usage Intention of the Electric Car: A Multi-Group Comparison

“…Empirical research shows that extending the DTPB with variables that capture habits leads to a better prediction of travel mode choicethe adoption intention. In many studies, habitual car use has been found relevant [68][69][70][71][72].…”

Who Cares about the Environmental Impact of Cars?

“…Van Lange, 1999;Van Lange & Visser, 1999). Fourth, given the existence of various structural barriers to public transportation (e.g., availability, realistic travel time) and the fact that commuting decisions are often based on habitual behavior Verplanken, Aarts, van Knippenberg, & Moonen, 1998;, it is possible that self-reported commuting preferences examined here may not directly translate into actual commuting choices. Nevertheless, the present findings suggest that all other things being equal, preference for public transportation is likely to be higher among individuals who believe the car adversely affects the environment and care about this impact (i.e., high in CFC).…”

Healthy habits: efficacy of simple advice on weight control based on a habit-formation model

“…Habits have been defined as 'behavioural dispositions to repeat wellpracticed actions given recurring circumstances' 8 and are assumed to develop through repetition of the behaviour in the presence of consistent stimuli. 9 By definition, habits are resistant to change, even in circumstances when they are in opposition to intentions, [9][10][11] and behaviour change interventions are less successful at changing habitual behaviours (those performed frequently in consistent contexts) than non-habitual behaviours. 12 People also pay less attention to information about their habits and are therefore less likely to form intentions in opposition to them even when the information provided is compelling.…”