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Cited by 563Behavioral Health and InterventionsSmoking Behavior and CessationBehavioral and Psychological Studies

The automatic component of habit in health behavior: Habit as cue-contingent automaticity.

Orbell, Sheina, Verplanken, Bas·2010·Health Psychology
DOI 10.1037/a0019596
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Habit might be usefully characterized as a form of automaticity that involves the association of a cue and a response. Three studies examined habitual automaticity in regard to different aspects of the cue-response relationship characteristic of unhealthy and healthy habits. DESIGN, MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS: In each study, habitual automaticity was assessed by the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI). In Study 1 SRHI scores correlated with attentional bias to smoking cues in a Stroop task. Study 2 examined the ability of a habit cue to elicit an unwanted habit response. In a prospective field study, habitual automaticity in relation to smoking when drinking alcohol in a licensed public house (pub) predicted the likelihood of cigarette-related action slips 2 months later after smoking in pubs had become illegal. In Study 3 experimental group participants formed an implementation intention to floss in response to a specified situational cue. Habitual automaticity of dental flossing was rapidly enhanced compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The studies provided three different demonstrations of the importance of cues in the automatic operation of habits. Habitual automaticity assessed by the SRHI captured aspects of a habit that go beyond mere frequency or consistency of the behavior.

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  • Habits are behavioural patterns learned through context-dependent repetition; repeated performance in unvarying settings reinforces context-behaviour associations such that encountering the context is sufficient to automatically cue the habitual response.

    “Habits are behavioural patterns learned through context-dependent repetition [17][18][19][20]: repeated performance in unvarying settings reinforces context-behaviour associations such that, subsequently, encountering the context is sufficient to automatically cue the habitual response [21].”

    From A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Applications of the Self-Report Habit Index to Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviours (2011) · cites this paper as [21]

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Authors
Orbell, S., & Verplanken, B.
Affiliations
  • University of Essex (GB)
  • University of Bath (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Health Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2010
Volume
29
Issue
4
Pages
374-383
ISSN
  • 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
  • 1930-7810
DOI
10.1037/a0019596
OpenAlex
W2074040705
Cited by
563
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 129 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 16
FWCI
22.90
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Open Access at Essex (University of Essex) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
Keywords
habit, automaticity, health behavior, smoking cues, attentional bias, action slips, implementation intentions, dental flossing, Self-Report Habit Index, alcohol and tobacco use
MeSH terms
Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Attention, Automatism, Cues, Dental Devices, Home Care, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Goals, Habits, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Smoking, Social Behavior, Social Environment, Health Behavior, Logistic Models, Intention, Young Adult, Stroop Test

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