Abstract

Advances in understanding how habit forms can help people change their behaviour in ways that make them happier and healthier. Making behaviour habitual, such that people automatically act in associated contexts due to learned context-response associations, offers a mechanism for maintaining new, desirable behaviours even when conscious motivation wanes. This has prompted interest in understanding how habit forms in the real world. To reliably inform intervention design, habit formation studies must be conceptually and methodologically sound. This paper proposes methodological criteria for studies tracking real-world habit formation, or potential moderators of the effect of repetition on formation. A narrative review of habit theory was undertaken to extract essential and desirable criteria for modelling how habit forms in naturalistic settings, and factors that influence the relationship between repetition and formation. Next, a methodological review identified exemplary real-world habit formation studies according to these criteria. Fourteen methodological criteria, capturing study design (four criteria), measurement (six criteria), and analysis and interpretation (four criteria), were derived from the narrative review. Five extant studies were found to meet our criteria. Adherence to these criteria should increase the likelihood that studies will offer revealing conclusions about how habits develop in real-world settings.

摘要

在理解习惯形式如何帮助人们以更快乐和更健康的方式改变他们的行为方面取得了进展。使行为成为习惯，使得人们由于习得的情境反应关联而自动在相关情境中行动，提供了一种机制，即使在有意识的动机减弱时也能保持新的、理想的行为。这激发了人们对了解习惯在现实世界中如何形成的兴趣。为了可靠地为干预设计提供信息，习惯形成研究必须在概念上和方法上合理。本文提出了研究跟踪现实世界习惯形成的方法论标准，或重复对形成影响的潜在调节因素。对习惯理论进行了叙述性回顾，以提取基本和理想的标准，用于模拟习惯在自然主义环境中的形成方式，以及影响重复和形成之间关系的因素。接下来，方法审查根据这些标准确定了示例性的现实世界习惯形成研究。十四项方法学标准，捕捉研究设计（四项标准）、测量（六项标准）以及分析和解释（四项标准），来自叙述性审查。发现有五项现有研究符合我们的标准。遵守这些标准应该会增加研究提供有关习惯在现实环境中如何发展的揭示性结论的可能性。测量（六个标准）以及分析和解释（四个标准）来自叙述性审查。发现有五项现有研究符合我们的标准。遵守这些标准应该会增加研究提供有关习惯在现实环境中如何发展的揭示性结论的可能性。测量（六个标准）以及分析和解释（四个标准）来自叙述性审查。发现有五项现有研究符合我们的标准。遵守这些标准应该会增加研究提供有关习惯在现实环境中如何发展的揭示性结论的可能性。