Behavior Change Research and Theory

Behavior Change Research and Theory: Psychological and Technological Perspectives provides a unified account of behavior change theories and broad coverage of application domains and best practices. From a psychological and human-computer interaction perspective, the book puts a strong emphasis on the psychological foundations of behavior change, and explores the relationship between technology and behavior change. It will cover the major behavior change theories: planned behavior; health belief model; protection motivation; transtheoretical; and more recent approaches to behavior change like Nudge, and Mindspace.

The section on health research and behavior change will cover interventions like diet and fitness, mental health, smoking cessation, and diabetes management. Topics also include financial and security research, and behavior change in relation to financial and other forms of sensitive information (passwords, phishing, and financial transactions). The last section will highlight the challenges and opportunities afforded by the increasing use of mobile technology with respect to the design of programs and apps aimed at facilitating behavior change and the role of social media.

• Provides case studies of key theoretical models of behavior change
• Evaluates the success of key theories
• Details cost/benefit analyses of each particular approach
• Includes techniques such as implementation intentions, self-affirmation, feedback, and social support
• Offers practical consideration of the impact of technology and design
• Delves into sustainability issues such as recycling and energy reduction
• Highlights future directions for research