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Habit versus planned behaviour: a field experiment
B Verplanken1, H Aarts, A van Knippenberg
1Department of Social Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. verplanken@psych.kun.nl
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|April 29, 1998
Summary
Habits significantly influence travel choices, often overriding intentions. Interventions can strengthen intention-behavior links, but only when habits are weak, highlighting habits
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Transportation Studies
Background:
- The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) effectively predicts behavior through attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention.
- However, the role of habit in moderating the intention-behavior relationship, particularly in established behaviors like travel mode choice, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive power of habit strength and TPB constructs on repeated travel mode choices.
- To examine how habit strength moderates the relationship between behavioral intentions and actual behavior.
- To explore whether prompting participants to reflect on behavioral circumstances can enhance intention-behavior consistency.
Main Methods:
- A field experiment was conducted over seven days, measuring car use.
- Habit strength was assessed using self-reported frequency and a personal scripts measure.
- TPB variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived control, intention) were measured.
- Participants were randomly assigned to either a reflection condition (thinking about circumstances) or a control group.
Main Results:
- Both habit measures and TPB constructs (intention, perceived control) predicted car use.
- Significant habit x intention interactions revealed that intentions predicted behavior only when habit strength was low; no intention-behavior link existed for strong habits.
- The reflection manipulation strengthened the intention-behavior relationship but did not affect the habit-behavior link.
Conclusions:
- Habit strength acts as a boundary condition for the Theory of Planned Behavior, limiting the applicability of intentions when behaviors are habitual.
- While external prompts can enhance intention enactment, their effectiveness is constrained by the strength of existing habits.
- Future interventions aiming to change habitual behaviors should consider strategies that directly address or circumvent habit strength.