Reference Report: An overview of behaviour …

1 GSR behaviour change Knowledge Review Reference Report: An overview of behaviour change models and their uses Andrew Darnton, Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Westminster July 2008 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Understanding behaviour 5 Economic assumptions 5 Behavioural economics 7 The role of information and the value action gap 10 Values, beliefs and attitudes 11 Norms and identity 15 Agency, efficacy and control 18 Habit and routine 22 The role of emotions 24 External factors 26 Self regulation 29 Societal factors 32 3.

2 Using Behavioural Models 34 4. Understanding change 39 Changing habits 39 change in stages 41 change via social networks 44 change as learning 47 change in systems 51 5. Applied Approaches to change 57 6. Issues Around Intervening 64 Ethical issues 64 Equity issues 65 Side effects 67 7.

3 Using Behavioural Models with Theories of change 68 Appendices 70 i) Tables matching behaviours to models 70 ii) Methodology 74 iii) Organisations and Individuals Contacted 76 iv) Electronic bibliography 77 v) References 77 1 1. Introduction This report has been designed to accompany the Practical Guide to behaviour change models1. It provides a descriptive account of over 60 social-psychological models and theories of behaviour and discusses some issues to consider when using models.

4 It also provides additional resources in the Appendices to enable readers to access the vast amount of literature in this area and see where models have been used to address particular behaviours previously. This review makes the distinction between models of behaviour and theories of change . This is primarily an explanatory step, taken to highlight the different uses (and limits) of the types of models and theories incorporated in the behaviour change literature. Models of behaviour help us to understand specific behaviours , by identifying the underlying factors, which influence them.

5 By contrast, theories of change show how behaviours change over time, and can be changed. While behavioural theory is diagnostic, designed to explain the determinant factors underlying behaviour , change theory is more pragmatic, developed in order to support interventions for changing current behaviours or encouraging the adoption of new behaviours . While the two bodies of theory have distinct purposes, they are highly complementary; understanding both is essential in order to develop effective interventions. The distinction is stressed throughout this review, but its value is most apparent in the context of practical guidance.

6 It underlines that an understanding of behaviour alone provides insufficient clues on which to base effective processes for changing behaviour . Theories of change suggest intervention techniques which can be effective in bringing about change , as well as broad approaches to intervention design, implementation and evaluation which can underpin effective policy planning and delivery. However, seen from a purely conceptual perspective, the distinction between theories of behaviour and theories of change can appear less clear-cut. There are considerable overlaps between the two bodies of theory; for instance, behavioural models tend to be linear (showing the relationships between influencing factors as a series of arrows), models of change tend to be circling, incorporating feedback loops.

7 Alternatively, while behavioural models tend to describe specific behaviours , models of change more commonly depict generic processes of change . However in both these examples the distinctions do not hold fast, as some models predominantly of one type show characteristics of the other. Classifying models of behaviour change into discrete types based on their attributes is an apparently impossible task. The structure of the report is as follows: Section 2 Understanding behaviour Provides a description of behaviour change models. The section starts with a brief overview of economic theory, which represents a starting point for examining human behaviour and then moves onto more complex behavioural economic principles and models from social psychology - both of which build upon economic theory.

8 The models are divided between those showing the factors influencing behaviour at the level of individuals, and those showing factors impacting from higher levels of scale, such as society as a whole. Section 3 Using behavioural models Sets out key considerations when using behavioural models 1 Available on the GSR website: 2 Section 4 Understanding change Provides an overview of a range of theories of change from a variety of disciplines Section 5 Applied approaches to change Describes some of the more overarching approaches to changing behaviour often used in policy contexts Section 6 Issues around intervening Outlines wider contextual issues around intervening.

9 Including issues of ethics and equity Section 7 Using behavioural models with theories of change Introduces a practical approach to designing behaviour change interventions based on learnings from theory To help readers to use this report as a Reference resource, Table 1 below organises the models and theories cited under the section headings used in the report. Many of the models featured are cited in several places throughout the report; in the table, the models are linked to the section where they are described at the most length. The task of model selection is further covered in the Practical Guide and two further tables are supplied there, which explicitly map the models onto specific behaviours and policy problems.

10 While detailed instructions on how to use the Tables are given in the Guide, the tables are also reproduced in this Reference Report (see Appendix i) below). Table 1: An Index to the Featured Models and Theories Section Models & Theories page figure Models & Theories of behaviour at the Individual Level Economic Assumptions Expected Utility (EU) Theory 7 Behavioural Economics Principles of Hyperbolic Discounting, Framing, Inertia Simon s Bounded Rationality (1955) Tversky and Kahneman s Judgment Heuristics (1974) Kahneman and Tversky s Prospect Theory (1979) Stanovich and West s System 1/System 2 Cognition (2000) 8 8 9 9 9 The Role of Information (Information) Deficit Models Awareness Interest Decision Action (AIDA)