The goal dependent automaticity of drinking habits

In recent treatments of habitual social behaviour, habits are conceptualised as a form of goal-directed automatic behaviour that are mentally represented as goal-action links. Three experiments tested this conceptualisation in the context of students’ drinking (alcohol consumption) habits. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions where either a goal related to drinking behaviour (socialising) was activated, or an unrelated goal was activated. In addition, participants’ drinking habits were measured. The dependent variable in Experiments 1 and 2 was readiness to drink, operationalised by speed of responding to the action concept “drinking” in a verb verification task. Experiment 3 used uptake of a voucher to measure drinking behaviour. Findings supported the view that when habits are established, simply activating a goal related to the focal behaviour automatically elicits that behaviour. These findings are consistent with a goal-dependent conception of habit. Possibilities for interventions designed to attenuate undesirable habitual behaviours are considered

The role of social influences in young people's health behaviours Descriptive norms and social images

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN060445 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Understanding young and older male drivers' willingness to drive while intoxicated: the predictive utility of constructs specified by the theory of planned behaviour and the prototype willingness model

Objective The present study examined the predictive utility of constructs specified by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and prototype willingness model (PWM) for young and older male drivers' willingness to drive while intoxicated. Design and methods A cross-sectional questionnaire was employed. Two hundred male drivers, recruited via a street survey, voluntarily completed measures of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, prototype perceptions, and willingness. Results Findings showed that the TPB and PWM variables explained 65% of the variance in young male drivers' willingness and 47% of the variance in older male drivers' willingness, with the interaction between prototype favourability and similarity contributing 7% to the variance explained in older males' willingness to drive while intoxicated. Conclusions The findings possess implications for theory, research, and anti-drink driving campaign

Expanding the affective and normative components of the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis of anticipated affect and moral norms

Meta-analysis was used to determine the predictive validity of anticipated affect and moral norms in the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). Medium-to-large sample-weighted average correlations were obtained. Anticipated affect and moral norms increased the variance explained in intentions by 5 % and 3%, respec-tively, controlling for TPB variables. Intention mediated the influence of both vari-ables on behavior. Moderator analyses showed that younger samples and behaviors with a moral dimension were associated with stronger moral-norm/intention rela-tions, and anticipated regret was associated with a stronger anticipated-affect/ intention relation. The implications of the findings for the TPB are discussed.jasp_558 2985..3019 The theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) is perhaps the most influential theory for the prediction of social and health behaviors. This model derives from the earlier theory of reasoned action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) and holds that the most immediate determinant of behavior is the individual’s intention to perform the behavior. Intentions summarize the motivational factors that influence performance of a behavior (Ajzen, 1991

Fears of compassion: development of three self-report measures.

Objectives. There is increasing evidence that helping people develop compassion for themselves and others has powerful impacts on negative affect and promotes positive affect. However, clinical observations suggest that some individuals, particularly those high in self-criticism, can find self-compassion and receiving compassion difficult and can befearfulofit.Thisstudythereforedevelopedmeasuresoffearof:compassionforothers, compassion from others, and compassion for self. We also explored the relationship of these fears with established compassion for self and compassion for others measures, self-criticism, attachment styles, and depression, anxiety, and stress. Method. Students (N = 222) and therapists (N = 53) completed measures of fears of compassion, self-compassion, compassion for others, self-criticism, adult attachment, and psychopathology. Results. Fear of compassion for self was linked to fear of compassion from others, and both were associated with self-coldness, self-criticism, insecure attachment, and depression, anxiety, and stress. In a multiple regression, self-criticism was the only significant predictor of depression. Conclusion. This study suggests the importance of exploring how and why some people may actively resist engaging in compassionate experiences or behaviours and be fearful of affiliative emotions in general. This has important implications for therapeutic interventions and the therapeutic relationship because affiliative emotions are major regulators of threat-based emotions.N/